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Gambling

Video courtesy of NHS Leeds and York PFT

Are you a problem gambler?

Try this questionnaire:

  • Do you bet more than you can afford to lose?
  • Do you need to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling?
  • Have you tried to win back money you have lost (chasing losses)?
  • Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
  • Have you wondered whether you have a problem with gambling?
  • Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including feelings of stress or anxiety?
  • Have other people criticised your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem (regardless of whether or not you thought it was true)?
  • Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
  • Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

Score 0 for each time you answer "never"
Score 1 for each time you answer "sometimes"
Score 2 for each time you answer "most of the time"
Score 3 for each time you answer "almost always"

If your total score is 8 or higher, you may be a problem gambler.

Self-Help for problem gamblers

Do:

  • pay important bills, such as your mortgage, on payday before you gamble
  • spend more time with family and friends who do not gamble
  • deal with your debts rather than ignoring them – visit the National Debtline for tips

Don't:

  • view gambling as a way to make money – try to see it as entertainment instead
  • bottle up your worries about your gambling – talk to someone
  • take credit cards with you when you go gambling

For more self-help tips, see the Royal College of Psychiatrists website.

Specialist support

There's evidence that gambling can be successfully treated in the same way as other addictions.

Treatment and support groups are available for people who want to stop gambling, as well as their friends and families.

The NHS Northern Gambling Service (also known as the Northern Gambling Clinic) provides specialist addiction therapy and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction, as well as those with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidal feelings. We also provide help to people close to those with gambling addiction, such as family, partners, and carers.

We’re a clinical team made up of psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses. We also have experts by experience – people who have recovered from gambling addiction.

Who can we help?

  • People with severe gambling addictions
  • Long-term gambling problems
  • Adverse experiences in childhood that may underlie the gambling problem
  • Family members of those with a gambling addiction.

Get in touch with the Northern Gambling Service directly to find out about referring yourself for specialist gambling addiction therapy and support. Call on 0300 3001490 or complete a contact form on the website.

You can also speak to your GP or other professional supporting you about referral to this service.

GamCare offers free information, support and counselling for problem gamblers in the UK. It runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) and also offers face-to-face counselling.

If you live in England or Wales, are aged 16 or over and have complex problems related to gambling, you can refer yourself to the National Problem Gambling Clinic. See if you meet the criteria for this service.

The Gordon Moody Association offers residential courses for men and women who have problems with gambling. For more information, email help@gordonmoody.org.uk or call 01384 241292.

Gordon Moody also runs the Gambling Therapy website, which offers online support to problem gamblers and their friends and family.

Gamblers Anonymous UK runs local support groups that use the same 12-step approach to recovery from addiction as Alcoholics Anonymous. There are also GamAnon support groups for friends, family or anyone else affected by someone's gambling problem.

Mental Health

Although a lot of people gamble to escape feelings of depression or other mental health problems, gambling can actually make these conditions worse.

It is important to speak to professionals if you are worried about the impact of gambling on your mental health. Your GP may be the first person you talk to, and they may refer you to specialist services if they feel this will help. 

Please visit our Support for Mental Health Problems pages for further help.

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