Responsible Gambling in Iceland: Help, Limits and Self-Exclusion

If gambling is costing you more money, time or sleep than you planned, free help is available in Iceland today. Call SÁÁ on 530-7600 for its free gambling-addiction programme, the Red Cross helpline 1717 at any hour, or GA, Gamblers Anonymous, on 698-3888. This guide lists who to contact, the self-exclusion and limit tools that actually exist for Icelandic players, and what your bank can and cannot block.

Online casinos are for adults only: everyone in Iceland must be 18 or older to gamble, and every service below is free and confidential.

Where to get help in Iceland

SÁÁ’s website also has the SOGS self-test, a short questionnaire used to screen for gambling problems. Taking it takes a few minutes and tells you whether to talk to someone.

Signs that gambling is becoming a problem

Gambling problems rarely start with one big loss. They build slowly. Watch for these signs in yourself or someone close to you:

• You deposit again to win back what you lost (“chasing”).
• Your stakes keep rising to get the same excitement.
• You hide how much you play from your partner, family or friends.
• You borrow money, use a credit card or delay bills to keep playing.
• You feel restless or irritable when you try to cut back.
• Gambling takes time from work, study, sleep or people you care about.

Two or three of these together are reason enough to call SÁÁ or 1717. You do not need to be “addicted” to ask for advice.

The scale of the problem in Iceland

Gambling harm is not rare here. Surveys by Daníel Þór Ólason, cited by the Justice Minister in Alþingi on 25 September 2025, put probable gambling disorder at about 0.7% of adults, with about 1.6% in significant difficulty. In the same debate an MP said that 86% of people seeking SÁÁ’s gambling treatment play online. Teenagers are exposed too: in the ESPAD 2024 survey, 41% of Icelandic 15–16-year-olds had gambled for money in the past year, the second-highest share of 37 countries.

Self-exclusion: what exists for Icelandic players

Iceland has no national self-exclusion register and no player card. A 2023 ministry working group proposed player cards, but nothing was enacted. In practice, self-exclusion works site by site:

• Lottó and Lengjan (Íslensk getspá and Íslenskar getraunir): under “Mínar síður” you can set “Spilatakmarkanir”, including self-exclusion for up to three years, deposit limits per day, week or month and a daily stake cap. Getraunir allows play up to 150,000 kr. a day by default, and you can set a lower limit. Their own line is 580-2500.
• Foreign online casinos: each site has its own tool, and an exclusion at one site does not reach any other. The casinos in our list take self-exclusion requests by email to customer support from your registered address, under section 12 of their shared terms; the account then stays closed until you ask otherwise. Large operators such as Coolbet offer self-exclusion for a period you choose inside the account.

If you exclude yourself, do it at every site where you hold an account, close any accounts you no longer use, and consider the bank steps below. Withdraw any balance first: at most foreign casinos you can still request a withdrawal during self-exclusion, but check the terms.

Limits you can set before you play

Limits work best when you set them while calm, before the first deposit. Most licensed foreign casinos offer some or all of these:

Lowering a limit usually takes effect at once; raising it often has a waiting period. Euro accounts add a twist: the krónur cost of your limit moves with the exchange rate, and banks such as Landsbankinn add a 2.30% premium to foreign-currency card payments. Our euro casino guide shows the full cost.

What your bank can do

No Icelandic law blocks gambling payments, and we did not find an opt-in gambling block for adult customers at any Icelandic bank as of October 2026. Some banks do restrict cards for young people:

• Íslandsbanki has, according to media reports cited by the Justice Minister, blocked payment cards of customers under 18 at betting sites.
• Landsbankinn’s Vasapeningar prepaid card for children aged 9 to 18 blocks merchants such as casinos by merchant category code.

Adults can still ask their bank to lower card limits, remove internet payments for a card or close a credit card. Removing a credit card is a sensible step: gambling on credit turns losses into debt.

Help for families and parents

Someone else’s gambling can hurt the whole household. SÁÁ offers counselling to family members, and 1717 takes calls from anyone worried about a relative. For children, Getspá points parents to Síminn’s “Netvari” filter, which can block gambling sites at home. Talk to teenagers about betting ads on podcasts and social media: betting ads for unlicensed operators are banned in Icelandic media, but they still reach young people.

Our commitments

Iceland Casino is written for adults. We show 18+ and the help numbers on every page, never describe gambling as a way to make money, and never claim that any foreign casino is licensed in Iceland. Our guide to Icelandic gambling law explains the legal position, and our rating method counts each casino’s safer-gambling tools. If you think a page encourages harmful play, tell us through our contact page.

When you do play, a few habits help: decide your budget in krónur before you start, never deposit money meant for bills, take breaks, and treat any win as luck rather than income. If you are comparing casinos, our online casino guide and the Iceland Casino home page explain withdrawal caps and wagering, which affect how quickly money leaves your account.

How we checked this page

On 8 October 2026 we confirmed each phone number and service on the organisation’s own website: saa.is, raudikrossinn.is (1717), gasamtokin.is and heilsuvera.is. The Getspá and Getraunir tools come from their “Ábyrg spilun” page on games.lotto.is, the Landsbankinn card rule from its Vasapeningar terms, and the figures on harm from the Alþingi record of 25 September 2025. The partner casinos’ self-exclusion clause was read in their shared terms. Helga Björnsdóttir wrote the page and Kristín Óskarsdóttir reviewed it.

Related guides

• Best online casinos for Icelanders
• Casino reviews
• how welcome bonuses work
• choosing an online casino

Frequently asked questions

Who can I call about a gambling problem in Iceland?

SÁÁ on 530-7600 ([email protected]) runs a free gambling-addiction programme. The Red Cross helpline 1717 is open 24/7, free and anonymous. GA, Gamblers Anonymous, answers on 698-3888. In an emergency call 112.

Is there a national self-exclusion register in Iceland?

No. Iceland has no national register or player card, so self-exclusion works site by site. Lottó and Lengjan let you exclude yourself for up to three years under Mínar síður; foreign casinos each have their own tool.

How do I self-exclude from an online casino?

Use the casino’s responsible-gaming settings or ask customer support. The casinos in our list take requests by email from your registered address. Exclude yourself at every site where you have an account, because one exclusion does not cover others.

Is SÁÁ’s gambling treatment free?

Yes. SÁÁ’s basic programme for gambling addiction is free (“Meðferðin er gjaldfrjáls”), with sessions at Von, Efstaleiti 7, Reykjavík, on Thursdays. Individual counselling is available in Reykjavík and Akureyri.

Can my bank block gambling payments in Iceland?

There is no legal payment block, and we found no opt-in gambling block for adults at Icelandic banks as of October 2026. Íslandsbanki reportedly blocks under-18 cards at betting sites, and Landsbankinn’s Vasapeningar child card blocks casinos. Adults can ask to lower card limits or remove online payments.

What is the gambling age in Iceland?

18. The Lotteries Act does not allow a minimum age below 18, and all Icelandic operators apply 18. Foreign casinos also require players to be at least 18.