Responsible Gambling
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This site is written for people building payment infrastructure, not for people gambling on it. But it sits next to an industry that causes real harm to some of the people it serves, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
What this site is
iGaming Hub compares payment providers for gambling operators. We do not operate games, accept bets, hold player funds or promote gambling to players. There is nothing on this site that can be gambled on.
Our audience is the commercial and technical side of the industry. That does not put us outside the question of gambling harm — it means our part of it is to point clearly at help rather than to look away.
Signs to watch for
Gambling more than intended, or for longer. Chasing losses with larger stakes. Borrowing money to gamble, or hiding how much has been spent. Gambling to escape stress rather than for entertainment.
Missing work, study or commitments because of gambling. Feeling anxious, irritable or low when not gambling. Being told by people close to you that it has become a problem, and finding that hard to hear.
None of these need to have reached a crisis to be worth acting on. The organisations below help at any stage, and all of them are free.
Things that genuinely help
None of these is a substitute for support, but each one removes a decision at the moment it is hardest to make well:
- Set a deposit limit with the operator before you play, not after. Most licensed operators are required to offer one.
- Set a time limit too. Duration matters as much as the amount.
- Take a cooling-off period — most licensed operators offer one from 24 hours upward.
- Never gamble with borrowed money, and never gamble to recover a loss.
- Keep gambling money separate from money you need, so the boundary is visible.
Self-exclusion and blocking
Self-exclusion asks an operator, or every operator in a jurisdiction at once, to refuse you service for a fixed period. It is free, it is binding on the operator, and in most regulated markets a national scheme covers all licensed operators together.
In Great Britain that scheme is GAMSTOP, and one free registration covers every site licensed there. Other regulated markets run their own — Spelpaus in Sweden, ROFUS in Denmark, OASIS in Germany — and the organisations below will tell you which one applies where you live.
Blocking software restricts gambling sites across a device: Gamban and BetBlocker both do this, and BetBlocker is free and needs no account. Separately, most retail banks will now block gambling transactions on a card at your request, usually from the app. Used together, the three close the site, the device and the payment route.
If you are worried about someone else
Gambling harm reaches the people around it — partners, families, colleagues. Every organisation listed below supports affected others as well as gamblers, and you do not need the person’s permission to ask for advice.
Talking about money that has gone missing is hard. Doing it earlier is easier than doing it later.
Under-18s
Gambling by anyone under 18 is illegal in the markets this site covers, and the minimum age is 21 in some jurisdictions, including several US states. This site is written for the industry, not for players, and it is not intended for anyone under 18.
Where to get help
All of these are free, confidential and independent of any operator. You do not need a diagnosis, a crisis or a particular amount of money lost to contact them.
Free, confidential advice and treatment referral, plus the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
GamCareUnited KingdomSupport, counselling and a 24-hour helpline for anyone affected by gambling harm.
National Council on Problem GamblingUnited StatesHelpline, chat and treatment referral across the United States.
Gamblers AnonymousInternationalPeer support meetings, in person and online, in many countries.
Gambling TherapyInternationalOnline support and moderated forums in several languages, for gamblers and for the people around them.
Tools that shut the door
Self-exclusion and blocking work on the account, the device and the payment route. Set them up while the decision is still easy to make, not at the moment you need them.
The national self-exclusion scheme. One free registration blocks you from every gambling site licensed in Great Britain, for six months, one year or five.
GambanInternationalSoftware that blocks gambling sites and apps across your devices. Provided free by many support services, including GamCare.
BetBlockerInternationalFree blocking software from a registered charity, covering tens of thousands of gambling sites. No account and no personal data required.
Gambling should stay entertainment. If it has stopped being that, the organisations above will talk to you today.