Gambling addiction
We understand the impact addiction can have on your finances and wellbeing. If you’re living with an addiction and feel it may be affecting your ability to manage your HL account independently, we can help.
On this page
Spotting the signs
Gambling should never be viewed as a way to make money. You might have found the ‘high’ of anticipating the ‘big win’ from trading to be exciting. However, the feeling of loss can lead to extreme lows followed by the desire to trade to make up for the losses.
You might need support if you are:
- Spending more than you want on gambling or trading
- Struggling to find the money to pay bills
- Taking out loans to cover gambling or trading habits
- Finding yourself topping up your HL account repeatedly to cover losses
- Logging in to trade more and more frequently
- Not considering the costs of frequent trading on your account
- Finding it difficult to think about anything else other than gambling or trading
- Distancing yourself or hiding your spending from family and friends
- Feeling an impact on your physical and mental wellbeing from your spending. For example, difficulty sleeping, feeling anxious, experiencing strong emotions and mood swings
How we can help
If your addiction is affecting the way you manage your account, there is a range of support we can offer. For example:
- Self-exclusion: you can ask us to put a temporary block on your HL account to prevent you from trading or viewing any active accounts. You’ll still be able to sell investments by speaking with our dealing desk over the phone during this time.
- Money management plan: if you’re facing financial difficulties because you or someone else is gambling, getting your finances under control is an important step. Budgeting is key to help you plan how much you have to spend on essential items such as food, bills and rent. See our budgeting tool for support. If you think you need help with getting a plan in place contact StepChange, a free service that can help you put together a debt management plan.
- Setting up a Power of Attorney: if there is someone you trust, such as a partner, close friend, or family member, it can be a good idea to set up a Power of Attorney to help you get control of your spending and finances. You’ll still be able to make decisions but this will act as an insurance so you know, if needed, they can step in and support. See our Power of Attorney page for more details.
How to tell us about your needs
Complete our form online
Log in to your account to complete our two-page form.
Page one will allow you to select your support options. Page two will ask you to tell us more about your personal circumstances.
Call our helpdesk
If you do not have an online account or prefer to talk to someone directly, call our Helpdesk.
What to expect when you tell us about your needs
- The information you give us will go to our specialist team. They'll use it to look at the ways we can support you.
- We'll add your notes to our records, so you won't need to tell us again.
- You can ask us to update or remove this information at any time.
- The information is kept on your client record and is confidential. It cannot be seen by anyone other than approved HL staff.
- We won't usually need to, but if you complete the form online and we have questions about your circumstances or believe we might be able to offer you more support, our specialist team may contact you. If you’d rather we did not contact you, call us at a time that suits you to speak to us directly.
Organisations that can offer support
You can receive 24/7 support from the Samaritans if you’re concerned about your mental health. You can call them for free on 116 123.
The NHS provide guidance on coping with addiction.