Gambling debt: where to get free help

Start with a free, not-for-profit debt adviser. They'll go through your income, spending and debts, can contact creditors for you, and will explain your options, including formal solutions that only an adviser can apply for. GOV.UK notes that some debt advisers charge a fee, so check before you sign up to anything.

Our debt advice locator lists more services. Once a lender knows you're working on a repayment plan, FCA rules say it must pause chasing the debt for a reasonable period, generally 30 days, and should consider a further 30 days if you're making progress.

Deal with priority debts first, because not paying them can have the most serious consequences, such as losing your home, having a supply cut off or court action. nidirect lists mortgage and secured loan payments, rent, rates, utility bills, taxes and court fines; in Great Britain, council tax takes the place of rates. Credit cards, bank loans, overdrafts, catalogues and money borrowed from family or friends are non-priority: you can't ignore them, but they come second.

This matters with gambling debt because large credit card or loan balances can feel the most urgent, even when rent or council tax arrears carry bigger risks. Our guide to priority and non-priority debts explains the order in detail.

Breathing Space gives you legal protection from creditors for up to 60 days in England and Wales while you get advice and make a plan. Creditors can't take enforcement action, contact you about the debts included, or add interest or charges. GOV.UK says you still need to make your debt repayments.

You apply through a debt adviser, not directly. You can't get one if you already have a DRO, IVA or bankruptcy, or if you've had a standard Breathing Space in the last 12 months. A mental health crisis Breathing Space lasts as long as your crisis treatment plus 30 days. Our Breathing Space guide has the full rules.

In Scotland, you can apply to the Accountant in Bankruptcy for a 6-month moratorium, yourself or through a money adviser. Creditors can't arrest your bank account, freeze your wages or apply to make you bankrupt, but interest and charges can still be added and the moratorium goes on a public register. nidirect doesn't list an equivalent scheme for Northern Ireland, so get advice early there.

The main options are the same whatever caused the debt. Informal arrangements and debt management plans let you repay at an affordable rate; formal solutions such as an IVA, a Debt Relief Order or bankruptcy can deal with debts you can't repay. Which fits depends on how much you owe, your income, your assets and where you live.

Gambling doesn't rule you out of a debt solution, but be open about it. In England and Wales, when the court decides whether to make a bankruptcy restrictions order or a debt relief restrictions order, it must take into account gambling that may have materially contributed to the debts (Insolvency Act 1986, Schedules 4A and 4ZB). A bankruptcy restrictions order extends the restrictions that come with bankruptcy for 2 to 15 years. It isn't automatic: the official receiver looks at your conduct and decides whether to apply. For a DRO, the adviser also checks payments you've made in the last 2 years.

Tell lenders early that you're struggling. FCA rules say lenders must treat customers in or approaching arrears with forbearance and due consideration (CONC 7.3.4R). The FCA's examples include suspending, reducing or waiving interest and charges, and accepting reduced or token payments for a reasonable time if paying more would leave you unable to cover priority debts or essential living costs.

Lenders must not pressure you to pay in unreasonably large amounts, or to borrow or sell property to repay them (CONC 7.3.10R), and must not have a policy of refusing to negotiate while you're developing a repayment plan (CONC 7.3.9R). Work out what you can afford with a budget first, pay priority creditors first, don't promise more than you can keep up, and follow up any phone agreement in writing, as nidirect advises.

Think carefully before taking out a new loan to clear gambling debts; nidirect advises getting independent advice before consolidating. Our guide to debt consolidation loans explains the risks.

You aren't responsible for a partner's debts in their sole name, even if you're married, but you are liable for joint credit, including an overdraft on a joint account. Experian says marriage or living together doesn't create a financial association on your credit report; joint credit or a joint account does, and lenders can then look at your partner's credit file when you apply.

Once you no longer share any finances, you can ask each credit reference agency (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to remove the link, known as financial disassociation; you'll need to show the connection has ended. Experian says that if you've separated but still share a mortgage, it may break the link after 6 months of living apart, as long as other joint accounts are closed. See our guide to joint accounts.

Practical steps include having your income paid into an account in your own name, reviewing any joint accounts with your bank, and not taking out credit in your name to clear someone else's gambling debts, because you'd be liable for it. You can't put a gambling block on your partner's card, but you can register yourself with GAMSTOP so your details can't be used to gamble online. NHS gambling clinics in England also support family members, and the NHS lists GamAnon and GamFam for people affected by someone else's gambling.

Put barriers in the way of new credit. A Notice of Correction on your credit report, added separately with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, tells lenders you don't want credit; they must take it into account, and an application that would normally be scored automatically has to be reviewed by a person. GamCare says some banks also let you opt out of being offered new lending.

Gambling businesses in Great Britain can't take credit card payments. Prize draw operators that signed the government's voluntary code, launched in November 2025, have committed to a £250 monthly limit on credit card entries and no credit card entries for instant-win competitions. Add bank blocks and GAMSTOP, set out in our blocking guide.

This hypothetical example uses the official DRO limits for England and Wales; the person and amounts are made up. Jo lives in England and owes £6,300 on two credit cards, £2,000 on an overdraft, £1,500 to a catalogue and £900 in council tax arrears, a total of £10,700. Jo has £300 in savings, a car worth £1,500 and about £40 a month left after essential costs.

The council tax arrears are a priority debt, so an adviser would deal with those first. On the DRO tests, Jo's debts are well under £50,000, savings are under £2,000 and the car is under £4,000, and there's very little left each month, so a DRO could be an option. The adviser would also look at payments made in the last 2 years. If gambling materially contributed to the debts, the official receiver could consider asking the court for a debt relief restrictions order, so Jo should be open about it with the adviser.