Protecting your assets
Keep the money you rely on out of reach of play. Separate the account that pays your rent, food, and school fees from any account used for gambling, and ask your bank about blocking gambling transactions on your card.
Take control of your finances.
Gambling should never interfere with everyday expenses, saving, or your family's future. Free, confidential help is available to help you budget, manage debt, and set hard caps on what you spend on play.
Money Management
Three ways we can help
Managing debt and rebuilding savings
Debt from gambling can feel impossible to talk about. It is not. Listing what you owe, agreeing realistic repayments, and putting away even a small amount each month are ordinary steps that a counsellor can walk through with you.
Confidential support, free of charge
Every conversation with our counsellors is free and confidential. You do not need to have stopped gambling, and you will not be judged for what you have already spent.
Practical Steps
Building a budget that holds
A budget is simply a plan for money you have already earned. These steps are a starting point — a counsellor can help you adapt them to your situation.
1
Write down every source of income for the month, including irregular work.
2
List what must be paid first: rent, food, transport, school fees, utilities.
3
Set aside money for debts you are repaying before anything discretionary.
4
Whatever remains is your limit for entertainment — including any gambling.
5
Use deposit and loss limits with licensed operators so the cap is enforced.
Signs money has become a problem
- Borrowing money to gamble or to cover what gambling has cost
- Using money set aside for bills, rent, food, or school fees
- Hiding bank statements, receipts, or debts from people close to you
- Selling belongings to fund play or to repay what you owe
- Taking on new loans to repay older gambling debts
- Feeling that a big win is the only way out of the hole
Tools that back up your budget
You do not have to sort this out on your own.
Talk to a counsellor for free, set hard limits with licensed operators, or step away entirely with national self-exclusion.