GAMSTOP meaning

GAMSTOP meaning in one paragraph

Self-exclusion means asking gambling businesses to refuse you service. Doing that one casino at a time is slow and easy to undo, so Great Britain has a national scheme for online gambling: GAMSTOP. You register once on the GAMSTOP website (opens in a new tab), choose a period, and every online operator licensed by the Gambling Commission must then keep you out. It is run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, and GAMSTOP's about page (opens in a new tab) explains its background.

If you're here because gambling is costing more than you want it to, you don't need to read any further before acting. Registration is done online, and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. Our responsible gambling page lists more support.

How GAMSTOP works, step by step

1. Go to the GAMSTOP website and register with your personal details; use the name, address, email and phone number your gambling accounts use, including any old addresses.
2. Choose an exclusion period between 6 months and 5 years.
3. GAMSTOP shares your details with licensed online operators, which check new and existing customers against the list.
4. Operators must refuse you service, close or suspend your accounts, return any funds and stop marketing to you.
5. When the period ends, the block stays in place until you contact GAMSTOP and ask for it to be removed.

Our how to self-exclude guide covers GAMSTOP alongside land-based schemes and single-operator exclusions.

GAMSTOP periods and what happens at the end

You pick how long the exclusion lasts, from 6 months up to 5 years, and you can set it to renew. Once a period has started, there is no way to shorten it: neither GAMSTOP nor a casino can lift it for you. That is deliberate. Urges often pass, and a block that can be undone on a bad evening offers little protection.

When the period ends, nothing changes automatically. The exclusion remains in place until you ask GAMSTOP to remove it, which gives you a moment to decide rather than finding your accounts open again one morning.

What GAMSTOP means for gambling operators

Participation is not optional. The Gambling Commission announced on 14 January 2020 that every online operator would have to take part in GAMSTOP from 31 March 2020 (opens in a new tab), and social responsibility code 3.5.5 says licensees must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. You can read code 3.5.5 (opens in a new tab) on the Commission's site, and our social responsibility code entry explains why these provisions bind every licensee.

Under SR code 3.5.3, operators must refuse service, close accounts and return funds, remove the person from marketing within two days and point them to support. The Commission has enforced this: LEBOM Limited was suspended in November 2022 for failing to take part. More detail is on our GAMSTOP rules and self-exclusion rules pages.

Exclusion covers promotions too. Once registered you should get no emails, texts or offers from licensed online operators; if one arrives, report it to the operator and keep a copy. See does GAMSTOP block bonuses.

What GAMSTOP doesn't cover

• Betting shops, bingo halls, arcades and land-based casinos, which have their own separate schemes.
• Draw-based lotteries such as Lotto; instant-win lottery games online are blocked.
• Unlicensed offshore sites, which don't take part and offer no GAMSTOP, no complaints route and no Commission protection. Our guide to offshore casino risks explains why sites that advertise themselves as outside GAMSTOP are unsafe.
• Northern Ireland, where the Gambling Act 2005 doesn't apply and Commission rules can't be assumed.

To spot whether a site is licensed in the first place, see how to tell a licensed casino from an unlicensed one.

A GAMSTOP timeline, worked through

Say someone registers on 1 November 2026 and chooses one year. From that point, licensed online operators must keep them out. If they hold accounts at three sites, each must close or suspend them and return any money; marketing should stop within two days. They try to open a new account in March 2027 and are turned away, because the check at sign-up finds the exclusion. On 1 November 2027 the year ends, but the block stays until they contact GAMSTOP, and they decide to renew for five years instead.

Across those twelve months, the urge to reverse the decision may come up more than once. The fact that it can't be reversed is the point of the scheme. If you're worried about what happens when an exclusion ends, read can you claim a bonus after self-exclusion and bonuses and GAMSTOP.

Support to use alongside GAMSTOP

• National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare: 0808 8020 133, free and open 24/7, with live chat on the GamCare support page (opens in a new tab).
• NHS gambling clinics in England accept self-referral; see the NHS gambling addiction page (opens in a new tab). In Wales, the NHS Wales helpline is 0808 2819 265.
• Gamblers Anonymous runs peer support meetings.
• Bank gambling blocks and blocking software such as Gamban add a second layer; see our Barclays gambling block guide for one bank's steps.
• Reality checks and a cool-off are lighter tools if you want to cut down rather than stop.

Our glossary has entries for each of these tools, and bonuses and gambling harm explains why casinos must stop offers to people showing signs of harm.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: set a budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.