GamStop Explained: How Online Self-Exclusion Works With UK Casinos

Image: GamStop logo via Wikimedia

GamStop is a free scheme that blocks you from every online gambling site and app licensed in Great Britain with one registration. It is run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, a not-for-profit company based in Harrogate that launched the service in 2018 and says it is independent of both the gambling industry and the government.

Taking part is not optional for operators. Social responsibility code 3.5.5 in the Gambling Commission's licence conditions says remote licensees "must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme", and the Commission made that mandatory for all online gambling businesses in 2020. A social responsibility code is a licence condition, so breaking it can lead to suspension, revocation or a fine.

The check itself is simple. A licensed operator must query GamStop whenever you try to register or log in, and operators you already have accounts with must recheck your status every day. If your details match the register, you are refused. GamStop says more than half a million people in the UK use it, and its latest regional data puts Kingston upon Hull top, with 2.8% of residents registered.

The Commission has acted against operators that failed to connect. In November 2022 it suspended LEBOM Limited for not integrating GamStop, and lifted the suspension five days later once the firm had fixed it. If you want to confirm a site holds a British licence in the first place, our step-by-step licence check shows how to read the public register.

GamStop offers four options: six months, one year, five years, or five years with auto-renewal. Six months is the shortest it offers. Once registered, you cannot remove the block before your chosen minimum period ends, and GamStop states plainly that it will not make exceptions.

Auto-renewal arrived in December 2024. With it switched on, a five-year exclusion rolls straight into another five-year minimum period without you having to contact anyone. You can turn it off in your account, but only within the last six months of the five-year term. People who registered before December 2024 can add it to an existing account.

You can lengthen a block at any time, but not shorten it. If you have an active exclusion you can add a longer period whenever you like, and when less than a month remains you can add a new period of any length. If you only want a short pause, individual casinos offer their own time-out tools of between one day and six weeks, which apply to that operator only.

These options sit inside rules the Commission sets for every online operator's own self-exclusion. Ordinary code 3.5.4 says the minimum period offered should be between 6 and 12 months, that customers should be able to choose up to at least five years, and that a customer who wants to exclude must be allowed to do it immediately, with no cooling-off period on the way in.

Registration asks for your title, full name, date of birth, every email address, mobile number and postal address you use, and it may ask extra identity questions. GamStop recommends having photo ID such as a driving licence or passport to hand, and you must take a fresh photo of it rather than upload an old one. A provisional licence, Citizen Card, or work or travel ID showing your date of birth can also be used.

If you have a UK photocard driving licence, GamStop compares a selfie with the licence photo, which usually takes under a minute. Otherwise it may ask questions drawn from your credit file. That is a soft search: it does not affect your credit score or mortgage applications and no other organisation can see it.

The block can take up to 24 hours to become effective. It works by matching the details you gave GamStop against the details you give a casino, so an email address or old address you left off is a gap. You can add new emails, phone numbers and addresses in your GamStop account at any time; a change of name needs proof such as a marriage certificate or deed poll.

Partners and family members can register too. GamStop describes people registering their own details so a partner cannot use them to gamble online, which closes one of the most common workarounds.

Once a self-exclusion is in place, the operator must close your account and return any money in it. Social responsibility code 3.5.3 adds that it is not enough to block withdrawals while still accepting bets: the account itself has to close. GamStop does not move your money for you, so contact each casino where you hold a withdrawable balance to arrange its return.

Marketing has to stop quickly. Operators must remove a self-excluded person from marketing databases, or flag them so nothing is sent, within two days of receiving the completed notification. GamStop says you should automatically drop off the email lists of any gambling company you were registered with, though companies you never joined may still reach you through general advertising.

The Commission enforces this. In May 2023 it announced that PPB Counterparty Services, which trades as Paddy Power and Betfair, would pay £490,000 after its app sent an enhanced odds offer on a Premier League match to devices linked to GamStop-registered and self-excluded accounts in November 2021.

Operators must also keep a register of excluded people with names, addresses, account and card details, train their staff, and point you to support services when you self-exclude. If you are approaching an exclusion because withdrawals or identity checks have gone wrong, our guide to withdrawal documents and complaints covers your route to get balances paid.

GamStop only blocks online gambling with companies licensed in Great Britain. These gaps matter:

• National Lottery draws. Lotto and EuroMillions are not covered, but the National Lottery's online instant win games and online scratchcards are. The National Lottery has its own limits, including permanent exclusion, in your lottery account.
• Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades. Land-based venues use separate schemes: Gamstop Betting Shops for high street bookmakers (0800 294 2060), SENSE for casinos, the Bingo Association for bingo clubs and bacta for arcades.
• Free-to-play games. Games with no chance to win or withdraw money are outside the scheme, although a licensed operator's free prediction games may still be blocked.
• The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. GamStop is for UK residents, and some participating firms do not serve those islands under their British licence, so a block there is not guaranteed.
• Sites without a British licence. Offshore sites have no duty to check the register.

That last point deserves a plain warning. Any site that lets a GamStop-registered player in from Great Britain is not operating under a Gambling Commission licence, which means none of the protections described here apply there: no duty to return balances, no marketing ban, no customer funds disclosure and no British complaints route.

