When gambling has stopped being fun

Say you lodged €50 on Friday to play a few spins. By Sunday night you’ve put in €400, the €50 is long gone, and you’re working out what you’d need to win to get back to zero. If that sounds like your weekend, this page is for you.

You don’t need a lecture. You need a number to ring, a way to block the sites and a plan for the money that’s already gone. All three are below.

Who can I talk to right now?

Ring the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 936 725. It’s free and answered any hour of the day or night. You don’t have to give your name, and you don’t have to decide anything on the call.

Don’t try to win the losses back first. That’s the most common way a bad week turns into a bad year. The money is gone whether you ring today or after one more deposit.

Worried about someone else?

Every service below takes calls from family members as well. You can ring about a partner, a son or a parent without them knowing you’ve done it.

Organisation Phone number
National Gambling Helpline (GamblingCare) 1800 936 725 1800 936 725
Extern Problem Gambling 089 241 5401 089 241 5401
Helplink gambling counselling 0818 998 880 0818 998 880
Gamblers Anonymous Ireland 01 872 1133 01 872 1133
HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline 1800 459 459 1800 459 459

Set a deposit limit at every casino you use, in the account settings. Lowering one usually works straight away. Raising one comes with a waiting period, often 24 hours or more, and that delay is what makes it useful. A loss limit caps what you can lose rather than what you can lodge. Reality checks put a pop-up on screen at set intervals showing how long you’ve been playing.

A cooling-off period locks the account for days or weeks. Self-exclusion locks it for months or years, and you can’t cancel it early.

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 sets up a National Gambling Exclusion Register. Join it once and every operator licensed in Ireland must refuse you. As of November 2026 the register isn’t open. Even when it is, it won’t cover casinos licensed abroad. So exclude yourself at each site separately, and ask your bank to block gambling transactions too. Revolut, AIB and Bank of Ireland all let you block gambling transactions in their apps.

GamblingCare – National Gambling Helpline

Trained advisers answer 1800 936 725, free, 24 hours a day. They listen, talk through what’s happening and refer you to counselling or treatment near you. Family members can ring too. You don’t have to give your name.

Extern Problem Gambling

Call or text 089 241 5401, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, and a counsellor rings you back. Counselling is free, in person or online. It’s for people who gamble and for the people close to them.

Helplink

Accredited addiction counsellors offer free sessions by phone or video, seven days a week, including evenings. They see people from 16 up. Ring 0818 998 880 or email [email protected] to book.

Gamblers Anonymous Ireland

Gamblers Anonymous runs free meetings where people in recovery support each other. All you need to join is a wish to stop. The meetings list on its website covers the whole country. The Dublin office is on 01 872 1133.

Free and confidential: ring 1800 936 725

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