Responsible gambling resources for people who gamble, family members and friends
Responsible Gambling Help and Support Resources
You do not need to diagnose yourself, reach a crisis point or experience every possible warning sign before asking for help.
On this page
Ways to get gambling-related help
Different support routes serve different needs. You can choose one option or use several. Exact services and required contact information may vary by state or jurisdiction.
NCPG states that adoption and promotion of 1-800-MY-RESET can vary because of jurisdictional requirements. Use the official NCPG help directory to confirm current national and local information.
Signs that gambling may be causing harm
This is not a diagnostic checklist. You do not need to experience every pattern listed below before contacting support. If any financial, emotional, behavioral or relationship effect concerns you, help is available.
Financial concerns
- Trying to recover previous losses by gambling again.
- Spending money intended for bills, food, housing or other essential needs.
- Borrowing, selling possessions or hiding gambling-related spending.
- Finding that planned spending limits are repeatedly exceeded.
Emotional concerns
- Feeling persistent distress, guilt or worry about gambling or its consequences.
- Feeling driven to continue after a loss rather than being able to stop.
- Finding that gambling occupies more attention than intended.
Behavioral concerns
- Gambling for longer or spending more than planned.
- Repeatedly attempting to cut back without maintaining the change.
- Concealing the time or money involved from other people.
- Treating another wager as a way to undo an earlier loss.
Relationship and daily-life concerns
- Conflict about money, time, trust or responsibilities.
- Gambling interfering with work, sleep, family commitments or other activities.
- Family members or friends expressing concern about noticeable effects.
Chasing losses is a particularly important risk pattern. Previous independent outcomes do not create a better recovery opportunity on the next roll, spin or game.
Guidance source: National Council on Problem Gambling, About Problem Gambling. Support and self-assessment pathways are available through the official NCPG help resource.
Use the official NCPG self-assessment and support resource, call 1-800-MY-RESET or text 1-800-MY-RESET if any pattern concerns you.
Practical steps you can take now
These are practical options, not guarantees of control or substitutes for treatment. Choose an immediate step that fits your circumstances and contact support if stopping or maintaining limits is difficult.
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Stop the current session
Do not place another wager in an attempt to recover what was lost. Leave the venue or close the website or application if you can do so safely.
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Contact another person
Tell a trusted person that you want to stop. You can also call 1-800-MY-RESET, text 1-800-MY-RESET or use the official NCPG chat resource.
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Reduce immediate access to funds
Consider removing saved payment methods, turning off applicable payment features or making other arrangements that protect essential expenses. Seek qualified financial guidance where appropriate.
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Use available account controls
Where offered, review deposit, spending, time-out, cooling-off or account-closure controls. Features and terminology differ, so check the exact terms supplied by the venue or service.
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Set time and spending boundaries
If you continue to gamble, decide in advance how much time and money you can afford to lose. Do not increase a boundary to compensate for an earlier loss.
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Take a longer break or consider self-exclusion
If short-term limits have not been enough, locate the official self-exclusion process for the relevant jurisdiction, venue or online activity.
Guidance sources: The NCPG responsible-gambling information supports setting limits and using available responsible-play tools. The NCPG help and treatment resource provides support, treatment and self-assessment pathways. Venue and account controls must be confirmed in the applicable official terms.
How to find a self-exclusion program
Self-exclusion generally means using an official process to restrict your access to specified gambling activities or accounts. The responsible authority, enrollment method, duration and scope can vary by state, tribal jurisdiction, venue and activity type.
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Identify the jurisdiction and activity
Record the state or tribal jurisdiction and whether the activity is commercial, tribal, land-based or online.
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Find the official authority or program
Use the relevant regulator, tribal gaming authority, official program or documented operator process. The U.S. gambling-law verification guide explains how to identify an appropriate authority.
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Read the scope and terms
Check which venues, websites or activities are covered, how long exclusion lasts, what identification is required and whether reinstatement is possible.
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Follow the official enrollment process
Submit information only through the official channel and keep a copy of the terms or confirmation for your records.
Text equivalent for the verification workflow
- Identify the state and jurisdiction. Determine whether a state, tribal or other jurisdiction governs the activity.
- Identify the activity and delivery format. Note whether the question involves commercial, tribal, land-based or online gambling.
- Find the official authority. Locate the responsible state regulator, tribal gaming authority or other official program administrator.
- Verify the venue, operator or program record. Confirm that the organization and enrollment channel are official and applicable to the activity.