Your exclusion does not end when the period you chose runs out. GamStop does not contact you when it expires, and the block stays in place for a further seven years unless you take action to remove it. This mirrors ordinary code 3.5.4, which tells operators that self-exclusion should remain in place for a minimum of seven years after the chosen period unless the customer acts.

Removal is deliberately slower than signing up. You check in your account that the minimum period has expired, then click "Request Removal" and complete the process by online chat or by phone on 0800 138 6518, which is free and staffed from 10am to 8pm every day. GamStop asks people not to call before expiry, because it will not remove an exclusion early.

After removal there is a 24-hour cooling-off period, and you can cancel the removal request in your account at any point during it. Operators may need more time after that to update their records, and GamStop says it cannot guarantee every company will lift its own block, so you may need to contact a casino directly.

The operator rules add one more layer. Even after an exclusion expires, ordinary code 3.5.4 says no marketing should be sent unless you have asked for or agreed to it, and a return to gambling with an individual operator inside the seven-year window should involve a phone call or a visit, not just an online re-registration, plus a one-day cooling-off. If you return, setting deposit limits from day one is a sensible first step.

Tell the gambling business first. The Commission says it is the operator's responsibility to have procedures that stop self-excluded customers gambling, and reporting a breach helps the firm find where its checks failed. GamStop's own advice is the same: contact the company in the first instance.

You can also tell the Commission. It asks for the date you self-excluded, how you notified the business, how it confirmed the exclusion, the period chosen, the dates you were able to gamble, and any contact since, plus permission to share your details with the operator. The Commission uses this to decide whether regulatory action is needed, but it states that it cannot refund money spent gambling.

Keep screenshots of your GamStop confirmation, your registration date and any account activity. Those records make a complaint to the operator, and any later dispute, far easier to support.

GamStop blocks accounts, not devices or payments, so GamStop itself recommends layering other tools on top. Many UK banks let you block gambling transactions on your card, covering both online accounts and betting shops. Blocking software such as Gamban and BetBlocker, both free for UK residents, stops your phone, tablet and computer reaching gambling sites worldwide, including those with no British licence.

Support is free and available at any hour. The National Gambling Helpline is open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133, with live chat on the GamCare website. If you are having a difficult time more generally, Samaritans answer on 116 123.

Gambling on UKGC licensed sites is for adults aged 18 and over, and it should only ever be paid for with money you can afford to lose. If you are thinking about GamStop, the quickest route is the GamStop registration page, which takes a few minutes.

• Gamstop: Register
• Gamstop: About Gamstop Online
• Gamstop: Tools and support
• Gamstop: Our company
• Gamstop FAQs: Can I self-exclude for more than five years?
• Gamstop FAQs: My exclusion has expired. How do I remove it?
• Gamstop FAQs: What do I need to register with Gamstop Online?
• Gamstop FAQs: Will I still be able to play the National Lottery?
• Gamstop FAQs: How does Gamstop Online work?
• Gambling Commission: Self-exclusion
• Gambling Commission LCCP: 3.5.3 Self-exclusion, remote SR code
• Gambling Commission LCCP: 3.5.4 Self-exclusion, remote ordinary code
• Gambling Commission LCCP: 3.5.5 Remote multi-operator SR code
• Gambling Commission: £490,000 fine for marketing to vulnerable consumers
• Gambling Commission: Gambling business suspended for failure to participate in GAMSTOP

How long does GamStop last?

You choose six months, one year, five years, or five years with auto-renewal. The block cannot be lifted before that minimum period ends. After it ends, the exclusion is not removed automatically: it stays in place for a further seven years unless you contact GamStop to ask for removal, so in practice it lasts until you take positive action.

Can I cancel GamStop early?

No. GamStop will not remove an exclusion before the minimum period you chose has finished, and it asks people not to call before then. You can make an exclusion longer at any time, add auto-renewal to a five-year block, or add another period when less than a month remains, but you cannot shorten one.

How do I remove GamStop once my period has ended?

Sign in to your GamStop account to confirm the period has expired, then click Request Removal and complete it by online chat or by calling 0800 138 6518, free, between 10am and 8pm every day. A 24-hour cooling-off period follows, during which you can cancel. Some casinos may need extra time, or a direct request, to lift their own block.

Does GamStop stop me playing the National Lottery?

Partly. The National Lottery's draw games, including Lotto and EuroMillions, are not covered. Its online instant win games and online scratchcards are covered, so those are blocked. If you want to stop draw games too, the National Lottery offers its own limits and a permanent exclusion option inside your National Lottery account.

Does registering with GamStop affect my credit score?

No. GamStop may check a credit reference agency to confirm your identity, but this is a soft search. It does not appear to lenders, does not affect your credit score and will not affect a mortgage application. Only you can see it, if you request a copy of your own credit report, for at least 12 months.

Are casinos that are not on GamStop legal in the UK?

Every online casino licensed by the Gambling Commission must take part in GamStop, so a site that lets a registered player in from Great Britain is not operating under a British licence. That means none of the UKGC protections apply: no duty to return balances, no ban on marketing to excluded players and no British complaints route.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive; set limits and never chase losses. Free, confidential support: BeGambleAware.