Keep Gambling Fun:

Playing at Shipleys should be a fun and a sociable way to spend your time. However, for some players, gambling can become a problem. 

At Shipleys, we are committed to helping customers to “Keep it Fun” by providing a safe and responsible environment and offering support to those who need it.

In all our venues, we offer help by: 

Training our teams to monitor behaviour that may lead to concerns and to assist our customers with help and information. 

Providing leaflets detailing how customers with concerns about their gambling can “self-exclude” nationally from bingo clubs in the UK, by joining the national scheme to prevent them from making further visits. This is as simple as visiting any club and speaking with a manager who will help with the quick and simple application process. Alternatively, self-exclusion can be requested by following the process detailed on the Bingo Association website. 

Providing information that will help you identify and prevent problem gambling at an early stage, plus details about charities and support agencies who can offer counselling, help and/or treatment.

Warning signs to look for:

A good way to gauge whether your gambling is no longer fun, and may be getting out of control, is to ask yourself the following questions: 

• Have you bet more than you could really afford to lose? 
• Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement? 
• Have you gambled to win back money you’ve lost? 
• Have you borrowed money or sold anything to gamble? 
• Have you ever felt you might have a problem with gambling?
• Have people criticised your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem, whether or not you thought it was true? 
• Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble? 
• Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety? 
• Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household? 

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, we recommend you consider taking the independent anonymous self-assessment questionnaire offered by GamCare.

The online assessment which they provide will provide you with a breakdown of how gambling is affecting your life, alongside recommendations for your next steps. After you’ve reviewed your results, and if you felt you would benefit from further support please continue reading below and consider our safer gambling tools.

What to do if you think you have a problem 

The first step in taking back control is to be completely honest with yourself and accept that there is a problem, but that you have the will to confront it. It may be that simply standing back and realising that you have been displaying some of the above behaviours is enough to make you adjust your approach and allow you to resume control. Alternatively, you may feel you need help, advice and support. 

You can talk in confidence to the Shop Managers or anyone else in the shop team who you may feel comfortable speaking to. They all understand the issues involved and have been trained to provide you with information and guidance. Alternatively, speak to someone from your own circle of family or friends who you know and trust. 

If you need further detailed advice, or more specific help and counselling to find contact information please follow this link: gamcare.org.uk

If you need to stop gambling

If you think the best solution is to stop gambling, you can easily self-exclude yourself from all Bingo clubs. If this is the case, you should also exclude yourself from any other gambling premises or web sites where you otherwise play or place bets. If you have decided to self-exclude it is advisable to take an appropriate break from ALL forms of gambling. For information and help on how to self- exclude visit the following link: bingo-association.co.uk/self-exclusion