Gambling help by phone, chat and email
- National Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858, free and confidential, 24 hours a day, every day.
- Gambling Help Online: free self-help material, plus chat and email counselling at any hour, on its own website.
- Lifeline: 13 11 14 for crisis support, or text 0477 131 114, or chat online.
These services are for anyone affected by a gambling issue, not only the person who gambles. Support differs by State and Territory, and Gambling Help Online has a local services directory.
Blocking access to wagering
BetStop excludes a person from all licensed online and phone wagering providers for a minimum of three months and up to a lifetime. A person can nominate up to five support people. The BetStop page sets out how it works and what it leaves out.
Exclusion programs for venues with poker machines and for casinos run separately in each State and Territory. Gambling Help Online lists what is available locally.
Money and debt
Many banks let a customer block gambling transactions on their accounts. The free national debt advice line, 1800 007 007, puts callers through to financial counsellors for free, confidential advice, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays, and its website has step-by-step guides and live chat. The Australian Government's Moneysmart site offers tools and points to free legal advice.
Peer and app support
Gamblers Anonymous holds local meetings across Australia. Reset is a free, confidential app for people who want to stop or cut back on gambling.
Helping someone else
A person cannot register another person with BetStop; each has to register themselves. Gambling Help Online publishes guidance on starting that conversation, and a registered person can name a support person who is told when their registration changes.
Sources
- BetStop: support tools
- BetStop: frequently asked questions
- GambleAware NSW: online gambling, which prints the same national number