- Confirm the relevant rules. Check the self-exclusion scope, duration and enrollment terms, along with any game-type or minimum-age rules relevant to the inquiry.
Record the official source URL and the date checked.
Regulator-run programs, venue-specific exclusions and online account controls may have different coverage. Delivery format can also affect the available process; see how physical, live-dealer and RNG-based formats differ.
Find support and treatment resources in your state
The NCPG help resource provides access to state and treatment pathways without requiring this site to maintain a potentially outdated state-by-state directory.
State-required numbers and available services may differ. Confirm details through NCPG, an official state program, a regulator or the relevant tribal authority rather than assuming that every jurisdiction offers identical services.
NCPG states that older access points, including 1-800-522-4700, remain active, while adoption and promotion of 1-800-MY-RESET can vary by jurisdiction. The current national call and text contact presented by NCPG is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Support for family members and friends
Starting a conversation
- Choose a calm time rather than beginning during an argument or gambling session.
- Describe effects you have observed, such as missed obligations, financial strain or changes in trust.
- Use direct, nonjudgmental language and avoid diagnosing or shaming the person.
- Listen without agreeing to provide money for continued gambling or loss recovery.
- Offer the national helpline or an official state resource as an option.
Protecting your own wellbeing
You may need to protect your personal finances, accounts, important documents or living expenses. Consider seeking appropriate financial, legal or support guidance for your own circumstances. Avoid secretly controlling another adult; focus on clear boundaries and the steps you can take for your own safety and wellbeing.
Guidance sources: The NCPG help and treatment pathways are available to people affected by another person’s gambling. General guidance for starting a supportive conversation is also available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Helping Someone.
Call 1-800-MY-RESET, text 1-800-MY-RESET or use the official NCPG help and state-resource pathways.
Why another roll is not a recovery plan
Myth: “After several losses, a win is due.”
Fact: When rolls are independent and the dice and conditions are unchanged, earlier outcomes do not alter the probability distribution of the next roll. Believing that a balancing result is due is known as the gambler’s fallacy.
Myth: “A winning streak means the next wager is more likely to win.”
Fact: A streak describes past results. It does not predict the next independent outcome.
Myth: “House edge tells me whether the next wager will lose.”
Fact: House edge is the expected player loss as a percentage of a specified initial wager under defined rules and payouts. It is a long-run average, not the probability of losing one particular round.
Chasing losses increases risk without creating a mathematical recovery opportunity. Read the full guide to independent rolls, expected value and house edge, or return to the immediate support options instead of trying to recover a loss through another wager.
Common questions about gambling support
Can I call or text the national gambling helpline?
Yes. NCPG currently presents 1-800-MY-RESET as its national number for calls and texts.
Is the NCPG helpline free, confidential and available all day?
NCPG describes the National Problem Gambling Helpline as free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Exact local services or contact requirements may vary.
How do I find help in my state?
Use the official NCPG help and state-resource directory, then confirm local information through the named official organization. Jurisdiction-specific numbers and services may differ.
How do I begin self-exclusion?
Identify the jurisdiction, venue and activity involved. Find the official regulator, tribal authority, program or documented operator process; read its scope and terms; and follow the official enrollment instructions. One enrollment may not cover every venue or website.
Can a family member or friend seek support?
Yes. Concerned family members and friends can use the national and state support pathways even if the person who gambles is not ready to seek help.
Do I need to experience every warning sign before asking for help?
No. The warning signs on this page are not a diagnostic score. You can contact support whenever gambling or its effects concern you.
Are older helpline numbers still active?
NCPG states that older access points, including 1-800-522-4700, remain active. Its current national call and text contact is 1-800-MY-RESET, although jurisdictional promotion requirements can vary.
How these support resources are verified
- Last verified
- Primary helpline, chat and state-resource source
- National Council on Problem Gambling Helpline Home
- National contact checked
- 1-800-MY-RESET for calls and texts
- Jurisdictional adoption source
- NCPG announcement concerning 1-800-MY-RESET and jurisdictional adoption
- Warning-sign source
- NCPG, About Problem Gambling
- Limit-setting and responsible-play source
- NCPG responsible-gambling information
- Supportive-conversation source
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Helping Someone
- Review cadence
- National and relevant state support links are scheduled for review every month because contact requirements and resources can change.
- Maintenance scope
- Phone and text contacts, chat access, state-resource pathways, treatment links, cited guidance sources and material jurisdictional changes.
Correction history
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