Step away.
Find your way forward.

The next five minutes.

You do not have to solve everything to step away from gambling.

1. Close the route in.

Close the betting, trading or gaming app. Put the device out of easy reach. Do not open another account or place a new trade to recover a loss.

2. Move somewhere different.

Sit in another room or somewhere safe with company. If possible, move away from the screen where you usually gamble.

3. Give the decision five minutes.

Use the short exercises below or the five-minute ball game. You can stop an exercise at any time.

4. Contact one safe person.

Send: “Could you call me or go for a walk with me? I have got a lot on my mind and could use some company.” You can say more when you feel steadier.

5. Add one real barrier.

Start self-exclusion, set up a device block, or ask your bank about a gambling-payment block. Follow the provider’s setup steps; reading a checklist does not activate protection.

If you feel unsafe

If you may act on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or cannot keep yourself safe, call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department. In Denmark and the EU, call 112. Ask a safe person to stay with you. Find urgent support.

Let the next decision wait.

An urge is a feeling you can notice. You do not have to follow it.

One minute: come back to the room

Set a 60-second timer. For the first 20 seconds, notice colours and shapes. For the next 20, feel your feet on the floor or your body against the chair. For the final 20, listen to the sounds around you. Breathe normally; there is no need to control your breathing.

Two minutes: stay without acting

Close the app and set a two-minute timer. Say: “I am noticing an urge to gamble.” Let your attention rest on one ordinary object. When your mind returns to gambling, gently return to the object. No score, no test.

Five minutes: change the activity

Play the website’s simple ball-climbing game, walk in a safe place, wash a cup, or sit with someone. Pick an activity without money, prizes, odds or trading feeds. The purpose is to create a pause.

When the timer ends

Do not use the timer as a countdown to another bet. Choose an access barrier or contact someone. If the urge is still strong, stay away from access and reach out for support. Stop an exercise if it makes you feel worse.

These brief exercises are optional attention and delay tools, not validated treatments or a promise that an urge will disappear. They can sit alongside professional care and practical barriers.

Make access harder.

Use several layers. A block on one route may leave another route open.

Self-exclusion

Register with a national scheme where available and ask operators about exclusion. In Denmark, ROFUS offers temporary and permanent options. Check the scope before relying on it. Do not test exclusions by trying to gamble.

Device barriers

Use gambling-blocking software on every relevant phone, tablet and computer. Check setup and coverage using the provider’s guidance. Remove apps, saved logins and bookmarks. Ask a safe person to help if useful.

Payment barriers

Ask your bank about gambling-payment blocks and any delay before they can be removed. Remove saved cards from gambling and gaming accounts. Do not share bank credentials or passwords.

Fewer prompts

Unsubscribe from promotions. Mute tipping chats, gambling streams and profit posts. Turn off odds and price alerts. Disable in-app purchases where appropriate.

One action to take now

Choose the easiest layer to start. Complete the setup, then tell your support person what is active and what still needs doing. Check provider coverage rather than visiting gambling sites to test it.

Blocks are useful barriers, not guarantees. They may miss crypto purchases, bank transfers, unlicensed sites, event contracts or some in-game spending. Pair them with support.

Different products. Similar loops.

Focus on the behaviour and its impact, rather than finding the perfect label.

Sports betting

A trigger might be a live match, an accumulator or a tipping chat. Protect the event: mute odds and tips, exclude from betting accounts, and try watching with a supportive person. Pause watching if it keeps pulling you back.

Online casino and paid game rewards

Fast repeat play can make stopping difficult. For casinos, use exclusion and blocking tools. For skins or random paid rewards, remove saved cards and disable purchases. Ordinary gaming is not automatically gambling; products and legal definitions differ.

Crypto and speculative trading

Constant price checking, borrowed money, leverage and chasing losses can become harmful. Mute signal groups and alerts; avoid opening new risk to recover losses. For existing positions or obligations, get appropriate financial advice rather than making rushed decisions. Crypto ownership alone is not a diagnosis.

Prediction markets: Polymarket and others

Event contracts can turn news, sport or politics into another reason to risk money. Step away from market feeds and ask the platform about restrictions. Legal status and safeguards vary. Standard gambling blocks may not cover them.

Poker

Skill does not remove chance or financial harm. Chasing sessions, rising stakes and constant study can keep the loop going. Pause real-money play and related content, use exclusions, and speak to a gambling specialist.

A thought is not an instruction.

You can make a safer next move without winning an argument with your mind.

“I can win it back.”

Name it: loss-chasing. A previous loss does not make the next outcome safer. Next action: close the route to another stake and protect essential money.

“I know more than everyone else.”

Knowledge and skill do not remove uncertainty or the possibility of harm. Next action: leave the app and discuss the pattern with someone who is not selling tips or signals.

“Everyone else is making money.”

A feed is a selected view, not a complete record. Next action: mute the source and move to a different activity.

“I have ruined everything.”

This is a painful thought, not a full account of your future. Next action: tell someone what is happening. If it comes with thoughts of self-harm, find urgent support.

A 30-second script

“I am noticing the thought that ______. I do not need to decide anything while I feel pulled in. For the next ten minutes, I will ______ and contact ______.” You can say this aloud; no written answers are required.

If thoughts feel overwhelming, support is more useful than repeatedly trying to reason with them alone. A gambling specialist can help you work on beliefs, triggers and coping skills.

