Safer Gambling

Crown Winners Hub wants gambling to stay what it should be: entertainment, paid for with money you can afford to lose, for as long as it is fun. This page collects the tools every UK-licensed casino must offer, the free help available in the UK, and a few honest questions worth asking yourself.

Tools built into every licensed casino

Deposit limits

You can cap how much you deposit per day, week or month. Since October 2025 UK operators must ask every new customer to set a limit before the first deposit. Lowering a limit takes effect immediately; raising one only after a cooling-off period.

Time limits and reality checks

Session limits log you out after a set time. Reality checks interrupt play at intervals you choose to show how long you have played and how much you have won or lost.

Time-outs and cooling-off

A short break — 24 hours, a week or six weeks — locks your account and cannot be reversed early. Useful after a bad run or a big win.

Loss and activity history

Every licensed casino shows your net deposits, withdrawals and results. Checking this monthly is the simplest way to see whether gambling is still a hobby or has become a habit.

Self-exclusion

Each site lets you close your account for six months or more. For a block that covers every operator at once, use GAMSTOP below.

GAMSTOP — national self-exclusion

GAMSTOP is free and takes a few minutes. Choose six months, one year or five years, and every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain must stop you from opening or using an account for that period. Registration cannot be cancelled early.

Talk to someone — free, confidential, 24/7

The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is on 0808 8020 133 — free from landlines and mobiles, open every hour of every day. Live chat is available at gamcare.org.uk. GamCare also runs TalkBanStop, which combines support, GAMSTOP and free blocking software in one step.

• BeGambleAware — advice, self-assessment and a directory of local treatment.
• Gordon Moody — residential and online treatment for gambling addiction.
• Gamblers Anonymous UK — peer-support meetings across the country.

Blocking tools

Gamban blocks gambling sites and apps on all your devices; it is free through TalkBanStop. Most UK banks — including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, NatWest, Santander and Starling — offer a gambling block in their app that stops card payments to gambling merchants, usually with a delay before it can be removed.

A quick self-check

• Are you spending more than you planned, or more than you can afford?
• Have you chased losses to try to win money back?
• Do you gamble to escape stress, boredom or low mood?
• Have you hidden how much you play from people close to you?
• Has gambling caused arguments, missed work or borrowed money?

One “yes” is worth a pause. Two or more are a good reason to call the helpline — there is no judgement, and the earlier the conversation the easier it is.

Under 18?

Gambling is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. Licensed casinos verify age before allowing play or withdrawals. If you are under 18 and worried about gambling, BigDeal (run by GamCare) at bigdeal.org.uk offers support written for young people.