Citizens Advice Charnwood offer advice about gambling harm

We know around 2 million people are experiencing some level of gambling harm in GB, including 300,000 estimated to be experiencing 'problem gaAmbling', to such a degree that it completely disrupts family and personal life. Gambling harm can be easy to hide or mask as something else.

The first thing we would say is that for anyone looking for help – "you are not alone". Talk to someone about your gambling problem - there are organisations like GamCare, and GAMSTOP, that have great people and tools to help get you through the tough times.

If you're worried about your gambling, there are things you can do to get support. You might want to:

Limit how much you gamble by:

- asking gambling companies to stop serving you

- asking your bank to limit how much you spend on gambling;

they can do different things like temporarily freeze your card to stop you spending too much

- using software to block gambling websites

Talk to someone about your gambling problem

- Ring GamCare East Midlands on 0152 227 4880 or visit the GamCare website @ www.gamcare.org.uk or ring them on 0808 8020 133

- Get group support by going to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting near you

- Speak to one of our trained Advisers

Get help if you're struggling with debt

- Speak to one of our Advisers – they can help you work out which debts to deal with first and find you specialist help, if you need it.

Check if you can get a refund if you've borrowed money

- You can complain to your lender if they let you borrow money you couldn't afford to pay back - for example, if they gave you a loan or an overdraft.

Complain if you were allowed to gamble after you self-excluded (that is when you asked a gambling venue to exclude you from the venue or a gambling activity offered at the venue) More information can be found on the Gamstop website - www.gamstop.co.uk

If someone is under 18 years old Gambling companies shouldn't let them gamble. More information can be found on https://bigdeal.org.uk/ help for young people.

Detailed information about the help available can be found on the following websites:-

GamCare - https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
GamCare East Midlands - https://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-support/find-local-support/eastmidlands/0152 227 4880
Gamstop - (for free online self-exclusion)
https://www.gamstop.co.uk/
Citizens Advice - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/gambling-problems/get-help-with-gambling-problems/
GamblersAnonymous - https://gamblersanonymous.org.uk/

If you need help or do not have online access, you can speak to one of our Advisers - our Local Enquiry Line is 01509 649605 and is open Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays 9.30am-3.00pm. Please visit our website for further details https://www.charnwoodcab.org.uk/