Gambling terms, explained straight

Responsible Gambling & Harm

GamCare

GamCare is a UK charity that provides free information, advice, treatment, and support for anyone affected by gambling harms, including gamblers and their families.

Founded
1997
Helpline number
0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7)2
Services
Phone, online, face-to-face, and treatment services1
Coverage
England, Scotland, Wales; youth support across the whole UK4

Key points

  • GamCare operates the National Gambling Helpline, available free 24 hours a day, seven days a week.3
  • Support is available for gamblers, family members, and others affected by gambling harm, not just the person gambling.4
  • GamCare is a charity, not a self-exclusion tool; it offers treatment and self-help, not a formal exclusion scheme.1
  • Its helpline number is 0808 8020 133, often searched for as 'GamCare number'.5

How GamCare works

GamCare provides a range of free services across England, Scotland, and Wales, with youth support available across the whole UK including Northern Ireland.4 The National Gambling Helpline is the entry point, staffed 24/7 by trained advisors who offer immediate support and can refer callers to longer-term treatment, including face-to-face counselling and online self-help tools.1 Services are confidential and designed to help people stop or reduce gambling, cope with gambling behaviour, and address related harms.1

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • GamCare (UK) — an informal way of referring to GamCare in the UK, not a separate organisation
  • Gamcare self-exclusion — a mistaken conflation; GamCare is a support charity, not a self-exclusion programme
  • Self-exclusion gambling — a formal tool to ban oneself from gambling venues, whereas GamCare offers treatment and helpline support
Responsible play GamCare (UK) Explains why 'GamCare UK' is not a separate entity from GamCare. Responsible play Gamcare self-exclusion Clarifies that GamCare does not run a self-exclusion scheme. Responsible play Betting addiction Covers the condition that GamCare services are designed to address. Responsible play Addiction and gambling Explores the relationship between gambling and addictive behaviour. Responsible play Gambling addiction signs Lists warning signs that may prompt someone to contact GamCare. Responsible play Self-exclusion gambling Describes a formal exclusion tool, distinct from GamCare's support services.

Sources

  1. Our Model of Care gamcare.org.uk Provides details on GamCare's model of care, services, and coverage.
  2. What is 'Responsible Gambling'? gamcare.org.uk Confirms the helpline number 0808 8020 133 and its 24/7 availability.
  3. GamCare - Founder of the National Gambling Helpline gamcare.org.uk States that GamCare operates the National Gambling Helpline 24/7.
  4. Looking for support? - GamCare gamcare.org.uk Describes the geographic coverage and who can access support.
  5. Contact us - GamCare gamcare.org.uk Lists the official helpline number and contact details.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.