Revolut gambling block

What the Revolut gambling block does

Revolut's help page on the gambling block (opens in a new tab) describes it as a setting that declines card payments that Revolut identifies as gambling. When a gambling website or betting shop tries to take money from your Revolut card, the payment is refused instead of going through. Revolut Bank UK Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 12871051, provides the account in the UK.

The block is a payment control. It doesn't close gambling accounts, it doesn't tell gambling companies about you, and it doesn't stop you logging in to a site where you already have money. It works at the point where your card is charged, which is why it suits people who want a pause between an urge to gamble and actually being able to pay. If you want to stop gambling sites from accepting you at all, that's a job for self-exclusion, covered further down.

Our guide sits alongside the other bank pages in our casino bonus guides section, and the same basic idea runs through all of them: a card block makes gambling harder to pay for, but it isn't a complete wall on its own.

If gambling is already causing you worry, you don't need to wait until the block is set up to get help. The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is free and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133.

How to turn on the Revolut gambling block

Revolut says the block is switched off by default, so nothing protects you until you choose to turn it on. The setting lives in the security area of the app rather than among card settings, which catches some people out. Following the path Revolut gives:

1. Open the Revolut app and tap your profile.
2. Go to Security.
3. Open Payments.
4. Find the gambling block option and switch it on.
5. Check the setting shows as on before you close the app. Revolut says it takes effect immediately, so there is no waiting period to start.

If you can't see the option where Revolut's help page says it should be, the app may have moved it in an update or it may differ for your account type. In that case, search the app's help section for “gambling block” or ask Revolut's support team through the app. We haven't listed screenshots or extra menu names here, because Revolut changes its app design from time to time and we only describe what its help centre states.

Turning the Revolut gambling block off: the 48-hour delay

Switching the block off isn't instant. Revolut says turning it off takes up to 48 hours. That gap is the whole point: many urges to gamble pass within a day or two, and a delay gives you a chance to change your mind before you can pay a gambling site again.

Compare that with Monzo, whose block asks you to pick a cooldown of anywhere from 2 days to 1 year when you switch it on, and which keeps the block in place until that cooldown ends. Revolut's published delay is shorter and fixed at up to 48 hours, so if you want a longer, harder commitment, combine the block with GAMSTOP, which can't be cancelled early once it starts. You can read how Monzo's version works on our Monzo gambling block guide.

What the Revolut gambling block covers and what it misses

This is the part most worth understanding before you rely on the block. According to Revolut's help centre, it stops card payments identified as gambling. It does not affect bank transfers or payments made through third-party apps, and it may miss merchants that use other codes.

Why merchant codes matter

Card networks label every business with a merchant category code. Gambling companies normally use the gambling code, and that label is what card blocks look for. If a business processes payments under a different code, the block may not recognise the payment as gambling. Monzo says the same about its own block, that mis-tagged transactions can bypass it, so this is a limit of how card blocks work in general rather than something unique to Revolut.

Why transfers and apps sit outside it

A bank transfer doesn't go through the card network, so there is no merchant code for the block to read. Pay-by-bank services that move money straight from your account work in a similar way, and a payment made through another app may reach the gambling site without your Revolut card ever being charged as gambling. Lloyds is open about a similar gap: its freeze doesn't cover direct debits or bank transfers. Our guide to how payment exclusions work explains how casinos themselves treat different deposit routes.

Is Revolut on the Gambling Commission's bank block list?

No. The Gambling Commission keeps a list of banks that let you block gambling payments (opens in a new tab), last updated on 16 October 2026. It names Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, MBNA (spend tracking), Monzo, NatWest, RBS, Santander and Starling. Revolut isn't on it.

That doesn't mean Revolut's block is missing or unofficial: Revolut publishes its own help page on the feature. It does mean the regulator's summary won't help you here, so Revolut's help centre and app are the places to confirm how the setting works today. The Commission's list also says only HSBC has a cool-off period, while several banks, Revolut among them, describe delays on their own pages. When the two sources disagree, the bank's own wording about your account is the one to go by.

Revolut gambling block compared with other UK banks

Each bank builds its block differently. The table sets out what each bank says about its own feature, so you can see where Revolut's version is stronger or weaker. If you also bank elsewhere, it's worth switching on the block in every account and card you hold, because a block on one card does nothing for another.

