How to self-exclude from gambling

What self-exclusion from gambling actually means

Self-exclusion is a formal request asking gambling businesses to refuse you service for a set period. The Gambling Commission describes it as a tool for people who have recognised that their gambling is causing harm and who want support to stop. You agree not to gamble, and the business agrees to take reasonable steps to stop you if you try.

It is different from a short break. A gambling time-out pauses one account for a day or a few weeks and then lifts on its own. Self-exclusion is designed to be hard to reverse: the minimum period is months, not days, and you cannot change your mind halfway through. That firmness is the point, because the urge to return often arrives at exactly the moment the decision feels least sensible.

The rules behind it sit in the Commission's licence conditions, which every British-licensed operator must follow. The UK self-exclusion rules page covers the legal detail; this guide concentrates on the practical question of how to self-exclude from gambling, step by step, and what to expect afterwards.

Three ways to self-exclude from gambling in the UK

There is no single switch that covers every form of gambling. Which route you need depends on whether you gamble online, in person, or both. Many people use more than one at the same time.

For anyone whose gambling happens mainly on a phone or laptop, GAMSTOP does the heavy lifting. A single-operator exclusion is useful when you want to stop at one site immediately, or as a backstop while a GAMSTOP registration is processed. Land-based schemes fill the gap GAMSTOP leaves on the high street.

How to self-exclude from online gambling with GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) is the free national online scheme, run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited. Every operator licensed for online gambling in Britain must take part, so one registration reaches casinos, sportsbooks, bingo and poker sites alike. Our separate walkthrough on how to use GAMSTOP goes field by field; the short version is below.

1. Go to the GAMSTOP website and choose to register. It is open to anyone living in the UK, including Northern Ireland.
2. Enter your title, full name, date of birth, home address and postcode, mobile number and email address. Add any other email addresses and phone numbers you have used for gambling accounts.
3. Verify your email address and complete the identity check.
4. Choose 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or 5 years with automatic renewal.
5. Allow up to 24 hours for the block to reach operators. GAMSTOP aims for 24 hours but says it cannot promise that in every case.
6. Contact any site where you still hold money to arrange its return. Registering does not move your balance automatically.

How to self-exclude from one casino or betting site

Every licensed business must also offer its own self-exclusion. This is the quickest option when you want one site closed right now, and it can cover several brands if they share an account system. The exact wording varies; look for ‘self-exclusion’, ‘take a break’ or ‘safer gambling’ in your account menu.

1. Log in and open the safer gambling or responsible gambling section of your account.
2. Pick self-exclusion rather than a time-out, and choose the longest period you can commit to.
3. If you cannot find the option, ask live chat or email the support team in writing and keep a copy of the reply.
4. Withdraw any remaining balance, or ask the operator to return it as part of the closure.
5. Unsubscribe from that brand’s emails and texts in case anything slips through before the exclusion is processed.

A single-site exclusion leaves every other operator open, which is why it is rarely enough on its own. Treat it as a first step and then register with GAMSTOP. If you simply want to stop using a site without the protection of an exclusion, our guide to closing a casino account explains the difference.

Self-excluding from betting shops, casinos and venues

GAMSTOP Online does not reach premises. For in-person gambling the Commission points to multi-operator schemes, where one request covers the same type of venue across your area. The GAMSTOP organisation itself now lists a separate service, Gamstop Betting Shops, for high street bookmakers.

• Betting shops: use the bookmakers’ scheme or ask staff in your local shop how to join it.
• Land-based casinos: ask at reception; staff can explain how the sector’s scheme works.
• Bingo halls and adult gaming centres: ask the venue manager which scheme applies.
• Expect to provide a photo so staff can recognise you, since there is no login to block.

Land-based exclusion relies on staff spotting you. It works best when you also tell someone you trust, avoid routes past venues and set up a bank gambling block on your debit card.

What a casino must do once you self-exclude

Self-exclusion is not a polite request that a business may ignore. Licence condition 3.5.3, set out in the Commission’s remote self-exclusion code (opens in a new tab), tells online operators what they must do. In practice it means the following.

