Gambling addiction: what it is, how to stop, and where to get help
Zona Bet is an independent, non-commercial reference on gambling addiction (gambling disorder, problem gambling). Every page is dated and checked against primary sources: regulators, helpline organisations, government and peer-reviewed research. No ads, no affiliate links, no gambling-industry money.
If you need to talk to someone now — free, confidential helplines, most of them 24/7:
- United States: 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) — National Problem Gambling Helpline (USA network, NCPG), 24/7
- United Kingdom: 0808 8020 133 — National Gambling Helpline (GamCare)
- Australia: 1800 858 858 — National Gambling Helpline / Gambling Help Online, 24/7
- Canada: See website (province-by-province) — Provincial helplines (Responsible Gambling Council overview)
- Ireland: ROI: 1800 936 725 • NI: 08000 886 725 — GamblingCare.ie helpline (Gambling Awareness Trust, delivered with Dunlewey Addiction Services), 24/7
- New Zealand: 0800 654 655 — Gambling Helpline NZ, 24/7
- Germany: 0800 1 37 27 00 — BIÖG (formerly BZgA) – Infotelefon Glücksspielsucht
- India: 14416 or 1800-891-4416 — Tele MANAS (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare), 24/7
All 50 countries → In immediate danger, call your local emergency number.
Start here
- Gambling addiction: definition, DSM-5 criteria and how it is diagnosedWhat gambling addiction means clinically: the nine DSM-5 criteria and the four-of-nine threshold, how the terms problem gambling, gambling disorder and compulsive gambling differ, how common it is, and how it is screened.
- Signs of gambling addiction and a self-test you can take nowEarly and established signs across behavior, money, and mood, the nine DSM-5 criteria in plain language, and two validated self-tests with a next step for every score.
- How to stop gambling: a plan for today, this week, and the first 90 daysA staged plan for stopping gambling: six barriers to put up in the next 30 minutes, the money and trigger work for week one, online and sports-betting specifics, what the first 90 days feel like, and what to do after a lapse.
- How to help someone with a gambling addictionA practical guide for partners, family, and friends: how to spot the problem from outside, what to say (and what backfires), how to protect the household money, and where to find support for yourself.
- Gambling addiction treatment: what works and where it is freeWhat the evidence supports for gambling addiction treatment: CBT first, peer support alongside, medication as a second step, and the free routes in the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
- Gambling debt: what to do first, and in what orderThe order matters: block gambling in the first 48 hours, triage priority debts before paying anyone, and use free debt advice instead of loans or bailouts.
- Gambling self-exclusion by country: official schemes and how to sign upDirectory of official gambling self-exclusion schemes in 15 countries — what each covers, how long exclusions last, and official sign-up links.
- Gambling addiction self-test (PGSI)Nine questions, instant score, what to do next. Nothing is stored.
Help by country
Helpline, self-exclusion, bank blocks, free treatment and the regulator — one page per country.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
Get help now
Understanding gambling
- Gambling addiction: definition, DSM-5 criteria and how it is diagnosed
- What causes gambling addiction: product design, biology and personal risk
- Gambling withdrawal symptoms: what to expect and how long they last
- Sports betting addiction: what makes betting apps high-risk, and how to stop
- Gambling addiction statistics: prevalence by country and what each number measures
- What is RTP and volatility in gambling? The honest math
- Responsible gambling tools that actually work (2026)
Treatment & recovery
- Gambling addiction treatment: what works and where it is free
- Cognitive behavioral therapy for gambling addiction: what it does and what the evidence shows
- Gamblers Anonymous: how it works and how to find a meeting today
- Gambling addiction medication: what is prescribed and what the evidence shows
- Gambling recovery and relapse: what the first year actually involves
Blocking & self-exclusion
- Gambling self-exclusion by country: official schemes and how to sign up
- Gambling self-exclusion in the USA, state by state
- What is GamStop? How the UK self-exclusion scheme works
- GamStop vs blocking software: what each one actually blocks
- Casinos not on GamStop: what they are and why they are risky
- Gamban: what it blocks, what it costs, and where it is free
- The best apps to block gambling sites in 2026 (free options first)
- How to block gambling sites and apps on iPhone and Android
- Bank gambling blocks: which banks have one and how they work
Money & debt
Reference
- Gambling helplines by country50 countries, verified against official sources.
- GlossaryPlain definitions: chasing, RTP, self-exclusion, PGSI, MCC 7995 and the rest.
- About this siteWho runs it, how pages are checked, how to send corrections.