Two things stand out. First, HSBC states that its restriction covers digital wallets; Revolut's help page, as summarised in our checked data, says nothing either way about phone wallets, so check the app or ask support if you pay by phone. Second, Monzo's adjustable cooldown can run far longer than Revolut's 48 hours. There's more detail on our Starling gambling block, HSBC gambling block and Lloyds gambling block pages.

Closing the gaps the Revolut gambling block leaves

Because the block doesn't reach transfers, third-party apps or oddly coded merchants, it works best as one layer among several. Each tool below covers something the others don't.

• GAMSTOP stops you using every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain for 6 months to 5 years. It can't be cancelled early, and when the period ends it stays in place until you ask for it to be removed. Online operators have had to take part since 31 March 2020. See our guide on how to self-exclude and the GAMSTOP rules.
• Blocking software such as Gamban (opens in a new tab) stops gambling sites and apps loading on your devices, which covers the routes a card block can't see.
• Deposit limits at any gambling account you keep put a ceiling on spending; our deposit limits guide shows how they work, and the deposit limit rules explains what operators must offer.
• Marketing opt-outs cut the emails and texts that can trigger an urge; see how to stop bonus emails.
• Blocks at your other banks stop you switching to a different card when the Revolut card is declined.

Gambling companies licensed in Great Britain must also check in with customers in other ways. Since 31 October 2025 they must ask you to set a financial limit before your first deposit (the financial limit prompt), and since 28 February 2025 they must run financial vulnerability checks when net deposits pass £150 in 30 days. These rules sit on the operator's side; your Revolut block sits on yours.

A worked example: one evening with the Revolut gambling block on

Picture someone who has switched the Revolut gambling block on and set nothing else up. At 10pm they try to deposit £50 at a gambling site with their Revolut card. The payment is identified as gambling, so it's declined. So far the block has done its job.

Now suppose they try other routes. If the site accepts a bank transfer or a pay-by-bank payment, Revolut says the block won't affect it, and the £50 could leave the account. If they move money to an account at another bank with no block, that card works normally. If they have £30 left in an existing gambling balance, the block can't touch it at all.

Add GAMSTOP and the picture changes: GB-licensed sites refuse to let them gamble whatever payment method they try. Add a block at the second bank and the other card is declined too. That's why a card block is described as one layer. Bonuses and promotions can be part of what drives a late-night deposit, which is why our guide on bonuses and gambling harm is worth reading alongside this one.

Revolut gambling block and casino promotions

A card block doesn't remove you from casino mailing lists, and offers can keep arriving after you've switched it on. If you're trying to cut back, the cleanest step is to opt out of promotions at each gambling account and withdraw your consent to marketing. Since 1 May 2025, operators have had to ask for marketing consent separately for each product and channel, as the marketing consent rules page explains, so you can turn each one off.

Gambling Commission rules also say operators must stop marketing and new bonuses for customers who show strong signs of harm, covered in our page on bonuses and harm indicators. If you've self-excluded, you shouldn't be offered anything at all; see can you claim a bonus after self-exclusion and does GAMSTOP block bonuses. Our guide on when to say no to a bonus covers the signs that an offer is doing more harm than good.

Revolut gambling block myths and facts

Another point that's easy to get wrong: gambling with a credit card has been banned in Great Britain since 14 April 2020, including through e-wallets funded by a credit card. That rule applies whichever bank you use; see the credit card ban for the detail.

Using the Revolut gambling block in Northern Ireland

The block is a feature of your Revolut account, so it isn't tied to the gambling law of the place you live. The difference in Northern Ireland lies in gambling regulation: the Gambling Act 2005 and the Gambling Commission's rules cover Great Britain, so protections such as the financial limit prompt are written for GB operators and you shouldn't assume they apply in the same way in Northern Ireland. That makes a payment block and device blocking more useful there, not less. Our Northern Ireland gambling law page explains the split.

Support alongside the Revolut gambling block

Blocking payments helps, but it works best with support from people who understand gambling harm. All of these are free:

• The National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, run by GamCare (opens in a new tab), open 24/7 by phone, live chat and WhatsApp.
• NHS gambling support (opens in a new tab), including self-referral to NHS gambling clinics in England such as the National Problem Gambling Clinic. In Wales, the NHS Wales Helpline is 0808 2819 265.
• Gamblers Anonymous peer-support meetings.
• GAMSTOP, for free online self-exclusion.

Our safer gambling hub brings these together with tools such as time-outs and reality checks, and explains how they fit with blocks like Revolut's.

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.