Casinos not on GAMSTOP

What it means

Taking part in GAMSTOP is a condition of a British licence. A site outside it is operating without one.

What you lose

If you have self-excluded

These sites are marketed at people trying to stop. If that is you, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours.

The eight checks

How to judge a new casino, or the quick checker.

What the phrase means

A gambling site that does not take part in GAMSTOP is, by definition, not licensed in Great Britain, because every licensed online operator must take part.

If you are looking for a way round a self-exclusion

That is the moment the exclusion was meant for. Free, confidential help is available at any hour on 0808 8020 133.

Are casinos not on GAMSTOP legal in the UK?

A casino not on GAMSTOP has no right to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission's guidance on operating licences (opens in a new tab) says any business providing remote gambling to British consumers, and advertising to them, needs a Commission licence. One of the conditions attached to every such licence, social responsibility code 3.5.5, says licensees must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, which is GAMSTOP. Put those two facts side by side and a site outside GAMSTOP either holds no British licence at all or is breaking the terms of the one it has.

Participation has been compulsory for every online operator since 31 March 2020, following an announcement on 14 January that year. The Commission has shown it will act on the rule: in November 2022 it suspended the licence of LEBOM Limited for failing to take part. In July 2026 Evolution Malta Holding agreed to pay £4.75 million after its games reached British players through unlicensed websites, a sign that the regulator now looks along the supply chain as well as at the sites themselves.

What the phrase ‘non-GAMSTOP casino’ really describes

Advertising for these sites leans on words such as ‘freedom’ or ‘no restrictions’. Strip that away and the phrase describes a business licensed somewhere else, or nowhere, that takes British customers anyway. Our explainer on offshore casinos covers the licensing side in more depth, and what UKGC licensed means sets out what you keep by staying inside the British system.

This page describes the position for players in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate gambling law and is not covered by the Gambling Act 2005; see gambling law in Northern Ireland.

UK protections you lose at casinos not on GAMSTOP, with dates

The short table higher up lists the headline protections. This one adds when each rule began and what it does for you in day-to-day play, because most of the safeguards British players now take for granted are only a few years old. A site outside GAMSTOP is bound by none of them.

None of these is optional for a licensed operator, and none of them binds a site the Commission doesn't license. Each has its own explainer: the credit card ban, the reverse withdrawal ban, financial vulnerability checks, the deposit limit rules and the 10x wagering cap.

Non-GAMSTOP casino bonuses and stakes: the money maths

Sites outside GAMSTOP often advertise larger bonuses and ‘no limits’. The figures below show what those words cost. They use simple averages: real sessions swing up and down, but over time the house edge works in the operator's favour at every casino, licensed or not.

Wagering: the UK's 10x cap against offshore 40x

Take a £100 bonus. At a British casino the most you can be asked to play through is ten times the bonus, so £1,000 of bets. Offshore terms of 40x would need £4,000 of bets. On a slot returning 96% on average, the expected cost of that play is about 4% of the amount staked: roughly £40 under the 10x cap and roughly £160 at 40x, which is more than the bonus was worth in the first place. The bigger headline leaves you worse off on average.

Stakes and speed without British limits

Licensed slots must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin, so an hour of continuous play is capped at 1,440 spins. At the £2 limit for players aged 18 to 24, that hour could involve up to £2,880 of stakes; at the £5 limit for players aged 25 and over, up to £7,200. With no stake cap and no minimum spin time, a site could let someone stake £20 a spin once a second, which is £72,000 of turnover an hour. At a 4% average edge that is an expected loss of about £2,880 in a single hour, against about £115 at £2 a spin under British rules.

How GAMSTOP self-exclusion works, and where its reach ends

GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) is free and run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited. You choose an exclusion lasting between six months and five years, and you can set it to renew. Once it starts it can't be cancelled early, and when the period ends the exclusion stays in place until you contact GAMSTOP and ask for it to be removed. That last detail matters: nothing lapses quietly in the background.

While you're excluded, licensed operators must refuse you service, close your accounts and return any balance, and take you off their marketing within two days, under licence code 3.5.3. Instant-win lottery games are blocked as well, although draw-based games such as Lotto are not covered.

