Resources
If you need help now — and where to turn next.
Every number here is a public, verified crisis or problem-gambling line — never a treatment-facility intake number. Call any of them just to talk; you never have to be sure it's "serious enough."
Crisis lines
988 Suicide Crisis Helpline
24/7
Call or text 988 — free, anywhere in Canada. If money loss has you thinking about harming yourself, start here. Gambling debt is survivable.
ConnexOntario — problem-gambling helpline
24/7
Free, confidential information and referral for problem gambling, mental health, and substance use in Ontario. Ask for the problem-gambling helpline — no doctor's referral needed.
Stop the bleeding, then get support
Self-exclusion and free debt help are the two moves that pay off fastest — and neither requires spending money or giving your name.
Gamblers Anonymous — official meeting finder
Meetings in person and online, nationwide
Free peer fellowship. No dues, no forms, no professionals in the room. The official finder is the only current source for meeting times.
Gam-Anon — for family and friends
A parallel fellowship for spouses, parents, and friends of someone who gambles — same structure, separate rooms.
Credit Counselling Canada — free non-profit debt help
Free, non-profit credit counsellors who work with gambling debt every week. Get free advice before any consolidation loan or family bailout.
Self-exclusion — ban yourself from casinos and online play
Every provincial operator runs a voluntary self-exclusion program (e.g. BCLC Game Break, OLG, Loto-Québec, AGLC). Enrolment happens on the operator's own official site. See our per-province guide.
Want a person to walk it through with you?
Take the private self-check, or ask us to make one warm introduction to a matched, licensed provider — free, and only with your consent.