UK GAMSTOP rules

UK GAMSTOP rules: what the scheme is

GAMSTOP is a free scheme that lets you exclude yourself from every online gambling site and app licensed in Great Britain in one step. It’s run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, and registering doesn’t cost anything. The GAMSTOP website (opens in a new tab) is where you sign up.

Self-exclusion is a commitment to stop gambling for a set period, backed by the gambling businesses themselves. Before GAMSTOP, you had to contact each casino or bookmaker separately and ask it to block you. The national scheme matches your details against the customer records of every participating operator, so one registration covers them all.

This page explains the rules behind GAMSTOP: what operators must do, how long exclusions last and what they don’t cover. It sits in our UK gambling rules section; for the wider picture on blocking yourself from all kinds of gambling, see UK self-exclusion rules.

The licence rule that makes GAMSTOP mandatory

Taking part in GAMSTOP isn’t optional for online operators. LCCP social responsibility code 3.5.5 (opens in a new tab) states that licensees must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. GAMSTOP is that scheme.

The Gambling Commission announced on 14 January 2020 that participation would be compulsory, and from 31 March 2020 every online operator had to take part. The Commission’s announcement (opens in a new tab) set out the deadline. An operator that fails to join is in breach of its licence; in November 2022 the Commission suspended LEBOM Limited for failing to participate.

Because this is a licence condition, it applies to operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. Sites without a Commission licence aren’t part of GAMSTOP and offer none of the protections described here.

What GAMSTOP rules require operators to do

Self-exclusion only works if operators act on it. LCCP 3.5.3 (opens in a new tab) sets out what remote operators must do when someone self-excludes:

Those duties sit alongside a broader rule. Under LCCP 3.4.3, since 12 February 2023, operators must stop marketing and stop customers taking up new bonuses when they show strong indicators of gambling harm. Our page on bonuses and harm indicators explains it, and UK customer interaction rules covers how operators are supposed to spot those signs.

How long a GAMSTOP exclusion lasts and how it ends

You choose an exclusion period of between six months and five years when you register. The GAMSTOP ‘about’ page (opens in a new tab) sets out three rules that matter most:

• No early cancellation. Once registered, you can’t end the exclusion before the period runs out, even if you change your mind the next day.
• It doesn’t end automatically. When the minimum period is over, the exclusion stays in place until you contact GAMSTOP and ask for it to be removed.
• It can be renewed. You can keep the protection going for a further period.

The no-cancellation rule is deliberate. Urges to gamble often come in waves, and a block that could be lifted with one click would offer little protection in a difficult moment. The extra step at the end gives you time to decide whether you really want access back.

GAMSTOP rules in practice: two worked examples

Example 1: dates

Suppose you register on 3 March 2026 and choose six months. The minimum period runs to 3 September 2026. On 4 September you still can’t gamble with participating sites, because the exclusion continues until you ask GAMSTOP to remove it. If you did nothing at all, you would stay excluded.

Example 2: money left in an account

Say you have £42.50 sitting in an online casino account when you register. Under LCCP 3.5.3 the operator must close the account and return your funds, so that £42.50 should come back to you. If it doesn’t, contact the operator in writing and keep a record. You should also stop receiving that operator’s marketing within two days; if emails or texts keep arriving after that, report it.

How to register with GAMSTOP

1. Go to the GAMSTOP website. Registration is free.
2. Enter your personal details, such as your name, date of birth and address. Operators use these to match you against their customer records.
3. Choose your exclusion period, from six months to five years.
4. Confirm. Participating operators then refuse service and close your accounts.
5. Add other blocks if you want extra protection, such as a bank gambling block or blocking software on your devices.
6. Talk to someone. The National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day.

Our step-by-step guide on how to self-exclude covers GAMSTOP and the other routes in more depth, and the GAMSTOP glossary entry gives a short definition.

What GAMSTOP doesn’t cover

GAMSTOP is powerful but has clear limits:

• Land-based gambling. Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades run their own self-exclusion schemes.
• Draw-based lotteries. Instant win games are blocked, but draw-based games such as Lotto are not covered.
• Unlicensed sites. Offshore operators without a Commission licence don’t take part. They also lack every other GB protection; see offshore casino bonus risks.
• Northern Ireland law. GAMSTOP is built around operators licensed in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own gambling law. See Northern Ireland gambling law.
• Your bank. GAMSTOP doesn’t block payments. A bank gambling block does that separately.

Many people combine GAMSTOP with a payment block and device-level blocking software so that one gap doesn’t undo the others. Whether a site should be covered depends on its licence, which you can check on the Commission’s public register.

GAMSTOP compared with other UK safer-gambling tools

GAMSTOP is the strongest online tool, but it isn’t the only one. The right mix depends on what you need.

Banks named on the Gambling Commission’s list of gambling blocks include Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, NatWest, Santander and Starling. See our guides to the Barclays gambling block and how to set deposit limits, and the glossary entry on time-outs.

Bonus offers and marketing after you self-exclude

People who register with GAMSTOP often worry about promotional emails and texts. The rules are clear: participating operators must remove you from marketing within two days, and they must not let you gamble, so no bonus can be taken up while the exclusion runs. Separately, the Commission’s marketing consent rules since 1 May 2025 require customers to opt in to marketing per product and channel in the first place.

If marketing continues after you’ve self-excluded, keep the messages with their dates, complain to the operator and mention that you are registered with GAMSTOP. Our guides on whether GAMSTOP blocks bonuses and claiming a bonus after self-exclusion answer the questions people ask most, and bonuses and GAMSTOP explains why operators treat these rules so strictly.

Support alongside GAMSTOP

Self-exclusion blocks access; it doesn’t deal with the reasons behind gambling. Free, confidential support is available:

• National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133, free and open 24 hours a day, run by GamCare, with live chat and WhatsApp through GamCare (opens in a new tab).
• NHS gambling clinics: you can refer yourself to NHS gambling services in England, including the National Problem Gambling Clinic.
• NHS Wales helpline: 0808 2819 265.
• Gamblers Anonymous: peer-support meetings in England, Wales and Ulster.

Our safer gambling hub lists these services in one place, and bonuses and gambling harm explains how promotions can affect people who are struggling.

GAMSTOP rules timeline

For the wider set of safer-gambling rules, see UK deposit limit rules and our glossary entry on self-exclusion.

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.