How this works
An honest guide, not a treatment centre.
Gambling Recovery exists because problem gambling is the addiction people hide the longest — the wreckage is a number, and numbers are easy to keep secret. By the time someone searches for help, they are usually reading at 3 a.m. on the same phone the betting app is on. The search itself shouldn't add shame.
We are an independent educational and treatment-navigation resource, not a counselling service and not a treatment centre. Every guide is written in plain language against public clinical standards — our self-check is scored against the nine criteria for gambling disorder that clinicians use (DSM-5), rebuilt in our own words. It is an educational screen, never a diagnosis.
When you ask us to connect you, we confirm the fit and make a warm introduction — with your express consent, and only to licensed providers you approve. We say plainly how we are paid: providers pay us flat marketing fees for introductions, never a share of what you spend and never per-admission. Peer-support fellowships are described in our own words; we are not affiliated with any of them.
We are not an emergency service. If money loss has you thinking about harming yourself, the crisis lines on every page connect you to people who can help right now — gambling debt is survivable, and people rebuild from exactly where you are.
Editorial policy
Every guide is written in plain language by our own team and checked against current Canadian clinical guidance before publishing. Fellowship descriptions are our own words — we never republish another organization's literature or schedules. Where a placement is paid, it is labelled, and it never changes what we recommend.
How we make money
The service is free for people seeking help. When you ask us to connect you and give your consent, we introduce you to matched licensed providers, who pay us flat marketing fees for those introductions — never a share of what you spend, never per-admission. Treatment navigation is kept strictly separate from any commercial relationship.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we say so in the open. Spot an error? Email hello@gamblingrecovery.ca and we'll review it and fix it, with a dated note where it matters.
Part of a network
Gambling Recovery is one of the independent recovery resources in the Rehab Near Me network, which share a single consent-gated connection service. Each site is its own resource; the shared spine is only how a consented request is safely routed.
Straight answers
Is this confidential?
Yes. You can read everything and take the self-check without an account or an email — the self-check runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. If you choose to send a connection request, we ask for your express consent first, and your details go only to the licensed providers matched to your request. We never sell your information to data brokers or advertisers.
Does it cost anything?
Using Gambling Recovery is free. Much of the help itself is free too: every province funds problem-gambling counselling at no cost, self-exclusion is free, and non-profit credit counselling is free. Private programs charge their own fees, which you confirm directly with the provider — we never quote prices on your behalf.
Is the self-check a diagnosis?
No. It's an educational screen written against the nine DSM-5 criteria clinicians use for gambling disorder. It can tell you whether it's worth taking seriously and where to start — but only a qualified professional can make a diagnosis. Your answers never leave the page.
What if I'm not sure I'm ready?
That's normal — most people who read a page like this aren't sure. You can read the first-72-hours guide, take the private self-check, or call ConnexOntario's free 24/7 line at 1-866-531-2600 and ask for the problem-gambling helpline, just to talk. There's no wrong way to start, and none of it commits you to anything.
We are not an emergency service. If money loss has you thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, any hour — gambling debt is survivable.