GAMSTOP requirement for UK casinos

What the GAMSTOP requirement for UK casinos says

The obligation is short. Social responsibility code 3.5.5 in the Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice states that licensees must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. For online gambling in Great Britain that scheme is GAMSTOP, so the wording of LCCP 3.5.5 (opens in a new tab) effectively makes membership a condition of holding a remote casino licence.

Taking part is not just a logo in the footer. A participating operator has to check its customers against the GAMSTOP register and act on a match, applying the same duties that the wider self-exclusion rules set out: refuse service, close the account, return the balance and remove the person from marketing.

Status at 20 October 2026: the requirement is unchanged since it took effect on 31 March 2020. We found no announced plan to replace or alter it.

How a licensed casino checks GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP describes the mechanism simply: when someone tries to use a gambling account, the operator checks with GAMSTOP, which confirms whether that person is on the register. If the answer is yes, the operator blocks them. Matching relies on the personal details you give at registration, which is one reason operators must verify age and identity before anyone can deposit or play, a rule in force since 7 May 2019.

1. You register with GAMSTOP and pick an exclusion length between 6 months and 5 years.
2. GAMSTOP adds your details to its register for the period you chose.
3. You, or anyone using your details, try to open or log in to an account at a licensed site.
4. The operator queries GAMSTOP as part of its know your customer checks.
5. On a match, the operator refuses service, closes any existing account and returns the money in it.
6. Your details are removed from, or flagged on, its marketing lists within two days.

Why GAMSTOP became mandatory for every online operator

Before 2020 GAMSTOP was voluntary, although most large operators had already joined. On 14 January 2020 the Commission announced that every online operator would have to take part by 31 March 2020, saying the scheme then covered more than 200 operators. The reasoning was that a person who has decided to stop should not have to contact dozens of companies one by one, and that a single gap in coverage undermines the whole system.

The Commission’s announcement (opens in a new tab) also stressed two things. Exclusion works best combined with other tools, such as gambling blocking software and card blocks, and GAMSTOP itself was urged to keep improving, especially on stopping direct marketing to people who had excluded. The same release welcomed high street banks letting customers switch off gambling spending in their apps.

Which gambling businesses the GAMSTOP rule covers

Every brand that sits on a licence is covered, including sites built on another company’s platform; our explainer on the white label casino model shows why the licence holder, not the brand name, carries the duty.

What a casino must do when it finds a GAMSTOP match

The GAMSTOP requirement connects to the single-operator duties in LCCP code 3.5.3. Once a match is confirmed, the operator must:

• refuse bets, deposits and new accounts for the length of the exclusion;
• close any open account and return the real-money balance, rather than just freezing withdrawals;
• remove or flag your details on marketing databases within two days;
• keep records, including card numbers, so you can’t slip back in under a variation of your details;
• point you towards support services such as the National Gambling Helpline.

Worked example: say you hold £38.50 in an account at a casino you joined last year, and you register with GAMSTOP on a Monday. The next time that operator checks, it should close the account and send the £38.50 back to your payment method, with no marketing reaching you after Wednesday. If a withdrawal was already pending, it continues; casinos have not been allowed to offer reverse withdrawals since 31 October 2021.

Enforcement: what happens to casinos that don’t comply

Because participation is a licence condition, a failure can cost an operator its ability to trade. In November 2022 the Commission suspended LEBOM Limited’s licence for failing to participate in GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab). More broadly, failures to protect customers feature in most recent penalties, which our page on Gambling Commission fines tracks by date.

You can check whether an operator holds an active licence, or has been suspended, on the Commission’s public register; our two-minute guide to checking a casino licence shows where to look.

What “casinos not on GAMSTOP” really means

Since every British-licensed online operator must take part, a site that advertises itself as not on GAMSTOP is, by definition, not licensed to serve players in Great Britain. That means none of the rules on this site apply there: no 10x wagering cap, no £5 slot stake limit, no complaint route to an approved dispute service and no protection for your balance if it closes.

We don’t list or link to such sites. Our page on casinos not on GAMSTOP explains that stance, and unlicensed casino risks sets out what you give up.

What the GAMSTOP requirement does not do

GAMSTOP itself is clear that it covers online sites and apps licensed in Great Britain, and nothing else. It does not stop card payments, block websites on your phone, or cover betting shops. It also can’t be cancelled early and doesn’t lapse automatically: when your chosen period ends, the block stays until you contact GAMSTOP to remove it.

Our pages on bank gambling blocks and the safer gambling tools compared show how the layers fit together.

GAMSTOP requirement timeline

For the wider sequence of changes, see the UK casino timeline and the latest safer gambling changes.

Using GAMSTOP: what to expect as a player

Registration is done on GAMSTOP’s official website (opens in a new tab), takes personal details to confirm identity, and costs nothing. GAMSTOP says it won’t send texts or post to your home, so you choose who to tell. Our step-by-step GAMSTOP guide covers the forms, and our answer to how long GAMSTOP lasts explains renewal and removal.

If you want to talk before or after registering, the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free and open around the clock. More options are on our safer gambling page, and every rule we cover is listed in the UK casino rules index.

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.