Guides · Player protection
What is GAMSTOP? Self-exclusion explained
GAMSTOP is the UK’s free national self-exclusion scheme. In one registration it blocks your access to every online operator licensed by the Gambling Commission. Here is how it works, how to sign up, and what other support sits alongside it.
GAMSTOP at a glance
- What it is
- National multi-operator self-exclusion scheme for Great Britain
- Cost
- Free
- Duration
- Choose 6 months, 1 year or 5 years
- Coverage
- Every UKGC-licensed online betting and casino site at once
- Since
- Launched 2018; mandatory for all UKGC operators from March 2020
How GAMSTOP works
GAMSTOP is a single scheme that lets you self-exclude from all online gambling operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission in one step. Instead of contacting each betting site or casino individually, you register once with GAMSTOP and licensed operators are required to prevent you from opening or using accounts for the period you choose. Because connection to GAMSTOP is a licence condition, the block applies across the whole regulated market, not just one brand.
You choose how long the exclusion lasts — 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. Once the period is set it cannot be shortened, and at the end it is not lifted automatically; you must actively contact GAMSTOP and wait a further cooling-off period before access can resume. That design is deliberate, giving you space away from gambling without a moment-of-weakness reversal.
How to register
Registration is free and done directly through the official scheme at gamstop.co.uk. You provide personal details so operators can match and block your accounts accurately — the more detail you give, the more reliably the block works. It is sensible to also set device-level blocks and to remove saved payment details, since GAMSTOP covers UKGC-licensed sites but cannot control unlicensed offshore operators.
Important: "Not on GamStop" sites are unlicensed offshore operators that sit outside GAMSTOP and outside UK consumer protection. We do not list or recommend them. If you have self-excluded, seeking out such sites defeats the purpose of the tool and puts you at greater risk.
Tools that work alongside GAMSTOP
Self-exclusion is one part of a wider safer-gambling toolkit that every UKGC operator must provide:
- Deposit, loss and session limits you set yourself.
- Reality checks that remind you how long you have been playing.
- Time-outs — short cooling-off breaks from a single operator.
- Links to free support such as BeGambleAware, GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline.
Where to get help
If gambling is causing you harm, free and confidential support is available now on the National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, or at BeGambleAware.org. For more on the full toolkit, see our responsible gambling page. And if you are simply comparing where to play, our betting sites and casino reviews only cover UKGC-licensed, GAMSTOP-connected operators.