Protect today before fixing the past.

A repayment plan can begin without another win.

Protect the essentials

Identify what must cover housing, food, utilities, transport, childcare and medication. Ask an independent debt adviser to help you prioritise if money is short. Do not promise repayments you cannot sustain.

Make a factual list

In one place, list each creditor, the amount, the next due date and any urgent notice. Include money owed to family or friends. Keep it private. Ask someone safe to sit with you if opening statements feels difficult.

Separate support from access

Agree a voluntary, specific money arrangement with a safe person if useful. Keep access to essentials and agree when to review it. Use proper bank permissions where needed; never share credentials. If there is coercion or abuse, seek independent help.

Ask before taking new debt

Avoid borrowing to gamble, chasing losses, or moving into a “safer” betting product. Before refinancing or taking a consolidation loan, get independent debt advice about the full costs and consequences.

A useful sentence for an adviser

“Gambling has affected my finances. I need help protecting essential spending, listing my debts and agreeing affordable repayments. I am also putting barriers around gambling.”

You do not have to repay every debt before you deserve help. Financial recovery and gambling treatment can happen alongside each other.

From the rush to a different pace.

Stopping may feel like going from 300 km/h to standing still. That is a metaphor, not a rule about recovery.

The cost is time, too: hours checking odds or prices, missed moments, being elsewhere in your mind. You cannot recover time already spent. Protect the time ahead. Stepping away may still feel restless, flat or lonely; that does not mean you need to gamble again.

Give the next hour a shape

Choose one ordinary task, one source of contact and one way to care for your body. For example: make a meal, call a friend, and go for a short walk. Keep the plan smaller than you think it needs to be.

Protect a predictable high-risk time

Before a match, payday or a lonely evening, decide where you will be and who you can contact. Keep gambling access blocked. Replace the old session with something specific, not an empty promise to stay busy.

Bring the rest of your health into care

Tell your doctor or clinician about sleep, depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug use. Avoid replacing gambling with another risky behaviour. If you may be physically dependent on alcohol, seek medical advice before stopping suddenly; withdrawal can be dangerous.

A simple evening plan

One meal. One message. One activity away from gambling feeds. A regular time to wind down. If this feels too much, start with one of them.

Persistent low mood, severe anxiety or worsening sleep deserve professional attention. Feeling unsafe needs urgent help, not another self-help exercise.

Start with company.

You can open up gradually. You do not need all the words today.

Words you can use

“Could we go for a walk or watch something together? I have got a lot on my mind and could use your company. I do not quite have the words yet.”

A small beginning

Go for a walk, watch a film or a series, or sit together. You can ask for company without explaining everything at once. Choose someone safe; a confidential support service can also be a first conversation.

Settle before you speak

Feel your feet on the floor. Give yourself a moment. If finding words is hard, say so. You can be honest and share the story one piece at a time.

Make room for the harder conversation

A gentle beginning is a step towards talking about what is happening. Choose a calm time soon. You might say: “Gambling has become a problem for me, and I need some help.” Do not wait for a perfect explanation.

Imagine the roles reversed

If someone you cared about asked for help, you would probably want to be there. Give someone safe that same chance. They may need time and support too; you do not need to ask for immediate forgiveness.

Company is a beginning. You can also contact a gambling service or your doctor for help with treatment, practical barriers and other needs.

A lapse needs a response.

The next protective action matters more than a perfect streak.

Right now

Stop the session and move away from access. Do not place another bet to undo the lapse. Contact a safe person or gambling service. If distress becomes dangerous, find urgent support.

When you are steadier

Identify the route that reopened: an unblocked device, a new account, a payday, a group chat or another trigger. Add protection to that route. Review treatment or support with a professional if needed.

A short review, without a score

Notice what happened just before, how access was possible, and what could help next time. You can talk this through instead of writing it down. A lapse does not erase the steps you have already taken.

Seven days of small actions

Day 1: close access and tell someone. Day 2: add device and payment barriers. Day 3: protect essential money and contact an adviser if needed. Day 4: arrange professional or peer support. Day 5: plan for one high-risk time. Day 6: reconnect with an ordinary activity. Day 7: review what helped with someone safe.

These are suggested actions, not deadlines or a recovery test. Take urgent steps now when needed; adapt everything else to your situation. Do not wait until the end of the week to seek help.

Your next-step card.

You can use these steps here, without saving or downloading anything.

When the urge arrives

Close the app. Move somewhere safer. Take one minute to ground yourself. Delay the next decision. Contact someone. Add or maintain a practical barrier.

A person or service I can contact

Think of one safe person or support service you can contact.
If you do not know where to start, find support in your country.
Choose somewhere safe to spend the next hour, away from gambling access.

Gambling support

Denmark: StopSpillet offers confidential advice and treatment guidance. ROFUS is the national self-exclusion register. Great Britain: GamCare offers gambling support. Elsewhere: ask your doctor or national health service for a local gambling service.

If you cannot keep yourself safe

If you may act on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency department. In Denmark and the EU, call 112. Move away from anything you could use to hurt yourself and ask a safe person to stay with you.

Denmark: additional crisis support

Livslinien: 70 201 201. Anonymous suicide-prevention support. Online chat and current availability. Do not wait for a counselling service if there is immediate danger.

This handbook is educational self-help for adults. It is not a diagnosis, a treatment programme or a crisis service. Support is available; you do not have to carry the personal part alone.