I need to stop now
- 1Do not place another bet or casino stake.
- 2Withdraw any eligible real-money balance without cancelling the request to continue playing.
- 3Request immediate self-exclusion or gambling-harm account closure from every operator used.
- 4Ask support to block deposits, bets, casino play, marketing, and account reopening.
- 5Contact the Gaming Commission of Ghana and ask for the current self-exclusion process.
- 6Delete gambling apps, log out on shared devices, and remove saved passwords.
- 7Remove saved cards and wallet shortcuts and ask financial providers about available controls.
- 8Tell a trusted person and ask them not to lend money for gambling.
- 9Contact the Mental Health Authority or a qualified health professional if distress is difficult to manage alone.
Keep credentials private
Do not hand another person your MoMo PIN, bank password, or full control of your finances. Ask for support without sharing credentials.
How to self-exclude from an operator
The control may be called Self-exclusion, Responsible gambling, Safer gambling, Take a break, or Close account. If no tool is visible, use the operator's published support email or ticket system and state that the request is for gambling-harm prevention, not an ordinary marketing unsubscribe.
Self-exclusion request
I am requesting immediate self-exclusion because gambling is causing harm. Block deposits, betting, casino play, promotional messages, and account reopening for the longest available period or permanently. Tell me how any eligible remaining real-money balance will be returned without restoring gambling access. Confirm the start date, duration, products, brands, venues, phone numbers, and accounts covered.
Save the request and reply. A short statement of harm is enough. Do not let a retention bonus, VIP offer, free bet, or cooling-off message replace the exclusion requested.
Contacting the Gaming Commission of Ghana
The Gaming Commission says it operates a self-exclusion programme for people experiencing gambling addiction or wanting a break. Its public article does not establish that one request automatically blocks every operator, venue, or product, so ask for the current scope in writing.
Current published contact details
Diamond House (PMMC Building), Accra Central. Phone: (027) 469 8935 or (054) 013 2100. Toll-free: 00800454545. Digital address: GA-143-2646. Email: info@gamingcommission.gov.gh.
Questions to ask
Ask which form and identification are required; which online accounts, products, brands, and land-based venues are covered; the available periods; whether permanent exclusion is possible; how reopening and marketing are handled; how eligible funds return; and what confirmation number is issued.
Close the routes back to gambling
Payment safeguards
Remove saved cards and wallet shortcuts. Ask your bank or mobile-money provider about merchant, transfer, card, or spending controls. Keep essential bill and food money separate where practical, cancel gambling-related credit, and do not borrow to gamble.
- Keep financial credentials private.
- Do not ask someone to fund a final attempt to recover losses.
- Protect shared bills and dependants through lawful account arrangements.
Device safeguards
Delete gambling apps and bookmarks, turn off promotional notifications, and unfollow tipsters, prediction groups, casino streams, and gambling pages.
- Use device or network blocking tools where available.
- Change routines linked to gambling, such as payday betting or late-night scrolling.
Social safeguards
Tell one trusted person about the exclusion and plan another activity for the time normally spent gambling.
- Ask friends not to send tips, odds, codes, or gambling loan requests.
- Seek professional help when urges, debt, anxiety, or low mood feel hard to manage.
Signs that gambling is no longer controlled
- Chasing a loss with a larger deposit.
- Borrowing, selling items, or using bill money to gamble.
- Hiding transactions or lying about time and losses.
- Gambling during work, school, caregiving, or sleep hours.
- Feeling unable to stop after setting a limit.
- Opening new accounts after a block or exclusion.
- Using gambling to escape anxiety, sadness, anger, or debt.
- Neglecting food, rent, transport, medicine, or family responsibilities.
- Thinking one win is the only way out of financial trouble.
The Gaming Commission reported 31 self-exclusion requests in the first quarter of 2025, compared with 68 during all of 2024. Asking for exclusion is a protective action.
Supporting a family member or friend
- Speak when neither person is gambling or in the middle of an argument.
- Describe specific effects without shaming the person.
- Offer to sit with them while they contact operators, the Commission, or a health professional.
- Do not lend money for gambling or fund a 'last deposit' to recover losses.
- Protect shared money, bills, and dependants through lawful arrangements.
- Do not impersonate the person or submit false identity information.
- Seek advice for your own safety if there are threats, coercion, theft, or severe distress.
A family member may not be able to complete voluntary self-exclusion on another person's behalf. Ask the Gaming Commission which support and protection routes apply.
Mental-health support in Ghana
Gambling harm can occur with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, substance use, relationship stress, and thoughts of self-harm. The Mental Health Authority publishes toll-free 0800678678 and info@mha.gov.gh as general mental-health contacts. This guide does not promise a gambling specialist or particular line hours.
Immediate danger
If someone may act on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or is in immediate danger, seek urgent help from local emergency services or the nearest hospital and stay with the person where it is safe to do so.
What a responsible operator should provide
- Deposit or spending limits and session controls.
- A time-out and self-exclusion for a defined period or permanently.
- A way to stop promotional communication.
- Account closure without pressure to continue.
- Return of eligible funds without restoring gambling access.
- A written record of the request and controls available on mobile as well as desktop.
If an operator ignores a clear exclusion request, keeps marketing access open, or encourages continued gambling, preserve the evidence and contact the Gaming Commission.
Under 18s
Ghana's Gaming Act defines a child as a person under 18. The Gaming Commission states that people under 18 are prohibited from using gaming machines or entering places where gaming machines are operated.
An under-18 account is not a normal responsible-play case. Stop play, do not bypass age checks, preserve transaction information, and contact the operator and regulator.