Responsible Gambling Guide

Our commitment towards responsible gambling

Age UK is committed to ensuring that information about how to gamble responsibly and how to access information and help in relation to problem gambling is available to all. The funds raised from the Age UK Weekly Lottery are used to help Age UK’s variety of services such as information and advice, research and education and local activities.

Keeping your gambling under control

The majority of people do gamble responsibly and gambling in moderation is okay, but it may help you to keep your gambling under control by:

• Remembering that you are taking part for fun and not as a means of investing your money
• Setting strict limits on how much time and money you're going to spend, before playing
• Quitting while you're ahead
• Only gambling with money that you can afford to lose
• Not spending more money on gambling in the hope that you will win back any money that you've already lost
• Keeping up other interests and hobbies and not letting gambling take over your life
• Not gambling in order to escape from stress or boredom.

To identify that gambling is becoming a problem

For some people however, gambling can become a problem. If you are concerned about the amount you are gambling and feel it is taking over your life, then asking yourself the following questions may help you assess whether or not gambling is becoming a problem:

• Have others ever criticised your gambling?
• Have you lied to cover up the amount you have gambled or the time you have spent doing it?
• Do arguments, frustrations or disappointments make you want to gamble?
• Do you gamble alone for long periods?
• Do you stay away from work or college to gamble?
• Do you gamble to escape from a boring or unhappy life?
• Are you reluctant to spend 'gambling money' on anything else?
• Have you lost interest in your family, friends or pastimes due to gambling?
• After losing, do you feel you must try to win back your losses as soon as possible?
• When gambling and you run out of money, do you feel lost, in despair and need to gamble again as soon as possible?
• Do you gamble until your last penny is gone?
• Have you lied, stolen or borrowed just to get money to gamble or to pay gambling debts?
• Do you feel depressed or even suicidal because of your gambling?
• If 'yes' is the answer to some of these questions, then it is likely that a gambling problem exists. You may also wish to consider whether a friend or relative might have a gambling problem?

How to get more information and help with problem gambling

Are you gambling more than you really want to? If you feel you have a problem with gambling please visit BeGambleAware’s website for help and advice at www.begambleaware.org, or call 24-7 the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

If you would like to be excluded from the Age UK Weekly Lottery and any other society lotteries promoted by Age UK or its subsidiary companies and charities, together with the Age UK Group, you can Self Exclude using our online form or download and complete our Self Exclusion Form (PDF 127KB) and return it as soon as possible to: Lottery Department, Age UK, 7th Floor, One America Square, 17 Crosswall, London, EC3N 2LB. 

Age UK self-exclusion policy

Age UK operates a self-exclusion policy, which means that you can exclude yourself from using this website to purchase entries for future Age UK Weekly Lottery Draws.

You can make this change by filling out our self exclusion request form (above), e-mailing lottery@ageuk.co.uk, or by calling the Weekly Lottery Helpline on 0800 849 6070.

If you opt for self-exclusion, we will refund all the unused funds in your Age UK Weekly Lottery account. Your account will be closed. We won't contact you to ask if you'd like to be reinstated. It will be up to you to inform us.

If you decide to sign up again, there will be a day’s cooling-off period before you can play, giving you time to consider if you have made the right decision. You can choose to suspend your account at any time.