BetBlocker partners with Slovakian helpline to expand support

Commenting on the collaboration, BetBlocker founder and trustee Duncan Garvie said the team is “really pleased” to partner with the helpline to raise awareness of the charity’s offerings, citing the organisation’s “understanding of their community and how to effectively communicate support”.

Slovakia has seen significant growth in requests for gambling harm support in recent years, following the introduction of a new gambling act in 2019. In July 2025, the Slovakian national self-exclusion register (RVO) passed 20,000 registered users. In August 2025, the country’s Institute of Gambling Regulation published a report highlighting growing concerns that as many as 300,000 Slovakians accessed illegal gambling operators, with 13.1% of respondents reporting they did so to circumvent an RVO exclusion.

Erik Kovac, a psychologist at Linka pomoci pre problémy s hraním, added that BetBlocker is one of the standard first-aid tools the organisation recommends, and the team is “grateful for this collaboration”. The tool currently offers support targeting both the legal and illegal gambling markets and has already seen an increase in user registrations in Slovakia.

“BetBlocker is already experiencing rapidly growing uptake of support in Slovakia. This collaboration will supercharge that growth, ensuring that thousands of additional people, their families and loved ones have an additional option when it comes to finding help,” Garvie said.

“BetBlocker would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Linka pomoci pre problémy s hraním for helping us become more effective communicators to people experiencing gambling harm in Slovakia.”