There are many ways to gamble, a lottery ticket, a scratch card, a bet on the big match, a day at the races or a few spins on an online casino. For some of us, it’s a bit of fun and it stays that way. But for others, it can become something that’s hard to control and even harder to take a step back from and stop.
In these circumstances, whether you’re worried about your own gambling or you’re being affected by someone else’s, it’s important you know there is support available.
Bank of Ireland’s Extra Help Centre is a dedicated online resource that’s been designed to help customers, carers and families dealing with some of the most sensitive and difficult circumstances they might face, like when gambling becomes harmful.
It provides a wealth of freely available practical information and guidance to help you, or those you care about, access the support you need. Tackling harmful gambling might feel overwhelming but the sooner you can get the right help and support, the better.
Here are some of the first steps you or someone you know can take to get help:
Let your bank know what the situation is. Any information you share is confidential and will not be used without your permission.
Take back control and request gambling blocks for your bank cards. Many banks, including Bank of Ireland, can help you request a gambling block is put on your debit card which means you’ll be unable to make card payments to gambling operators such as online casinos, betting shops and lottery websites. Some payments may not be identified and therefore stopped but for many operators the block is effective. If in time, you no longer want or need the block, you can simply ask for it to be removed.
Self-exclusion means asking a gambling operator to exclude you from gambling with them for between six and twelve months. There are various schemes that include for example, the Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme which allows you to choose the betting shops that you would like to be excluded from. Or Gamban offers a tool which blocks access to thousands of gambling websites and apps on all your devices. There are further schemes available for casinos, arcades and bingo halls and the details can be found online at the Extra Help Centre.
Blocking software is also available and your internet service provider may be able to offer you an option to opt out of certain sites or you can also ask your mobile phone or interactive TV provider to limit or block your access to gambling services.
Please visit the Bank of Ireland UK Extra Help Centre where we can guide you to get further help and information.
Gambling blocks
Whether you’re worried about your own gambling or you’re being affected by someone else’s, it’s important you know there is support available from the Bank of Ireland.