How to self exclude

How to self exclude from gambling in the UK

Self-exclusion is a request to be refused gambling for a set period. You can do it with one operator, or with every licensed online operator at once through GAMSTOP, the national online scheme. Either way, the business has to stop you gambling, close your account to play and stop marketing to you. It is one of the strongest tools available, and it is entirely your decision to use it: no one needs to approve it.

If gambling has started to cost more than you can afford, take up more time than you want, or affect how you feel, self-exclusion is worth considering now rather than after the next session. The rest of this guide shows how, and our safer gambling and bonuses page and casino bonus guides cover the wider toolkit.

If you need to talk to someone right now, the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day, run by GamCare. In Wales, the NHS Wales helpline is 0808 2819 265.

Self-exclusion options compared

A short break and self-exclusion aren't the same. A time-out pauses one account for a short spell; self-exclusion is meant for months or years. Our UK self-exclusion rules page sets out the legal duties behind each.

How to self exclude with GAMSTOP, step by step

GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) is run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited and is free to use. Every online gambling business licensed in Great Britain has had to take part since 31 March 2020, under licence code 3.5.5, as the Commission confirmed when it made participation mandatory (opens in a new tab).

1. Go to the GAMSTOP website and choose to register.
2. Enter your personal details, such as your name, date of birth, contact details and address, so operators can match you to any account.
3. Use the same details you used to open gambling accounts. If you have used other email addresses, phone numbers or previous addresses, include them where GAMSTOP allows.
4. Choose your exclusion period: six months, one year or five years.
5. Confirm your registration and keep the confirmation email.
6. Check GAMSTOP's guidance on how soon the exclusion becomes active, and avoid gambling sites in the meantime.
7. Consider adding a bank gambling block on the same day, so payments are blocked too.

More on how the scheme works is in our GAMSTOP glossary entry and on the UK GAMSTOP rules page.

Self-exclusion at a single casino, step by step

You may want to stop at one site but not register with the national scheme, or you may want both. Each licensed casino offers its own self-exclusion, usually in the same menu as deposit limits.

1. Log in and open 'Safer gambling', 'Responsible gambling' or 'Account controls'.
2. Choose 'Self-exclusion' (not 'Take a break' or 'Time-out', which are shorter).
3. Pick the period from the options shown.
4. Read whether the exclusion also covers other brands run by the same company. If it doesn't say, ask live chat to confirm in writing.
5. Withdraw any balance you want back before confirming, or note that the casino must return it.
6. Confirm, and keep the confirmation email.

What happens after you self exclude

The licence code on remote self-exclusion (LCCP 3.5.3) (opens in a new tab) sets out what an operator must do. In plain terms:

• No gambling: the business must refuse to let you gamble and close your account to play.
• Your money back: any balance must be returned to you.
• No marketing: you must be removed from marketing within two days, so bonus emails and texts stop.
• Signposting: the operator should point you to support services.
• Checks at sign-up: UK casinos check whether a new customer has self-excluded as part of age and identity checks, so opening a new account to get round it should fail.

That last point links to the wider rule that customers must be age-verified before play. It is also why self-exclusion and KYC checks work together: the details you give GAMSTOP are matched against the details casinos verify.

Choosing how long to self exclude

GAMSTOP offers periods from six months to five years. Two rules shape the choice: you can't end the exclusion early, and when the period finishes the exclusion stays active until you contact GAMSTOP to remove it. Nothing switches back on automatically.

Because the exclusion can't be shortened, the length is the one decision you make while calm that holds when the urge is strongest. A longer period doesn't commit you to anything at the end, since you have to ask for it to be lifted. If you are unsure, talking it through with the National Gambling Helpline costs nothing.

Adding a bank block and blocking software

Self-exclusion relies on operators matching your details. Adding barriers at the payment and device level covers gaps. The Commission keeps a list of banks that offer gambling blocks (opens in a new tab): Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, NatWest, RBS, Santander and Starling, with MBNA listed for spend tracking.

• Turning a block off takes time. Lloyds says the freeze is removed 48 hours after you switch it off; HSBC says transactions are still declined for 3 days; Monzo asks you to choose a cooldown of between 2 days and a year when you switch it on.
• Blocks stop card payments, not necessarily bank transfers, so they are a barrier rather than a wall.
• Blocking software such as Gamban blocks gambling sites on your devices; the Commission's list says Halifax and Lloyds offer access to Gamban licences.

Our page on the UK credit card ban explains why credit cards can't be used for gambling in Great Britain at all, which closes one more route.

What self-exclusion doesn't cover

Knowing the gaps helps you plan for them.

• Betting shops, bingo halls, arcades and land-based casinos: GAMSTOP covers online gambling only. Venues have their own schemes; ask staff or the venue's operator.
• Some lottery products: GAMSTOP blocks online instant-win games but not draw-based games such as Lotto.
• Unlicensed sites: offshore casinos without a GB licence don't take part in GAMSTOP and offer none of its protections. Sites advertising themselves as 'not on GAMSTOP' are targeting people who have self-excluded. Our guide to offshore casino bonus risks explains what you lose.
• Gambling outside Great Britain's rules: Northern Ireland has a separate legal framework; see Northern Ireland gambling law.

Self-exclusion and casino bonuses

During self-exclusion, licensed casinos can't let you play, so they can't let you claim a bonus either, and they must stop sending offers. The rules on bonuses and harm indicators go further: casinos have to stop new bonuses for any customer showing strong signs of harm, excluded or not.

When an exclusion ends, nothing obliges you to go back. If you do, start with a deposit limit set from your budget (see how to set deposit limits) and keep marketing switched off (see how to stop bonus emails). The questions can you claim a bonus after self-exclusion and does GAMSTOP block bonuses answer the detail, and bonuses and GAMSTOP explains why offers are often the trigger to be careful of.

If a casino lets you gamble while self-excluded

A licensed operator that lets a self-excluded customer gamble is breaking its licence conditions. If it happens, stop playing, take screenshots of the account and transactions, and complain in writing to the operator. The process, including the eight-week deadline and free independent dispute resolution, is the same as for any complaint; our guide on how to complain about a bonus sets it out. You can also tell the Gambling Commission, which enforces GAMSTOP participation and suspended one business in November 2022 for failing to take part.

Self-exclusion in the UK: key dates

Support to go with self-exclusion

Blocking access works best alongside support for the reasons behind the gambling. All of these are free:

• National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133, 24/7, with live chat and WhatsApp through GamCare (opens in a new tab).
• NHS: NHS help for problems with gambling (opens in a new tab), including self-referral to NHS gambling clinics in England.
• Gamblers Anonymous: free group meetings where people share their experience of stopping, in England, Wales and Ulster.
• Your bank: the gambling blocks described above, set up in your banking app or by contacting the bank.

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.