Gambling: honest help when it’s stopped being fun
If you need help now
The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133.
If gambling has left you feeling desperate or thinking about ending your life, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, or 999 if you’re in danger.
Gambling has never been easier. Apps, adverts and free bets mean it’s in your pocket all day. For many people that stays a bit of fun. For others it turns into chasing losses, borrowing and hiding it from the people closest to them. If that’s where you are, there’s good, free help.
Signs gambling has become a problem
- You chase losses, betting more to win back what you’ve lost
- You bet more, or more often, to get the same buzz
- You hide your gambling or lie about how much you spend
- You borrow money or fall behind on bills because of it
- You feel anxious or irritable when you try to stop
Where to get help in the UK
- National Gambling Helpline. Free advice and counselling, 24 hours, on 0808 8020 133. GamCare
- NHS gambling clinics. Specialist treatment in England, and you can refer yourself. NHS guide to gambling addiction
- Block gambling sites. GAMSTOP blocks you from UK gambling websites and apps for 6 months, a year or 5 years.
- Support groups. Gamblers Anonymous runs free meetings, and GamAnon supports family and friends.
- Debt advice. Citizens Advice and StepChange give free, confidential help.
Where hypnotherapy fits
Hypnotherapy is not a treatment for gambling addiction, and I don’t offer it as one. The services above, or your GP, need to be part of your recovery.
Where I can help is alongside that support. Gambling is often tied to stress, boredom or the need for excitement, and those feelings don’t go away when you stop. Sessions can help with them and with the situations where you used to bet, so the changes you’re making have a better chance of lasting.
Before we work together I’ll ask whether you’re getting support for your gambling. If I think you need that first, I’ll tell you honestly.
Common questions
Can hypnosis stop me gambling?
No one can honestly promise that. Hypnotherapy can support the decision you’ve made and the help you’re getting elsewhere. The change itself is yours.
Is it confidential?
Yes. What you tell me stays between us. As with any therapist, the only exception is if I believed you or someone else were at serious risk of harm.
I’m worried about someone else’s gambling. What can I do?
The National Gambling Helpline takes calls from family and friends too, and GamAnon is set up to support you. You don’t have to cope with it alone.
Talk it through
If you’re already getting support and want help alongside it, book a £49 consultation call and we’ll talk about whether sessions would help.
Information on this page is based on the NHS guide to gambling addiction. Checked October 2026.