Those duties sit alongside the wider rules on marketing consent and the operator’s general obligations under the licence conditions and codes of practice. A business that keeps emailing you bonus offers after exclusion is breaking its licence, not just being careless.

What happens to your balance when you self-exclude

Your money remains yours. Suppose you have £64.20 sitting in one casino account and £12 in another when you register with GAMSTOP. Neither site keeps it; each must return it, but GAMSTOP does not arrange this for you. Contact each operator, confirm you are self-excluded and ask for the balance to go back to your verified payment method.

A pending withdrawal cannot be reversed back into play. The reverse withdrawal ban, in force since 31 October 2021, stops any British-licensed site from offering that option. If a withdrawal was already on its way, it simply completes.

How long should a self-exclusion from gambling last?

Longer is generally more protective. Urges tend to come in waves, and a short exclusion can end just as a difficult period begins. GAMSTOP offers four choices, and our page on how long GAMSTOP lasts explains the renewal mechanics.

Whichever period you pick, the block does not lapse at the end date. It stays until you contact GAMSTOP to remove it, and our answer on whether you can cancel GAMSTOP covers that process in full.

What to do if a site lets you gamble while self-excluded

The Gambling Commission’s self-exclusion page (opens in a new tab) accepts that excluded customers are sometimes able to gamble. When it happens, reporting it helps the business fix the gap and helps the regulator judge whether procedures work.

1. Stop, and do not place further bets on that account.
2. Tell the business in writing that you are self-excluded and that it let you gamble.
3. If the reply is unsatisfactory, use its formal complaints process; our guide on complaining about a casino sets out the stages.
4. Report it to the Gambling Commission with the date you excluded, how you told the business, how it confirmed the exclusion, the period chosen, the dates you could gamble and any contact since.
5. Give permission for the Commission to share your details with the business so it can look into the case.

The Commission can take regulatory action against the business, but it cannot order a refund of money you spent gambling.

What self-exclusion does not cover

GAMSTOP only reaches businesses licensed in Great Britain. Websites operating without a British licence are outside the scheme, and some advertise themselves as casinos not on GAMSTOP. Using them removes the protections of UK regulation, including dispute resolution and fund rules, as our page on unlicensed casino risks explains.

• Unlicensed and offshore websites are not blocked by GAMSTOP.
• Draw-based lottery games such as Lotto are not covered, although instant-win lottery games are.
• Betting shops, casinos and other venues need their own scheme.
• Private betting with friends or in workplaces is outside every scheme.

Software that blocks gambling sites on your devices catches many of those gaps, including sites with no UK licence. Our guide to gambling blocking software compares the main tools.

Making self-exclusion stick: extra layers and support

A self-exclusion is a barrier, not a treatment. Pairing it with help to manage urges makes a real difference. The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is free on 0808 8020 133 every hour of every day, with live chat and WhatsApp through GamCare (opens in a new tab) too. In Wales, the NHS Wales Helpline is on 0808 2819 265.

• Add a gambling block to every debit card you hold.
• Install blocking software on phones, tablets and computers.
• Opt out of gambling marketing by email, text and phone.
• Tell one trusted person what you have done and why.
• Look at the full list of free gambling support in the UK, including NHS clinics and peer groups.

If you are unsure whether you need to exclude at all, our page on the signs of problem gambling includes the NHS self-assessment questions. Family members looking for guidance can turn to help for family and friends.

When your self-exclusion period ends

GAMSTOP does not switch off automatically. To end it after the minimum period you must contact its contact centre, and removal is then subject to a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours during which the block stays active. If you do nothing, the exclusion continues for up to seven more years. After removal, GAMSTOP tells operators for seven years that you were previously excluded, so a returning account may face extra checks.

Before ending any exclusion, it can help to talk it through with a helpline adviser and set firm limits first. The site’s broader safer gambling hub and the full list of online casino guides cover deposit limits and time-outs, two milder tools that suit some people once an exclusion ends.

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