UK Gamblers - Use Gamstop!

Though many will have heard of the Gamstop programme, some may not have. Essentially it's a website where you provide your details and they then exclude you from all sites regulated by the UKGC.

I'd previously self excluded from many sites but found when I got the urge I'd just open another account elsewhere. The end result was I wasn't saving any money at all, so things like holidays and treats went on credit card instead and I was blowing through every spare penny.

I'd looked at Gamstop before but thought "oh my addiction isn't that bad". One day a few months back I decided to see just how bad it was; turns out in the last year I'm £6000 down alone. That was the kicker for me. I've got debts of about £15k plus the mortgage and they were only growing because (no matter how much I justified it as spending 'disposable' income) I gambled it instead of paying stuff off quicker. The thought of not gambling again was scary but I took the plunge and signed up. The next day I logged in to my multiple accounts. Every single one was blocked.

Flash forward to now. I've already saved up £2000 in the last three months because, without gambling, I don't actually spend much money on anything! The fact I know I simply CAN'T gamble if I want to makes the urges disappear. I'm now in a position where I've got clear financial goals that I'm confident I'll hit. In 18 months I'll be debt free.

It sounds stupid that something like that is so life changing, but I'm notably happier and it's because I took 5 minutes on the Gamstop website. Seriously if you're from the UK and have an online addiction just take a deep breath and put your details in before you think about it and change your mind. Best step I ever took!!!

That is right, self exclusion is the best thing you can ever do ... and if you ever find sites not covered by this - ask them for permanent self-exclusion as well.

Always ask for permanent self-exclusion, never look back!