Self-exclusion rules UK

What the self-exclusion rules in the UK actually require

Self-exclusion is a formal agreement in which you ask a gambling business to refuse you service for a set period. In Great Britain the duty sits in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, specifically social responsibility code 3.5.3 for remote operators. Because it is a social responsibility code, compliance is a condition of the operator’s remote casino licence: a breach can lead to a licence review, a financial penalty, suspension or revocation.

The text of LCCP code 3.5.3 (opens in a new tab) sets out what an online casino has to do once you exclude. In plain English it boils down to six obligations:

1. Have working self-exclusion procedures and take all reasonable steps to refuse service to anyone who has excluded.
2. Stop sending you gambling marketing as soon as practicable.
3. Remove you from marketing databases, or flag your record so nothing is sent, within two days of receiving the completed request.
4. Close your account and return any money held in it; simply blocking withdrawals while still taking bets is not enough.
5. Keep a register of excluded people, record card numbers to block, train staff, and remove access from anyone found gambling while excluded.
6. Point you towards counselling and support services when the exclusion is set up.

The code also says you must be able to self-exclude either by contacting customer services or through an automated option in your account. An automated route may include a confirmation step so nobody excludes by accident, and staff who deal with customers must know how the system works and be able to pass you straight to someone who can complete it.

Two layers of protection: single-site exclusion and GAMSTOP

The self-exclusion rules work at two levels, and it helps to know which one you are using. The first is exclusion from a single business through its own tool. The second is multi-operator exclusion, which online means GAMSTOP, the national scheme run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited.

If you only want to stop using one brand, its own tool is enough. If you want a single request to cover every British-licensed site, use GAMSTOP; our step-by-step guide to using GAMSTOP walks through registration.

We could not confirm a fixed minimum period for single-operator self-exclusion in the current code, so we don’t quote one. Ask the operator what lengths it offers before you confirm.

Why self-exclusion rules were tightened

Self-exclusion existed long before GAMSTOP, but the weakness was obvious: someone who excluded from one site could open an account at another in minutes. The Commission announced on 14 January 2020 that every online operator would have to join the national scheme by 31 March 2020, so that one request covers the whole licensed online market. At the time it said the scheme covered more than 200 operators, most of which had already signed up voluntarily.

The same announcement made two further points that still shape the rules today. First, self-exclusion works best alongside other blocks, such as gambling blocking software and bank gambling blocks. Second, operators were told to make sure self-excluded people stop receiving direct marketing, which the two-day rule now pins down.

Who the self-exclusion rules UK apply to

The code applies to almost every remote licence: online casinos, bookmakers, bingo sites and lottery operators with instant-win games. A few technical licences, such as software suppliers and hosting providers, are outside it because they never hold customer accounts.

• Online casinos and slot sites: fully covered, including every brand on a shared white label platform.
• Lotteries: instant-win games are blocked for GAMSTOP users, but draw games such as Lotto and EuroMillions are not; ask the lottery operator directly about those.
• High street venues: GAMSTOP does not cover betting shops, casinos or arcades on the high street; separate land-based schemes exist for those.
• Northern Ireland: the Gambling Act 2005 does not extend there, so check our page on online gambling law in Northern Ireland.
• Unlicensed offshore sites: not covered at all, which is exactly why they advertise themselves to excluded players.

What happens to your account and money when you self-exclude

This is where the rules matter most in practice. Once an operator has your completed request, it must close the account and send back what is in it. Say you have £64.20 of cash balance and a £20 bonus with wagering outstanding: the £64.20 must be returned. Bonus money that was never yours to withdraw is normally removed under the bonus terms, so expect only the real-money balance back.

A pending withdrawal should carry on to your bank as normal. Since 31 October 2021 casinos can’t offer to reverse a withdrawal, and the reverse withdrawal ban applies whether or not you are excluding. If the operator still needs to confirm who you are before paying, it can complete those checks, but it can’t keep your balance because of a time limit on verification; the Commission’s guide on age and ID checks explains the limits.

Marketing, bonuses and contact while you are excluded

No gambling emails, texts, calls or personalised offers should reach you during an exclusion. The rule targets marketing aimed at you, so blanket advertising such as a TV advert or a leaflet drop to a whole postcode is outside it. Separately, since 1 May 2025 every customer has had to opt in to marketing per product and channel, and our guide to opting out of casino marketing covers the wider picture.

There is also an overlap with customer interaction rules: since 12 February 2023, an operator that spots strong signs of harm must already stop marketing and new bonus take-up, even before you ask to exclude.

How to self-exclude from UK casinos, step by step

1. Decide on the scope: one site (use its account tool) or every British-licensed site (use GAMSTOP).
2. For a single site, open the safer gambling or responsible gaming area of your account, or ask customer services to exclude you.
3. For GAMSTOP, register on the official website with your name, date of birth, address, email and mobile number, then choose a period between 6 months and 5 years.
4. Use every email address and postcode you have used for gambling accounts, so operators can match you.
5. Withdraw or confirm the return of any balance, and keep the confirmation email.
6. Add a bank gambling block and blocking software to cover payments and devices.
7. If you want to talk it through, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

Our separate walkthrough on how to self-exclude from gambling covers land-based schemes as well, and the time-out guide explains the shorter break option if a full exclusion feels like too much for now.

If a casino lets you gamble while you are excluded

The Commission is clear that preventing gambling during an exclusion is the business’s responsibility, while also noting that sticking to the agreement is up to you. If you manage to gamble despite an exclusion, tell the operator; it should take reasonable steps to stop it happening again.

You can also report it to the regulator. The Commission’s self-exclusion page for players (opens in a new tab) lists what it needs: when you entered the agreement, how you notified the business, how it confirmed the exclusion, the length of the period, the dates you gambled and any contact since. It uses this to judge whether regulatory action is needed, but it can’t refund money for you.

For a refund claim, use the operator’s complaints procedure first and then an independent dispute service. Our page on complaints and ADR explains the eight-week stage and how to escalate.

What self-exclusion does not cover

• It doesn’t stop you visiting unlicensed websites, which ignore British rules entirely; read why we list no casinos not on GAMSTOP.
• It doesn’t block card payments on its own; your bank’s gambling block does that.
• It doesn’t cover high street venues or draw-based lotteries.
• It doesn’t end when the timer runs out on GAMSTOP; you have to ask for removal.
• It isn’t a debt solution; if money is tight, our page on gambling and debt lists free advice services.

Self-exclusion rules UK: timeline of key dates

See the 2020 to 2024 timeline for the wider run of changes in that period.

Support alongside self-exclusion

Exclusion removes access; it doesn’t deal with the reasons someone wants to gamble. The GamCare helpline and chat service (opens in a new tab) is open 24/7 on 0808 8020 133, with a Welsh line on 0808 2819 265. NHS gambling clinics in England take self-referrals, and Gamblers Anonymous runs peer meetings. Our roundup of free gambling support in the UK lists each service, and the signs of problem gambling page can help if you are unsure. Everything else on safer play is gathered on our safer gambling hub and the wider 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.