I got so good at lying about gambling, now I help others open up through the Peer Aid programme. You can talk to someone who understands. Call the National Gambling Helpline now for free support, self-exclusion and gambling blocking software.

David reached out to GamCare around three years ago. He was gambling online and had run up debts of almost £30,000. He says: “I wanted to stop, but I needed support – I was on the verge of losing my family. I looked for help online and found the National Gambling HelpLine. The adviser …

“I started gambling in my 30s, at first when I went to see greyhound racing. Then I took a trip to a casino and played roulette. Before I knew it, I was preoccupied with gambling, and I thought nothing of losing £1,000 a night. Then my husband told me we needed to relocate because of his …

Mark had a successful career in the financial markets before his gambling behaviour began to take a toll. He says: “I got to the point where I started chasing my losses with gambling, and that’s when I really felt everything went downhill. I began stealing from the company I worked for in …

Mark, 52 from Derbyshire

Carly found help through GamCare on a long night in December last year. “I had been struggling with gambling for around three years. My ‘rock bottom’ was last year, when I lost my home, my job and the relationships that were the most important to me. I knew something had to change, otherwise …

"I found GamCare online and got the ball rolling in my recovery by talking to an Adviser on their NetLine. I had tried to stop gambling many times before, and each time I started again within a few weeks or months. Nothing had changed, and I now realised I needed help if I really wanted to halt …

Sean, 31, Shetland Islands