Gambling debt: where to get help and your options
If gambling has left you in debt, you can talk to someone free and in confidence, any time, on the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) or, in Wales, the NHS Wales helpline (0808 2819 265). The debts can be dealt with like any others, and there are tools that stop you gambling while you sort them out.
Borrowing to gamble, or to cover losses, is nothing to be ashamed of. Debt charities such as StepChange say they help people with gambling debts without judgement or pressure. The most useful thing you can do is tackle both parts together: getting support with the gambling, and a plan for the debts. Neither has to be sorted out in one go.
Where can you get help with gambling?
All of these are free and confidential.
| Where you live | Service | How to contact |
|---|---|---|
| England and Scotland | National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) | 0808 8020 133, live chat or WhatsApp, 24 hours a day |
| Wales | NHS Wales gambling helpline | 0808 2819 265, 24 hours a day |
| Northern Ireland | nidirect lists 0808 8020 133 for gambling support, plus local services such as Dunlewey Addiction Services | 0808 8020 133 or Dunlewey on 08000 886 725 |
Beyond the helplines:
- The National Gambling Support Network is a network of free treatment and support services across Great Britain. GambleAware’s service finder lists over 30 providers and can find support near you.
- NHS gambling clinics in England offer specialist treatment, and you can refer yourself. Your GP can also point you to local services.
- Peer support is available through Gamblers Anonymous, and GamAnon and GamFam support family and friends.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time, or 999 if you are in danger.
How can you stop or limit gambling while you deal with the debt?
Putting barriers in place protects the money you need for bills and for repaying debts. The main tools are:
- A gambling block on your bank account. Most major banks can block payments to gambling companies or temporarily freeze your card. Ask yours what it offers.
- GAMSTOP. This free scheme blocks you from gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain for a period you choose, from 6 months to 5 years. You cannot cancel during that period, and the block stays in place afterwards until you ask for it to be removed. A separate scheme covers high street betting shops.
- Self-exclusion with betting shops, casinos, bingo venues and arcades, which all offer it. nidirect says the minimum is 6 months, or 12 months for betting shops.
- Blocking software on your phone, tablet and computer.
You also cannot use a credit card to gamble with a business in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission banned it from 14 April 2020.
Is gambling debt a priority debt?
Usually not. For debt purposes, what matters is the kind of borrowing, not what the money was spent on. Most gambling debt ends up on credit cards, overdrafts, loans and payday loans, or is owed to friends and family, and Citizens Advice lists all of those as non-priority debts.
The risk is that gambling losses leave rent, council tax or energy unpaid, and those are priority debts with serious consequences. Pay those first, then offer what is left to the rest. Our guide to priority debts explains how to put your bills in order.
Do not borrow from an unlicensed lender to cover losses. If you already have, you have not committed a crime and the loan is generally unenforceable. See borrowed from a loan shark? for how to get help safely.
How do you deal with the debts themselves?
- Work out a budget. List your income and essential costs so you know what is left for debts. It can help to have someone you trust look at it with you.
- Tell your lenders you are struggling. Lenders regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority must treat people in financial difficulty with forbearance and due consideration, which can mean freezing interest, accepting lower payments or pausing collection.
- Complain about unaffordable lending if a lender should have seen from your account that you were gambling before it lent to you. Citizens Advice says a successful complaint should mean interest and charges are removed or refunded.
- Ask a debt adviser about Breathing Space. In England and Wales it pauses most creditor action and freezes interest and charges for up to 60 days while you get advice. If you are receiving treatment for a mental health crisis, a mental health crisis Breathing Space lasts as long as the treatment, plus 30 days.
If the debt is affecting your mood, sleep or relationships, our guide to debt and your mental health covers the protections available.
Can gambling debts go into an IVA, DRO or bankruptcy?
Yes. Debts that came from gambling can be included in an IVA, a debt relief order (DRO) or bankruptcy like any other unsecured debt. But the way the debts arose, and whether you are still gambling, matter more than they would otherwise.
Bankruptcy. The official receiver will ask for full details of your finances and may interview you. If it believes you acted carelessly or dishonestly, it can ask you to agree a bankruptcy restrictions undertaking, or ask the court for a bankruptcy restrictions order. The law specifically lists “gambling, rash and hazardous speculation or unreasonable extravagance” that contributed to the bankruptcy as something the court must take into account. Restrictions, such as on borrowing more than £500 without saying you are bankrupt, can then last for between 2 and 15 years instead of ending at discharge. Your debts are still released at discharge. See bankruptcy.
Debt relief order. The same gambling test applies to a debt relief restrictions order, which can also last from 2 to 15 years.
IVA. Creditors vote on your proposal, and it needs the support of 75% by value of those who vote. For an IVA to work, the insolvency practitioner has to be satisfied the payments are sustainable:
- your budget is drawn up using the Standard Financial Statement and must be one you can keep to for 5 or 6 years
- you must give full and honest information. Giving false information to get creditors to approve an IVA is a criminal offence
- falling behind by three months’ payments is a breach, and the IVA can then be ended, leaving you owing the debts plus interest again
- you cannot take credit over £500 without the supervisor’s written permission
If gambling is still a problem, tell your adviser, because it affects how realistic any plan is. IVA or bankruptcy? compares the two. IVAs are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland, see debt solutions in Scotland.
Not sure which option fits? Answer a few questions and we can point you in the right direction. It takes about 3 minutes, and it is free and confidential.
What to do next
- Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (NHS Wales helpline 0808 2819 265 in Wales), or use live chat. You can stay anonymous.
- Put a gambling block on your bank account and register with GAMSTOP.
- Pay your rent or mortgage, council tax and energy first, then contact your other creditors.
- Get free, impartial debt advice from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. See where to get free debt advice.
For other kinds of debt, see types of debt. If you use our checker, we may pass your details to a licensed insolvency practitioner or debt adviser.
Common questions
Can I complain to a lender that let me borrow money I then gambled?
Citizens Advice says you should complain if the lender should have known you were gambling before it lent to you, for example from your bank statements. If the complaint succeeds, the lender should remove or refund interest and charges, although you will usually still have to repay what you borrowed.
What if a gambling company let me gamble after I self-excluded?
Gambling companies should not let you gamble after you have self-excluded. You can complain to the Gambling Commission, which can take action against a company that has not followed the rules.
Can I still use a credit card to gamble?
No, not with a gambling business in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission banned gambling on credit cards from 14 April 2020, online and in person, except for lottery tickets bought in person.
Is the National Gambling Helpline really confidential?
Yes. GambleAware says you can contact GamCare, which runs the helpline, anonymously by phone or live chat 24 hours a day, or by WhatsApp. It helps whether the gambling is yours or someone else's.
Am I responsible for my partner's gambling debts?
Not for credit in their sole name. Citizens Advice says you are not responsible for a credit debt you did not sign for, even as an additional cardholder. You are liable for joint debts, and usually for household bills such as council tax where you live.
Related guides
- Debt and your mental health How debt and mental health are linked, and the protections and support available if you are struggling.
- Bankruptcy: how it works and what it means for you How bankruptcy works, the £680 cost, and what happens to your home, car, income and job.
- Borrowed from a loan shark? What to do Staying safe, reporting an illegal lender in confidence, and getting support in every UK nation.
- Priority and non-priority debts: what to pay first Which debts come first, what can happen if you miss them, and how debt solutions treat each type.