Responsible gambling

Updated 28 Sept 2026

Where does a bet stop being fun?

For most people, never. Adults in Britain may gamble legally, and plenty treat a flutter the way they treat a takeaway: an occasional treat with a price they have already accepted. This site is written for over-18s only.

It stops being fun when the price stops being accepted and starts being chased. We cover Jokabet because readers use it, and anyone who does should know where the brakes are, and who to ring if they fail.

Who can I call right now?

Dial 0808 8020 133. That is the National Gambling Helpline, operated by BeGambleAware: no charge, no judgement, and someone picks up whatever the hour. There is an online chat too. You do not have to be at rock bottom to use it; a nagging worry about your own play, or someone else's, is reason enough.

• GamCare: advice, information and counselling, for gamblers and for their partners and families.
• Gamblers Anonymous UK: groups in person and online where people who want to stop back each other up.
• BeGambleAware: self-check questionnaires and plain guides on its website.

I am on GamStop. Why can I still open Jokabet?

Because GamStop only reaches bookmakers and casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, and Jokabet's licence comes from Curaçao. Registering with the scheme does nothing to this site. That surprises a lot of people, and it is the single most important thing on this page.

For Jokabet, then, the routine is different.

1. Ask Jokabet to shut you out. Message its support by chat or email, say you want to self-exclude, and ask them to confirm it in writing.
2. Put a blocker on every device. Gamban and BetBlocker prevent gambling pages opening on phones, tablets and computers, whichever country licensed the site.
3. Talk to your bank. Many UK banking apps have a switch that stops your debit card paying gambling merchants.
4. Clear the way in. Remove the Jokabet icon from your home screen and delete any saved password.

What does Jokabet offer on its side?

Limits come first if you keep playing. Deposit caps live in the account settings, and a time-out gives you a short pause. Pick the number on a quiet day rather than mid-slump, and pick it lower than seems necessary. Raising a limit is deliberately slow, and that slowness is the point.

What should make me stop and think?

• Regularly going past the time or money you set out to spend.
• Topping up to recover losses.
• Borrowing, or dipping into rent or bill money.
• Keeping your betting quiet from partners, family or friends.
• Feeling on edge or short-tempered on days without a bet.

Any one of those is a cue to pause. Two or three together mean ringing the helpline today, not next week.

Someone I love gambles too much. What can I do?

Call the same numbers; they help families and friends as well. GamCare has material written for relatives, and you do not need the other person's permission to ask for advice.

What is your part in this?

We never promise wins, we do not present gambling as income, and we spell out the licence position on our main pages. If a line of ours feels like a push, let us know and we will look at it again. More about who we are sits in the legal notice.

Back to the main guide.

Last updated: September 2026.