Support with problem gambling
Problem gambling may have negative effects on many areas of a person’s life, such as their physical or mental health, school or work performance, finances and/or relationships. It can also mean continuing to gamble when you want to stop.
For friendly and helpful advice from trained counsellors, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (freephone). The helpline is open 8am-midnight, 7 days. You can also visit the GamCare website.
Sometimes just telling someone about your problem can be a relief and it is the first step towards dealing with your problem. You can also visit the Gamble Aware website for more information and advice.
Self-exclusion from Parkinson's UK raffles and lotteries
Parkinson’s UK provides a self-exclusion process for those people who wish to take a formal step to restrict their gambling activity with us. Self-exclusion allows us to intervene and prevent you from entering our raffles or the Unity weekly lottery for a period specified by you.
If you would like to exclude yourself from all Parkinson’s UK raffles and lotteries please fill in the online self-exclusion form or you can download our self-exclusion form and send it to:
Parkinson’s UK Supporter Care Team
50 Broadway
London
SW1H 0DB
Or you can call our Supporter Care Team on 0800 138 6593.
When we receive your request, we will record your self exclusion and we’ll also inform the team at Unity Lottery. We will confirm with you that your self-exclusion has been received and processed. When we prepare future raffle or lottery communications, we’ll check our self-exclusion register to ensure that you are not sent these.
If you have already purchased tickets in a future raffle or lottery and we receive your self-exclusion form before the draw date, we’ll refund your payment and remove your entries from the draw.
You will remain self-excluded for a period of at least 6 months and continuing until you decide to play the raffle or lottery or notify us that you wish your self-exclusion to be removed.
Gambling and people with Parkinson’s
Parkinson's UK is committed to ensuring that our supporters, professionals and people living with Parkinson’s are aware of the risks and signs of problem gambling so that any issues can be recognised and dealt with appropriately to minimise the impact.
For some people with Parkinson’s, compulsive behaviour is a side effect of the Parkinson’s drugs they are prescribed. Through our advisory service, specialist nurses and local Parkinson’s UK teams, we support people with Parkinson’s and their carers.
We have information on our website about impulsive and compulsive behaviours, including how to spot the signs of these behaviours and practical ways to manage them. We have a leaflet on impulsive and compulsive behaviours which can be viewed online.