Responsible Gambling
The Betting Forum exists because we enjoy betting as a hobby: the puzzle of finding value, the argument about who is right, the shared pleasure of a good call. It stays a hobby only while it is under control. This page is here for the moments when it might not be.
Keep it a hobby
- Decide what you can afford to lose before you start, and treat that money as the cost of the entertainment. Never bet with money set aside for rent, bills or family.
- Set deposit and loss limits with every bookmaker and exchange you use. All UK-licensed operators offer them, and they are easy to lower and deliberately slow to raise.
- Never chase losses. A losing day is a losing day. Trying to win it back in one go is how a bad day becomes a bad month.
- Keep a record of every bet, including the losers. Honest records are the best early-warning system there is.
- Do not bet when you are tired, drunk, angry or upset, and take regular breaks: a week off now and then does no harm at all.
- Be wary of anyone selling certainty. Nobody has a guaranteed system, and nobody on this forum is allowed to sell you one.
Warning signs
Betting more than you planned; borrowing money or using credit to bet; hiding bets from people close to you; feeling anxious or irritable when you cannot bet; thinking about betting most of the time; or betting to escape problems rather than for enjoyment. If any of these sound familiar, please talk to someone.
Free, confidential help
- National Gambling Helpline – 0808 8020 133, free, 24 hours a day, every day, run by GamCare. Live chat is also available at gamcare.org.uk.
- GambleAware – advice, self-assessment tools and support at gambleaware.org.
- GAMSTOP – free self-exclusion from every UK-licensed online gambling site in one step, for six months, one year or five years: gamstop.co.uk.
- Gamblers Anonymous UK – peer support meetings across the country: gamblersanonymous.org.uk.
- Your bank – most UK banks can switch on a gambling block for your cards from within their app.
- The NHS runs specialist gambling clinics; your GP can refer you, or you can self-refer in many areas.
On the forum
If you would like your account closed so that you can take a break from betting talk, email admin@thebettingforum.co.uk and we will do it without questions. And if you notice another member struggling, a kind word goes further than you might think.
You must be 18 or over to bet in the UK and to use this forum.