“It gives you the stonewall you need, that you’ve got to have in order to stop and then you can start doing the work on why you did it and what the real problems are behind it."

“The fact that I’ve used that service [GAMSTOP] with the blocking software and the counselling has given me three big pillars to stand on.”

It has given me new ideas and how to deal with everything. It's given me ways how to help me cope. It has been good to talk about what has been going on and get good advice.

Carly found help through GamCare on a long night in December last year. “I had been struggling with gambling for around three years. My ‘rock bottom’ was last year, when I lost my home, my job and the relationships that were the most important to me. I knew something had to change, otherwise …

Mark had a successful career in the financial markets before his gambling behaviour began to take a toll. He says: “I got to the point where I started chasing my losses with gambling, and that’s when I really felt everything went downhill. I began stealing from the company I worked for in …

Mark, 52 from Derbyshire

"I’d always been a gambler, mainly focussed around betting on horses and football. Then I began to play blackjack – I had a ‘system’ and I thought it would be an easy way to make money. Although I was successful, I had some very close calls and I was betting large amounts.” After a …

John, 37, Manchester