Topic guide · Updated Aug 2026
What Is GamStop? The UK Self-Exclusion Scheme Explained
GamStop is the United Kingdom's national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling. If you are considering using it, or if you have already registered and are wondering exactly what it does and does not do, this page explains the mechanics in plain language.
What the scheme is, mechanically
GamStop is a centralised database of British residents who have asked to be excluded from online gambling. When you register, your personal details — name, date of birth, postcode, email address — are added to the database. Every online gambling operator licensed by the UK Gambling Commission is required to check the database before opening a new account or letting an existing customer log in. If your details match, the operator must refuse. That is the whole mechanism.
The scheme is run by the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Limited, a not-for-profit company registered in England. It is funded by the gambling industry, not by the government and not by users. Registering costs nothing, and there is no financial or credit consequence to signing up.
When it became mandatory
GamStop launched in April 2018 as a voluntary industry initiative. It became a mandatory condition of every UKGC online gambling licence on 31 March 2020. In 2024 the requirement was extended to cover operators taking bets by phone or email, closing what had been a small remaining gap. A UKGC-licensed operator that fails to integrate with GamStop, or that lets a self-excluded customer play in breach of the block, is at risk of regulatory action up to and including licence revocation.
Exclusion periods and the cooling-off rule
You choose the length of your exclusion at registration. The three available durations are:
- Six months — the shortest option, useful for a defined break.
- One year — the most commonly chosen duration.
- Five years — used by people who want a firm long-term block.
The exclusion cannot be shortened once chosen. When the period ends, it does not lift automatically. To reactivate your accounts you must actively request removal, and after the request there is a 24-hour cooling-off period during which the block remains in place. If you do nothing at the end of your chosen period, the exclusion continues. If seven years pass without any action, it is extended for a further seven years by default.
What it blocks — and what it does not
GamStop blocks account creation and account access at every UKGC-licensed online gambling site. That covers online casinos, sports betting, bingo, poker, and lottery-style products offered by UKGC-licensed operators. It also now covers phone and email-based betting with UKGC operators.
It does not block advertising: you may still see gambling adverts on television, on social media, in email, and on billboards. It does not cover retail gambling — high-street bookmakers, arcades, bingo halls, and land-based casinos use a separate industry scheme called the Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme, or MOSES. It does not cover the National Lottery, which runs its own self-exclusion. It does not cover peer-to-peer crypto gambling, prediction markets, foreign lotteries, or — the significant one for readers of this site — offshore online casinos. Our page on non-GamStop casinos covers that gap in detail.
What to combine it with
Most people who use GamStop combine it with additional tools that cover the gaps. Bank-level gambling blocks, offered by Monzo, Starling, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and most other UK banks, prevent card transactions to identified gambling merchants. BetBlocker is a free device-level browser filter. Gamban is a paid device-level filter that some people find effective. Together these tools produce something much closer to a comprehensive block than GamStop alone.
How to register
Registration is at gamstop.co.uk. You will need your full legal name, date of birth, current postcode, and an email address. The form takes about five minutes to complete. Confirmation is by email and the block begins to take effect within 24 hours at all licensed operators.
If self-exclusion feels like a step you are not ready for but you want more control, every UKGC-licensed operator is required to offer deposit limits, loss limits, and time-out periods within your account settings. These are less absolute than GamStop but can be a useful first move.
The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential, and open 24 hours: 0808 8020 133. Full directory of support services on our help resources page.
Frequently asked questions
Registration takes about five minutes online. You provide name, date of birth, postcode and email; the system uses those to match your identity against every UKGC operator's account records. Choose your exclusion period — six months, one year, or five years — and confirm.
No. The scheme is designed to be irreversible for the duration you chose. That is the point. Even after the period expires the exclusion does not lift automatically; you must actively request reactivation and wait a 24-hour cooling-off period. If you do nothing, the exclusion continues, and after seven years it is extended for a further seven.
No. GamStop is a licence condition attached to UK Gambling Commission licences. Casinos licensed elsewhere — most often in Curacao or Anjouan — have no obligation to check the database. That gap is what has given rise to the phrase 'non-GamStop casinos'.
No. GamStop is a self-exclusion database. The National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is a free confidential telephone service run by GamCare offering advice and referral to support services. Both are worth using; they do different things.