You are not alone

Support and help

Whether you are worried about your own play or about someone close to you, free and confidential help is available. Reaching out early makes every next step easier.

support-lifeline illustration
1024×1024

Helpline and immediate assistance

800 000 000

Free of charge, anonymous, available daily. Trained counsellors advise players and relatives alike — about limits, self-exclusion, debt and treatment options. You do not need to prepare anything; just call.

Phone

Daily, including weekends. Calls are free from all national networks.

Online chat

Anonymous text counselling for those who prefer writing to calling.

E-mail counselling

A considered written reply from a specialist, usually within a few days.

I want to help someone close to me

Relatives are often the first to notice a problem — and they need support too. Counselling services advise family members independently, even if the person who gambles is not ready to seek help yet.

  • Talk to a counsellor first to prepare for the conversation at home.
  • Protect household finances: separate accounts, agreed spending oversight.
  • Learn how the self-exclusion register works and how entry is requested.
  • Look after your own wellbeing — support groups for relatives exist as well.

How to talk to someone who gambles too much

I want to check whether I have a problem

Anonymous self-assessment

Five questions based on recognised screening tools. Nothing is stored; the result is guidance, not a diagnosis.

Go to the self-assessment

Prefer to talk it through?

A counsellor on the helpline can walk through the same questions with you and explain what the answers suggest.

Call 800 000 000

Counselling and treatment services

Help is organised in steps — most people start with the helpline or an outpatient consultation. All services listed here are professional, confidential and independent of gambling operators.

Service What it offers Cost
Helpline and online chat First advice, crisis support, referral to local services Free
Outpatient addiction clinics Individual therapy, group programmes, family counselling Covered by public health insurance
Residential treatment Intensive programmes for severe gambling disorder Covered by public health insurance
Debt counselling Help with consolidating and managing gambling-related debt Free at accredited advice centres

Online tools and self-help resources

Spending diary

A simple template for recording every deposit and session — the honest picture is often the turning point.

Download the template

Blocking software

Independent tools that block gambling sites and apps on your devices, complementing the official self-exclusion register.

Overview of blocking tools

Self-help programme

A structured online course for reducing or stopping gambling at your own pace, with optional counsellor support.

About the programme