Responsible Gambling — Ireland
If gambling has stopped being fun, you are not alone and you do not have to deal with it on your own. This page lists the free, confidential support available in Ireland and the practical options for taking a break.
Signs that gambling has become a problem
You don’t have to recognise every sign. Even one or two of these is worth paying attention to:
- Spending more money on gambling than you can comfortably afford to lose.
- Chasing losses — gambling more to try to win back money you’ve already lost.
- Hiding the amount you spend or the time you spend gambling from family or friends.
- Borrowing money — from people, credit cards, payday loans, or “buy-now-pay-later” services — to fund gambling.
- Gambling to escape stress, anxiety, low mood, or loneliness.
- Feeling irritable, restless, or anxious when you try to cut down or stop.
- Missing work, family, or social commitments because of gambling.
- Lying to yourself about how much you have spent or won.
If any of this sounds like you — or someone close to you — the support services below are designed for exactly this. They are free. They will not pressure you into anything. You can contact them anonymously.
Who to contact in Ireland
The National Gambling Helpline — 1800 936 725
The National Gambling Helpline is the first call most people make. It is operated by the Gambling Awareness Trust as part of GamblingCare.ie.
- Phone: 1800 936 725
- Web: gamblingcare.ie/
- Free to call, confidential, around the clock.
- You do not have to give your name.
Extern Problem Gambling
Extern Problem Gambling provides free counselling for people with gambling problems and for affected family members, anywhere on the island of Ireland (Republic and Northern Ireland).
Gamblers Anonymous Ireland
Gamblers Anonymous (Ireland) runs peer-support meetings in many towns and cities, as well as online meetings. Meetings are free, anonymous, and open to anyone who wants to stop gambling.
Aiseiri and other residential treatment
For severe gambling addiction, residential treatment programmes exist in Ireland. Aiseiri is one publicly-listed treatment centre. The Citizens Information page on gambling addiction lists current options and how to access them through the HSE.
Northern Ireland
If you are in Northern Ireland, the Don’t Bet On It (Public Health Agency NI) campaign is a useful starting point, and GamCare serves the whole of the UK on 0808 8020 133.
Practical tools you can use today
These are things you can do in the next ten minutes, on your own, without speaking to anyone.
1. Operator-level self-exclusion
Every licensed gambling operator must offer self-exclusion — you can ask them to bar your account, typically for a chosen period (six months, one year, five years, indefinitely). The process is usually a single email or a setting inside the account.
2. National self-exclusion (coming)
The GRAI is developing a national self-exclusion register that will cover all GRAI-licensed operators — register once, excluded everywhere licensed. It is expected to launch alongside the full licensing framework in late 2026. We will update this page when it is live.
3. Bank-level gambling blocks
Most major Irish banks let you block gambling transactions on your debit/credit card from inside your banking app. This is sometimes called a “gambling block” or “merchant block”. There is usually a built-in cooling-off period (typically 48 hours) before you can switch it off again — that pause is the point.
4. Deposit, loss, and time limits
On any account you keep, set deposit limits, loss limits, and session-time limits before you play. Most operators offer them; they are easier to set in advance than to enforce after a bad session.
5. Software-level blocks
For online gambling specifically, blocking apps such as Gamban or BetBlocker can prevent access to gambling sites and apps across all your devices.
How to help someone you know
If you are worried about a partner, family member, friend, or colleague:
- Pick a calm time. Not during or right after a loss. Not when either of you is drinking.
- Speak in terms of what you have noticed, not in accusations. “I have noticed you’ve been withdrawn lately” lands better than “You’ve been gambling again.”
- Listen without trying to fix. Most people who are gambling problematically already know. Being heard matters more than being told.
- Offer concrete next steps. Suggest one of the support services on this page. Offer to sit with them while they call. Offer to set up bank blocks together.
- Look after yourself, too. Living with someone who is gambling problematically is hard. Extern Problem Gambling and GamCare both provide free support specifically for family and friends of problem gamblers.
If you are in crisis right now
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, including thoughts of self-harm, please contact emergency services. In Ireland that is 999 or 112.
For non-emergency mental-health support in Ireland:
- Samaritans — 116 123 — free, 24/7, every day of the year.
- HSE Your Mental Health — hse.ie/mental-health
- Pieta House (suicide and self-harm support) — 1800 247 247
About this page
This page is part of our Phase A informational content. We do not earn any commission if you contact the services above. We are not affiliated with any of them. If a phone number or URL on this page is wrong or has changed, please tell us via the Contact page and we will update it.