Gambling works best when it stays entertainment. Wheelz is built for play that feels like choice, not compulsion — and this page exists for the moment that balance shifts. If you've opened it because something feels off, you're already asking the right question.
Why this matters
Most people gamble without trouble. A minority find it takes over — not because they lack willpower, but because the activity itself can rewire how risk and reward feel. Recognising the signs early makes the difference between a brief reset and a long fight back.
Our role is to give you the tools to stay in control, and to point you toward help the moment our tools aren't enough. Nothing on this page is here to sell you anything.
Behaviour worth watching
These are the patterns that precede problems, not moral failings. If two or three apply, it's time to act:
- Gambling with money earmarked for bills, rent or groceries
- Chasing losses — playing longer or staking more to recover what's gone
- Lying to family or friends about how much you've spent or how often you play
- Borrowing money, using credit, or selling possessions to fund play
- Neglecting work, relationships or responsibilities because of the time gambling takes
- Feeling anxious, irritable or restless when you're not playing
One or two of these can happen in a bad week. Three or more, sustained, is a signal your relationship with gambling has changed.
Questions to ask yourself
A short self-check, answered honestly. These are yes/no — the number that comes back yes matters more than which ones they are.
- Have you tried to stop or cut back, and found you couldn't?
- Do you gamble to escape worry, guilt or low mood?
- Have you lied about gambling, or hidden it from people close to you?
- Has gambling caused arguments or damaged a relationship?
- Have you missed work, a deadline or a commitment because you were gambling?
- Do you feel guilty or ashamed after a session?
- Have you borrowed money or used credit to gamble?
- Do you return the next day to win back losses?
Four or more yes answers is a clear marker. One or two still deserves attention — patterns start small.
Control tools we offer
We provide mechanisms to set limits on gameplay and to limit your gaming account directly. These are not suggestions — they are enforceable caps you impose on yourself, and we hold you to them even if you ask us to lift them early.
Deposit limits let you fix a ceiling per day, week or month. Once set, you cannot deposit beyond it until the period resets. Time limits log you out after a set duration. Loss limits stop play when your net loss hits a threshold you've chosen. Reality checks interrupt a session at intervals you specify, showing elapsed time and spend.
Self-exclusion locks your account for a minimum period — 24 hours, a week, a month, six months. During that window you cannot log in, deposit or reverse the exclusion. The shortest break is often enough to break a streak; the longest gives you room to rebuild routines that don't include gambling.
Practical limits that work
The tools above are structural. These are the habits that support them:
- Set a budget before you start, and treat it as the cost of entertainment — money spent, not invested.
- Never gamble with borrowed money, credit, or funds you need for living expenses.
- Take regular breaks. Walk away every 30-45 minutes, even when you're winning.
- Don't chase losses. If a session goes badly, accept it and close the window.
- Keep gambling separate from alcohol or substances that impair judgment.
- Track your spend honestly. Most problems start when someone stops counting.
Where to get help in the UK
Support exists, it's free, it's confidential, and it's staffed by people who've heard every version of this story before. You will not shock them, and you do not need to be at rock bottom to call.
GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, open 24 hours a day, every day. The service is free from landlines and mobiles. You can also reach them at gamcare.org.uk for live chat, email support and face-to-face counselling referrals.
BeGambleAware offers online tools, information and direct access to treatment services at begambleaware.org. Their website includes a self-assessment quiz, budgeting tools and a directory of local support.
GamStop is a free national self-exclusion scheme that blocks access to all UK-licensed gambling sites and apps in one step. Register at gamstop.co.uk and choose a period from six months to five years. The exclusion applies across every operator licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.
Gordon Moody provides residential treatment and online therapy for people whose gambling has reached crisis point. Their programmes run from one to twelve weeks and are available at gordonmoody.org.uk.
Blocking software
Gamban is an app that blocks access to tens of thousands of gambling sites and apps across every device you install it on — phone, tablet, computer. It costs a small monthly fee and cannot be uninstalled easily once active. Download it at gamban.com.
BetBlocker is a free, open-source alternative that works across desktop and mobile. Install it from betblocker.org and configure which categories of site to block. Both tools are more effective than willpower alone because they remove the decision from the moment of impulse.
Protecting minors
Access to this site and to our games is restricted to adults aged 18 and over (18+). If you share a device with someone younger, parental-control software such as Net Nanny or Qustodio can block gambling sites at the router or device level, and can be password-protected so they cannot be bypassed.
Supervision is the baseline. Software is the backup when supervision isn't possible.
Contact
For questions about the tools we offer or to request a self-exclusion by email, reach us at [email protected]. For immediate help with problem gambling, use one of the UK resources above rather than waiting for our reply — they are faster, better trained, and open around the clock.
Gambling should be entertainment, not a chore. If it has stopped feeling like entertainment, free and confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.org.
This site is for players aged 18 and over (18+). We want your play to stay enjoyable — for free, confidential support, visit BeGambleAware.org.