The national line is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738): free, confidential, 24/7, by phone, text or chat. There is no national self-exclusion register and no federal gambling regulator: each state licenses its own operators, keeps its own exclusion list, and sets its own minimum age. Self-exclusion in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts is free and can bar you from that state's casinos, online casinos and sportsbooks for one year, five years or life. Several states also pay for treatment, including for family members.
| National helpline | 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) — NCPG, 24/7, free, call/text/chat |
|---|---|
| Online self-exclusion | No national register. State lists cover only that state's licensed operators |
| Venue self-exclusion | State programs bar you from casinos licensed in that state; tribal casinos exclude separately |
| Typical terms | One year, five years or lifetime; terms cannot be shortened once they start |
| Bank gambling blocks | No nationwide scheme; ask your card issuer, and use blocking apps and operator limits |
| Free treatment | State-funded in several states, including New York, California and Pennsylvania |
| Regulator | No federal regulator — state gaming boards and tribal gaming commissions |
| Legal gambling age | Set by each state and by product; there is no federal minimum |
Verified helplines
| Service | Phone / chat | Hours | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Problem Gambling Helpline (NCPG)1-800-522-4700, the previous national number, still connects during the transition. | 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738)Text 1-800-MY-RESET; chat online via ncpgambling.org | 24/7; free and confidential; routes to 24 contact centers covering states & territories | ncpgambling.org/help-treatment |
Helplines and online chat
The National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). It is run by the National Council on Problem Gambling, is free and confidential, and takes calls, texts and online chat. One number routes you to a network of 24 contact centers covering all 50 states and U.S. territories. The previous national number, 1-800-522-4700, still connects during the transition.
Some states fund their own lines, which know the local treatment providers:
- New York: HOPEline, 1-877-846-7369, or text HOPENY (467369). Answered by masters-level clinicians who give information and referrals.
- Massachusetts: 1-800-426-1234, 24 hours. The same line enrols people in the state self-exclusion program, and PlayWell.org runs a 24-hour chat.
- California: 1-800-GAMBLER, 24/7, by phone, text or chat, with counselors in several languages.
Gamblers Anonymous holds in-person and online meetings across the country. Its meeting finder is at gamblersanonymous.org and the International Service Office number is (909) 931-9056. Meetings are free and anonymous.
If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which the New Jersey gaming regulator lists alongside its gambling helpline. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists crisis lines by country, and our helplines directory covers gambling specifically.
Self-exclusion
There is no national self-exclusion register in the United States as of September 2026. Each state that regulates gambling keeps its own list, and a list binds only the operators licensed by that state; an out-of-state or offshore site will not see it. Enrolment is free everywhere below.
| State | What it covers | Terms | How to enrol |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Three lists: Atlantic City casinos plus sports wagering; internet gaming and sports wagering; internet gaming only | 1 year, 5 years, lifetime (lifetime only in person or by video call) | Online portal for the internet-only list, in person at DGE offices in Atlantic City or Trenton, at racetracks, or through your operator account; 1-833-788-4DGE |
| Pennsylvania | Four separate programs: casinos, iGaming, video gaming terminals, fantasy contests | 1 year, 5 years or lifetime; a lifetime iGaming exclusion cannot be removed | Online through the PGCB, or by appointment at a PGCB office; 717-346-8300 |
| New York | One form covering casinos, video lottery, sports wagering, lottery draw and instant games, Quick Draw, fantasy sports, charitable and pari-mutuel wagering | 1, 3 or 5 years, or lifetime | At a licensed gaming facility, at the Commission office in Schenectady, or by notarized mail; a recent photo is required |
| Massachusetts | Casino gaming, sports wagering and iLottery, chosen separately | 1, 3 or 5 years, or lifetime after a shorter term first | Phone 1-800-426-1234, chat on PlayWell.org, in person at a PlayWell Info Center, or by video call |
| California | One form covers all licensed card rooms; tribal casinos run their own separate programs | Set by each program | Card rooms online without entering a casino; tribal casinos through their gaming commission or security office |
Two details catch people out. A term cannot be shortened once it starts, only extended; Massachusetts and New Jersey both work this way. And in New York, anything you win while excluded is forfeited. Exclusion also ends marketing: operators must remove you from mailing lists and close or freeze your accounts.
The full state-by-state table, including states with no centralized list, is in self-exclusion in the USA by state. If you gamble on sites licensed in more than one state, you have to enrol in each one.
