I Keep Chasing My Gambling Losses, What Can I Do?
If gambling has become difficult to control, changing it usually involves more than deciding to “be stronger next time”.
If gambling has become difficult to control, changing it usually involves more than deciding to “be stronger next time”.
Gambling can be built into phones, routines, sport, paydays, boredom and ways of coping with difficult feelings. The practical task is therefore to reduce opportunities to gamble while also understanding what keeps drawing you back.
Specialist help is available, and you can ask for it without first proving that you have reached a particular level of harm.
Make access less immediate
When gambling can happen within seconds, a short-lived urge can become a financial decision before you have had time to reconsider.
Practical barriers can help create that time. These can include self-exclusion schemes, gambling-blocking software and gambling blocks offered by some banks.
NICE includes blocking tools and stimulus control among strategies that can help people manage high-risk situations and reduce relapse.
Separate money from the urge to gamble
Think about when money becomes vulnerable.
Is it payday? After a win? Late at night? When drinking? When you receive a credit notification?
Protect essential bills and reduce the amount of immediately accessible money that can move into gambling. If you need help with debt or household finances, use appropriate financial or debt advice alongside gambling support.
Understand what gambling is doing for you
Gambling may provide excitement, escape, hope, concentration, social connection or temporary relief from stress.
If you remove gambling without recognising that function, the same trigger remains.
Specialist treatment can help explore the thoughts, emotions, triggers and environments that maintain the behaviour.
What treatment is available
NICE recommends gambling-specific treatment and says people should be offered appropriate care according to the severity of harm and their preferences.
Recommended psychological treatment includes gambling-specific CBT, delivered in groups or individually where group treatment is unsuitable or unwanted. Peer support can also form part of treatment.
Can I refer myself
Yes. NICE says people experiencing gambling that harms should be told that self-referral through an NHS triage route or the National Gambling Helpline is an option.
You do not need to wait for a GP to identify the problem before asking for specialist gambling support.
Plan for difficult moments rather than assuming they will disappear
A treatment or recovery plan can include what you will do when urges return, what situations are particularly risky, which barriers need to remain in place and who you will contact if gambling begins again.
The aim is not to live permanently frightened of relapse. It is to avoid relying on a single moment of willpower.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important informationThis guide provides general information only and is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare, addiction-treatment, gambling-treatment or other specialist advice. Alcohol, drug use, gambling and other repetitive behaviours can affect people in different ways. Appropriate support will depend on individual circumstances.