GAMSTOP is the national online self-exclusion scheme for people in Great Britain. When you join, every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain must stop you opening or using an account with them for the period you chose. This page explains how GAMSTOP works, what each exclusion period means, and where the scheme stops. The service says it is used by more than half a million people.
What GAMSTOP is
GAMSTOP is operated by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, a company based in Harrogate. It works as a central list. You ask to be added, your identity is checked, and licensed operators check that list when someone tries to open or use an account.
The service describes four steps. You choose to block yourself from gambling. GAMSTOP checks your identity and adds you to its register. Gambling operators check with GAMSTOP when anyone tries to use an online gambling account. GAMSTOP replies that you are on the register, and the operator blocks you.
Why every licensed operator is covered
Taking part is not optional for a licensed company. The Gambling Commission's licence conditions and codes of practice include condition 3.5.5, which states that licensees must participate in the national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. A breach can lead the Commission to review the licence, with suspension, revocation or a financial penalty as possible outcomes.
That is why the site-by-site picture matters. A brand on the licensed casinos list holds a Commission licence and is bound by this rule. A brand with no UKGC licence is not, whatever else it displays in its footer. Our guide to checking a UKGC licence shows how to tell the two apart.
The exclusion periods
GAMSTOP provides four lengths:
- six months
- one year
- five years
- five years with automatic renewal
The automatic renewal option means the exclusion continues without you having to think about it again. Choosing a longer period is a personal decision, and many people pick the longer ones because gambling had become a source of harm. A shorter period can feel easier to commit to, but the same rules apply to it.
How registration works
Registration is done on the GAMSTOP website. You give personal details so the service can confirm who you are, because those are the details it uses to tell operators whether you have chosen to block yourself. You pick the period, and the exclusion starts once you are on the register.
Privacy is part of the design. GAMSTOP says you choose who you tell that you have registered, and that it does not, for example, send texts to your mobile or mail to your home. It also states that you cannot cancel during the exclusion period. Read the service's own terms and privacy policy for the details, since they are the primary source.
What GAMSTOP covers
GAMSTOP blocks you from signing up for, or using, online accounts with gambling companies licensed in Great Britain. That includes casino, betting and bingo websites and apps run by those companies. Operators must check the register, so a registered person should not be able to open a new account or use an existing one with a licensed company.
What GAMSTOP does not cover
The scheme has clear edges, and it helps to know them:
- Sites that hold no UKGC licence. These are outside the scheme, including sites licensed in Curaçao, Malta or elsewhere. See licence countries for what a foreign licence does and does not mean.
- High street premises. GAMSTOP runs a separate service for betting shops, and casinos and other venues have their own schemes. See other self-exclusion.
- Payments and devices. Bank blocks and blocking software are separate tools, and GAMSTOP itself describes them as next steps that work well alongside it.
- Your own choices. A scheme can block an account. It cannot stop a person from deciding to look elsewhere.
When the period ends
GAMSTOP states that your exclusion stays in place after the chosen period unless you decide to remove it by contacting the service. So the end of six months is not an automatic reopening. Anyone thinking about ending an exclusion may find it useful to talk it through first with GamCare. The help lines page lists who can listen.
Why offshore sites ignore it
A casino without a UKGC licence has no legal duty to join GAMSTOP, so it never asks the register about you. Searches such as casinos not on GAMSTOP describe exactly this gap. Playing at an unlicensed site is not an offence for the player, since the Gambling Act 2005 section 33 offence is committed by the operator. The practical effect is still plain: no UKGC licence, not covered by GAMSTOP, and a UK player loses the self-exclusion check, the UKGC complaint route and ADR, the stake limits and the affordability checks described on this site.
Our page on casinos not on GAMSTOP sets out that side as information. It is not an endorsement, and it carries the same warning on every page.
Gambling help
Gambling is for people aged 18 and over. If it is causing harm, the GamCare National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day, and the details are at GamCare. You can read about self-exclusion and register at GAMSTOP, and BeGambleAware has tools and advice.