Blocking gambling payments and sites
Self-exclusion stops the operators a state licenses. Software blocks the rest: offshore sites, sweepstakes casinos and apps, so most people use both. Blocking apps and how they differ are covered in apps that block gambling sites, and the trade-offs against scheme-based exclusion in exclusion schemes versus blocking software.
There is no nationwide bank gambling block in the United States of the kind some UK banks run. Card issuers vary: ask yours whether it can decline gambling merchants on your account, and if it cannot, remove the card from your operator accounts and keep your gambling money out of the account that pays your rent.
Operator-side limits are the third layer. Licensed sportsbooks and casino apps let you set deposit, wager and time limits inside the account. Massachusetts casinos also run PlayMyWay, a free voluntary budget tracker at Plainridge Park, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor: you set a daily, weekly or monthly budget on your rewards card and the machine warns you at 75% of it, then at every 25% after that. Practical limit-setting is covered in how to set gambling limits.
Free treatment and counselling
Treatment for gambling is usually paid for out of state gambling revenue rather than by health insurance, so in several states it costs the person nothing.
- New York: the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) offers counselling, peer support and community meetings to anyone affected by gambling harm, including family and friends, regardless of ability to pay. It also funds free financial counselling for gambling debt through a partnership with GamFin. The Gaming Commission puts $6 million a year into problem gambling education and treatment through OASAS.
- California: CalGETS, run by the state Office of Problem Gambling, gives California residents aged 18 and over a course of no-cost therapy with approved therapists, plus state-funded residential care and intensive outpatient programs. Access is through 1-800-GAMBLER.
- Pennsylvania: the PGCB's Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling points people to low-to-no-cost treatment options and can be reached at 717-346-8300 or problemgambling@pa.gov.
Elsewhere, the national helpline is the fastest route: its contact centers hold the local list of funded programs. What treatment actually involves (CBT, relapse planning, medication where a doctor prescribes it) is in gambling addiction treatment.
Support for family and friends
Family members can call the national helpline in their own right, and state programs treat them as clients rather than bystanders: New York's services are open to family and friends regardless of ability to pay, and California's free treatment covers people affected by someone else's gambling, not only the person who gambles.
Gam-Anon runs peer meetings for partners and relatives, often in the same buildings as Gamblers Anonymous. If the immediate problem is money (a joint account, a card in your name, a debt you did not agree to), read what to do about gambling debt before agreeing to anything. For the conversation itself, see how to help someone with a gambling problem.
Gambling law and the regulator
Gambling in the United States is regulated state by state. There is no federal gambling regulator and no federal minimum age. Casinos, online casinos and sportsbooks answer to a state agency: the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the New York State Gaming Commission, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and their counterparts elsewhere, while gambling on tribal land is overseen by tribal gaming commissions under separate compacts.
The consequences are practical. Which products are legal, what an operator must offer you, the minimum age, and whether a self-exclusion list exists at all are all state questions, and the answers differ by product within one state as well. Before you rely on a rule, check the regulator for the state whose licence the operator holds; it is named in the footer of every licensed site.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a national self-exclusion list in the US?
No. Each state runs its own program and it only covers operators licensed by that state. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts all have free state lists; California has a single form for card rooms but no statewide list covering tribal casinos. If you play on sites licensed in several states, you need to enrol in each.
What is the US gambling helpline number?
1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), the National Problem Gambling Helpline, by call, text or chat. It is free and confidential and routes to a contact center covering your state. The older number, 1-800-522-4700, still connects.
Is gambling treatment free in the United States?
In several states, yes. New York provides services regardless of ability to pay, California funds a course of therapy and residential care for residents through CalGETS, and Pennsylvania lists low-to-no-cost options. The national helpline can tell you what your state funds.
How do I self-exclude from online sportsbooks?
Through the regulator of the state whose licence the sportsbook holds. New Jersey and Pennsylvania both take internet-only exclusions online; New York and Massachusetts cover sports wagering within one statewide form. Terms are one year, five years or lifetime, and they cannot be shortened once they start.
Sources
- National Council on Problem Gambling — Help & Treatment
- New York State Gaming Commission — Voluntary Self-Exclusion
- New York State Gaming Commission — Responsible Gaming
- NY Office of Addiction Services and Supports — Problem Gambling
- NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement — Self-Exclusion Program
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board — Self-Exclusion
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board — Self-Exclusion FAQ
- Massachusetts Gaming Commission — Voluntary Self-Exclusion
- Massachusetts Gaming Commission — PlayMyWay
- California Council on Problem Gambling — Help and self-exclusion options