Responsible Gambling in Ireland: Free 24/7 Helpline, Self-Exclusion and Limits
If you're here because betting has started to hurt, you're doing the right thing by reading. Here's where to get free help in Ireland, any hour of the day.
Who to call
- Problem Gambling Helpline (Dunlewey Addiction Services, for Gambling Care): 1800 936 725, free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for players and for family members. From Northern Ireland: 08000 886 725. Listed by the GRAI (grai.ie).
- HSE addiction services: talk to your GP, or ring the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline on 1800 459 459 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm) for referral information.
- Gamblers Anonymous Ireland: free peer-support meetings around the country.
Signs it's time to step back
- You bet to win back yesterday's losses.
- You've used a credit card, a loan or bill money to bet.
- You hide bets or balances from your partner or family.
- You feel restless or irritable when you can't bet.
Self-exclusion and blocking
The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 provides for a national gambling exclusion register run by the GRAI, being phased in. GRAI-licensed operators must offer safer-gambling tools. Offshore sites have their own account-closure or self-exclusion tools, but they sit outside the Irish system: close those accounts directly with each site's support. Blocking software for your phone and laptop can add a further layer.
Limits that actually help
- Set a deposit limit the day you open an account.
- Never save a card in a betting app.
- Use a reality-check timer or log out after one session.
- Don't chase. A loss is the cost of the entertainment, not a debt to win back.
If betting is costing you more than money, free and confidential help is there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: the Problem Gambling Helpline run by Dunlewey Addiction Services for Gambling Care, on 1800 936 725 (from Northern Ireland: 08000 886 725). Source: grai.ie.