VeloBet Get Help
VeloBet Get Help is for anyone who feels gambling is becoming a problem, with the United Kingdom support services, warning signs and practical first steps in one place.
If you are reading this page, you have already taken the hardest step. Recognising that something has shifted from fun to a problem is what every conversation with a support service starts with, and it never gets easier than the moment you admit it to yourself. This page lists the services available across United Kingdom, explains what to expect when you call, and outlines the practical steps you can take right now while you wait to talk to a person.
Every service below is free, confidential and run by trained counsellors who specialise in gambling support. None of them will judge you, sell your details or pressure you toward any particular outcome. Their only job is to help you understand your situation and decide what to do next.
People you can call right now
Gambling Helpline NZ
Free call 0800 654 655. Open twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Confidential conversations with trained counsellors.
Text 8006
Text the word HELP to 8006 if a call feels like too much. A counsellor responds within minutes.
gamblinghelpline.co.nz
Online chat, self-assessment tools and a directory of in-person counselling across all regions.
Mapu Maia
Pacific-led gambling harm service across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Free call 0800 21 21 22.
Counselling and community
Gamblers Anonymous
Peer-led meetings across the country, both in person and online. Free and anonymous. ganewzealand.org.nz.
Salvation Army Oasis
Free counselling for problem gambling and for the families affected by it. Locations in every major city.
Asian Family Services
Free counselling for the Asian community in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi and Japanese.
When fun stops being fun
Gambling does not become a problem overnight. It usually drifts, one slightly bigger session at a time, until the size of the problem catches up with you. The list below is not a diagnosis, but if more than two of these describe your recent weeks, it is worth talking to someone.
- Playing longer than you planned more than once a month.
- Borrowing money or moving funds around to keep depositing.
- Hiding the time or money spent playing from people you live with.
- Feeling anxious or irritable when you cannot play.
- Chasing losses with bigger stakes to recover them.
- Lying to yourself about how much you have spent across a week.
- Sleeping less because of late-night sessions.
- Missing work, family or social commitments to play.
If you are in crisis right now
Helping someone else
What you can do today
- 1
Stop the bleeding
Open your account and apply a deposit limit set to zero. The change locks in instantly and stops every future deposit at the door.
- 2
Self-exclude
Pick a self-exclusion period long enough to break the routine. Six months is the minimum and a common starting point.
- 3
Tell someone
Pick one person in your life and tell them what is happening. Carrying it alone is the single biggest reason problem gambling stays hidden.
- 4
Make a call
Use one of the numbers above. The first call is the hardest. Every one after that is easier.
- 5
Block the sites
Install device-level blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker on your phone and computer.
Knowing the script makes the call easier
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | A counsellor answers and asks if you are safe to talk | Under a minute |
| Listening | They give you space to describe what is going on, with no judgement | Five to ten minutes |
| Options | Together you map out the immediate next steps | Five to ten minutes |
| Follow up | If you want, they book a counsellor in your area or send written resources | A few minutes |
Tools to put distance between you and the lobby
- Gamban: paid app that blocks gambling sites across every device on a single subscription.
- BetBlocker: free open-source blocker covering computers, phones and tablets.
- NetNanny: family filter that includes gambling as a blockable category.
- Your bank can also block gambling transactions on most United Kingdom debit and credit cards. Call the number on the back of your card and ask.
Calling the helpline was the start of getting my Saturdays back. The counsellor never made me feel like a statistic. She just listened, then helped me work out a plan.
If you are worried about someone else
The hardest part of supporting someone with a gambling problem is knowing when to push and when to listen. The Gambling Helpline runs a dedicated family service that can coach you through the conversation, suggest what to say and what to avoid, and point you toward longer-term support if the person you are worried about is not ready to talk yet.
You do not need permission from the person who is gambling to make the call. Whanau-focused counselling exists because problem gambling never sits inside a single person. It ripples out across families, and the people around the person who is gambling deserve support of their own.
One call can change a week
Free, confidential, twenty-four hours a day. 0800 654 655.
Call the helpline