The gap that offshore sites aim at

GAMSTOP works because licensed operators are required to check it. A site with no British licence has never joined, so your exclusion simply doesn't reach it. That is why advertising for casinos not on GAMSTOP so often targets people who have already excluded themselves. GAMSTOP also covers online gambling only; betting shops and land-based casinos run their own separate schemes.

For the detail, read how to use GAMSTOP, how long GAMSTOP lasts and the wider self-exclusion rules that licensed casinos follow.

How to block casinos not on GAMSTOP as well

Because GAMSTOP can't see unlicensed sites, the strongest protection layers it with tools that act on your bank account and your devices. These steps take an afternoon, and none depends on willpower in the moment.

1. Register with GAMSTOP for the longest period you can commit to, using every email address and phone number you have ever used for gambling accounts.
2. Switch on your bank's gambling block. The Commission's page on blocking gambling transactions (opens in a new tab) lists banks that offer one, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Monzo, NatWest, RBS, Santander and Starling.
3. Install blocking software on your phone, tablet and computer. Gamban is offered through Halifax and Lloyds, and our guide to gambling blocking software compares the options.
4. Delete saved card details from browsers and digital wallets, so any deposit takes deliberate effort.
5. Tell someone you trust what you've set up and why.
6. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or use GamCare's live chat (opens in a new tab), free and open 24 hours.

For more, see safer gambling tools compared and our explainer on bank gambling blocks.

How to tell if a casino is not on GAMSTOP before signing up

Unlicensed sites don't label themselves as such. Checked in this order, the following signs usually settle the question within a couple of minutes.

• No Commission account number in the footer, or only a licence from another jurisdiction. Licensed sites should name their licence holder and account number; see reading a casino's footer.
• No match on the register. Search the domain on the Gambling Commission's public register of businesses (opens in a new tab). If the exact domain isn't listed as active under a licence, treat the site as unlicensed.
• Credit cards accepted, or deposits taken only in cryptocurrency. British licensees can't take credit card payments.
• Wagering above 10x, or a sports bet that unlocks casino spins: both have been off limits for licensed operators since 19 January 2026.
• ‘No ID needed’ claims. Licensed sites must verify age and identity before you can deposit.
• Adverts aimed at people who have self-excluded, often using the word GAMSTOP itself.

Our new casino red flags page and the guide on how to spot a fake casino list more warning signs, and crypto casinos in the UK covers sites that take only digital currency.

Already played at a non-GAMSTOP casino? What to do next

If you've deposited at a site outside GAMSTOP, the first job is to stop the money flowing. Withdraw any balance you can, remove saved payment details and close the account. Don't expect the British complaints route to help: Commission-approved dispute services such as IBAS (opens in a new tab) handle disputes with licensed operators, and the Commission itself doesn't resolve individual complaints even about the businesses it does license.

If money has gone that you can't afford to lose, talk to someone early rather than trying to win it back. Our pages on gambling and debt and who can help with gambling debt list free routes, and the NHS gambling addiction page (opens in a new tab) explains how to refer yourself to a specialist clinic. Gamblers Anonymous runs peer-support meetings across Britain.

If an urge took you there despite an exclusion, treat it as a sign the blocks need another layer, not as a personal failing. Go back through the steps above, and read how to stop gambling for longer-term options.

Elsewhere on the site: Latest casino bonus rules, New casino bonuses UK, The 10x wagering cap and Latest 10bet offer.

Why people search for them

Usually for one of two reasons: they have self-excluded and want to gamble anyway, or they have heard such sites have bigger bonuses and no limits. Both are reasons to stop and think, not reasons to sign up.

Making self-exclusion stick

Ask your bank to switch on its gambling block, and consider blocking software for your devices. GamCare can advise on both.

Before you deposit anywhere new: run the checker, then check the licence.

Keep reading: Latest free spins offers UK, UK casino changes: 2025, The 2.5 second spin rule and Independent casinos.

Everything here is dated. Offers and facts were last checked on 5 October 2026; this is not a live feed. Casino details come from each casino's published terms and help pages and the Gambling Commission's public register. How we check. 18+. Free help: 0808 8020 133 or safer gambling.