Find Support That Understands Your Service: 4 Places Veterans Can Turn

Veterans face gambling harm at higher rates than the general population, and the route to help works better when the people on the other end understand military culture. Support exists through veteran-specific charities, national gambling helplines and peer groups led by people who have served. RBLWS brings together the services available across the UK so you know where to start.

Contact a Veteran-Specific Gambling Service

Several charities work only with the armed forces community and understand the pressures that follow service life. Gordon Moody offers residential treatment and knows how deployment, rank and the transition to civilian life shape gambling behaviour. The charity runs a free helpline and arranges face-to-face sessions when a person is ready.

GamCare trains its advisers in military-specific issues and can arrange counselling with therapists who have worked with veterans before. The National Gambling Helpline—0808 8020 133—is free, confidential and open round the clock. Calls do not appear on phone bills.

The Royal British Legion provides welfare support that includes help with gambling debts and access to mental health services. Officers understand how gambling can start as a way to manage trauma or boredom after leaving and will not judge the amounts involved or how long the problem has been building.

Use National Self-Exclusion and Blocking Tools

Self-exclusion closes your accounts at gambling sites for a set period. GamStop is the UK's national scheme: one registration blocks access to every site licensed by the Gambling Commission. The process takes minutes, covers five years and cannot be reversed early. You enter your name, address, date of birth and email; sites then refuse any attempt to open an account or log in.

GamStop does not send letters to your home address or contact anyone else. It works across betting, casinos and bingo but does not cover the National Lottery or unlicensed sites. For those, install blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker. Gamban charges a monthly fee and blocks gambling across phones, tablets and computers; BetBlocker is free and open-source.

Both tools can be set to block your ability to uninstall them for a fixed term. That delay matters when an urge hits at night or after a trigger. Set them up when you are calm, not in the middle of a losing streak.

Join a Peer Support Group for Veterans

Talking to people who have been through service and gambling harm removes the need to explain what a tour does to your tolerance for risk, or why coming home felt harder than deploying. Gamblers Anonymous runs meetings across the UK, some of them veteran-focused. Meetings are free, anonymous and based on shared experience rather than professional advice.

The Royal British Legion and SSAFA both host support groups where gambling is one of several issues discussed. Not every meeting will suit every veteran—try a few before deciding it does not work. Online forums exist but lack the accountability of in-person contact; they are useful between meetings, not instead of them.

Set Up Controls on the Accounts You Still Use

If you are not ready to self-exclude completely, smaller controls slow you down. A deposit limit caps how much you can put into an account each day, week or month. Once set, the limit cannot be raised for a cooling-off period. A time-out pauses your account for a day, a week or a month without closing it permanently; you cannot cancel the break early.

These tools sit in the responsible gambling section of a site's account settings. Not every site offers every control, but those licensed in Great Britain are required to provide deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion as a minimum. Use them before a bad day forces the decision.

Tackle the Debt Before It Compounds

Gambling debts carry the same legal weight as any other, but lenders and creditors will freeze interest and arrange payment plans when you explain the situation honestly. StepChange is a free debt charity that helps you list what you owe, work out what you can afford and negotiate with creditors on your behalf. The service does not judge how the debt arose.

Some veterans avoid asking for help because they believe debts from gambling are shameful or unforgivable. Creditors care about repayment, not the reason. StepChange and similar organisations have seen it all; your case will not shock them. Contact them before missing payments, not after.

If debts are tied to a joint account or involve a partner, be honest about the scale early. Hidden gambling debts fracture relationships faster than the original harm. Facing gambling debts: 4 steps you can take this week walks through the practical order of action.

Speak to Someone Who Knows What Service Does

Mental health support through the NHS can take months to access, but veteran-specific charities move faster. Combat Stress treats PTSD, depression and anxiety in people who have served and recognises gambling as a response to trauma. Referrals do not require a GP letter; you can contact them directly.

Help for Heroes funds mental health treatment and can arrange counselling within weeks. Both organisations work with therapists trained in military culture and understand why some veterans gamble to escape memories or to recreate the adrenaline of operational stress.

Talking therapy works better than willpower alone because it addresses the reason you started gambling, not just the behaviour itself. If the first therapist does not feel right, ask to try someone else. Not every therapeutic relationship clicks immediately.

Steps You Can Take This Week

1. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 and speak to an adviser about what support fits your situation. The call is free and confidential.
2. Register with GamStop at gamstop.co.uk if you want to block access to all licensed gambling sites. The process takes under ten minutes.
3. Install Gamban or BetBlocker on your phone and computer to block unlicensed sites and apps. Set a delay on uninstalling the software.
4. Contact StepChange if debts are building and arrange a repayment plan before creditors escalate. The earlier you act, the more options you keep.
5. Reach out to a veteran-specific charity such as Gordon Moody, Combat Stress or the Royal British Legion and ask what services they offer in your area.

How to Compare the Services Available

Not every service suits every person. Some veterans want peer support; others prefer one-to-one therapy. Some need debt advice first; others need residential treatment to break the cycle completely. The table below compares what each type of service provides and how quickly you can access it.

Some people start with the helpline and move to peer support once they understand the pattern. Others go straight to residential treatment because they have tried stopping alone and relapsed. There is no wrong order. The service that gets you to act today is the right one.

What to Do When a Relapse Happens

Relapse is common and does not undo the progress already made. Most people who recover from gambling harm relapse at least once; the difference lies in how quickly they return to the support that was working. A single bet after months of abstinence does not mean failure—it means the plan needs adjusting.

Contact your support group, therapist or helpline the same day if possible. Shame keeps people silent, and silence turns one bet into a losing streak. The organisations listed here have heard every version of this story; they will not be surprised or disappointed. Understanding gambling relapse: 4 ways to strengthen your recovery explains how to strengthen the plan after a setback.

Support for Partners and Families

Gambling harm affects everyone in the household, not just the person placing the bets. GamCare and GamFam run support groups for partners and family members who need their own space to talk. These groups are separate from the gambler's recovery and focus on managing the emotional and financial fallout at home.

Partners often feel responsible for fixing the problem or preventing the next bet. That responsibility does not belong to you. What does belong to you is protecting your own finances, setting boundaries and deciding what behaviour you will and will not accept. How gambling affects military families: 4 signs to watch for covers the early indicators and where to start.

Where to Get Help Today

Gambling sites licensed by the Gambling Commission must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. GamStop lets you exclude from all licensed sites at once by registering at gamstop.co.uk. The process is free and covers five years.

GamCare operates the National Gambling Helpline—0808 8020 133—which is free, confidential and open every hour of the day. Advisers can arrange counselling and refer you to veteran-specific services. BeGambleAware at begambleaware.org provides information on treatment options and how to access them.

Gordon Moody at gordonmoody.org.uk offers residential and online treatment designed for people who have tried other routes and need full-time support. Blocking software such as Gamban at gamban.com and BetBlocker at betblocker.org prevents access to gambling sites across all devices.

Gambling is for people aged eighteen and over. If you are struggling, or if someone you care about is gambling in ways that cause harm, the services above are there today.

#Self-exclusion #GAMSTOP #Debt

Download PDF: Veteran Gambling Support Checklist PDF, 29 KB