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GAMSTOP explained: how the UK free national self-exclusion scheme blocks every GB-licensed online site, how to register, and where to get free support.
By Anja Wiedenhöft · August 9, 2026 · 5 min read
GAMSTOP is the UK's free national online self-exclusion scheme. Registering once blocks you from every Great Britain-licensed online operator for a minimum of six months, one year or five years. Operators must integrate with it by law and stop marketing to you. Returning requires an active request plus a cooling-off delay.
If gambling has stopped being fun and you are in the UK, GAMSTOP is the fastest way to put a real barrier between you and every licensed online betting site at once. It is free, it takes minutes, and it is backed by law. This guide explains exactly what GAMSTOP is, how to register, how long the block lasts, what it covers, and where to get free confidential support alongside it.
GAMSTOP is the UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme. Instead of asking each gambling company to close your account one by one, you register once and are blocked from every operator licensed by the Gambling Commission to offer online gambling in Great Britain. Since it became a licensing requirement, every GB-licensed online casino, sportsbook, bingo and poker site must integrate with GAMSTOP and refuse anyone on the register. That single-step, whole-market coverage is what makes it so effective. Because joining has been a condition of holding a GB online licence since the scheme became mandatory, operators cannot quietly opt out, and they face regulatory consequences for letting excluded players slip through — the legal backing is what gives GAMSTOP its teeth.
Sign up free at gamstop.co.uk . You provide identifying details — your name, date of birth, email, postcode and any known account emails — so operators can match and block you accurately. The more contact details you give, the more reliably the block works, so it is worth listing every email address you may have used to gamble. Once you submit, the exclusion applies within a short processing window across all participating operators.
When you register you choose a minimum period: six months, one year, or five years . During that time you cannot log in to or open an account with any GB-licensed online operator, and they must stop sending you gambling marketing. Crucially, access does not simply switch back on when the period ends. To gamble again you have to actively contact GAMSTOP to reactivate, and a cooling-off delay of several days follows before any account reopens — so returning is always a deliberate, unhurried choice rather than a moment of weakness.
GAMSTOP covers online gambling with operators licensed in Great Britain. It does not, by itself, block physical betting shops or casinos — for land-based venues you can ask individual premises or use the industry’s separate self-exclusion schemes. And it only binds licensed sites: unlicensed offshore operators that market themselves as non-GamStop sit entirely outside the scheme and outside UK consumer protection. They are not a loophole to use — they are a serious risk, with none of the safeguards, dispute resolution or fairness guarantees that licensing provides. If you have gone to the trouble of self-excluding, the last thing that helps is a site built to ignore that decision.
Once GAMSTOP takes effect, participating operators will close or suspend your accounts and stop you opening new ones. Money you are genuinely owed remains yours — operators are expected to let you withdraw a real balance — so the cleanest approach is to withdraw any funds before or as you register. You will also drop off gambling marketing lists, so the promotional emails and texts that pull people back in should stop.
Is it really free? Yes. GAMSTOP costs nothing to join and nothing to maintain.
Will it show on my credit record? No. GAMSTOP is not a credit reference agency and self-excluding has no effect on your credit score.
What if I open a new email or use different details? The register matches on the information you provide, so give every email and detail you can. Deliberately using new details to evade the block only undermines a protection you chose for yourself.
Does it stop me betting in a shop? No — GAMSTOP is for online gambling with GB-licensed operators. For high-street betting shops and casinos, use their premises-level self-exclusion schemes as well.
What happens when my period ends? Nothing automatic. Your accounts stay blocked until you actively contact GAMSTOP to return, and a cooling-off delay follows before anything reopens.
No single tool is perfect on its own — GAMSTOP handles GB-licensed online sites, but a determined impulse can still find gaps around the edges. That is why the people who succeed treat it as one layer in a stack rather than a magic switch. Pair it with:
Together these close the small gaps any single tool leaves.
Self-exclusion handles access; talking to someone handles the reasons behind the gambling. Both matter. In the UK you can reach GamCare free on 0808 8020 133 or via live chat at gamcare.org.uk , any time, in confidence. BeGambleAware at begambleaware.org offers advice and referrals into free treatment across the National Gambling Support Network. None of these services judge you, and none of them cost anything.
The initial days after excluding can feel oddly restless — the habit looking for its usual outlet. That passes. Many people find it helps to fill the freed-up time deliberately: plan something for the evenings you used to spend gambling, tell the one person who will check in on you, and keep a helpline number saved. If the urge spikes, a call to GamCare on 0808 8020 133 can get you through the moment. The discomfort is temporary; the control you get back is not.
Registering with GAMSTOP is not an admission of failure — it is one of the most sensible things a person can do when the fun has drained out of gambling. It costs nothing, it protects you across the whole regulated market, and you can set it up today.
Sign up free at gamstop.co.uk with your name, date of birth, email, postcode and any account emails. List every email you may have used so the block matches your accounts accurately.
You choose a minimum period of six months, one year or five years. Access does not switch back on automatically; you must contact GAMSTOP to return, and a cooling-off delay follows.
Yes. GAMSTOP costs nothing to join and nothing to maintain, and it is a licensing requirement for every online operator in Great Britain.
No. GAMSTOP covers online gambling with GB-licensed operators. For high-street betting shops and casinos, use their separate premises-level self-exclusion schemes.
No. GAMSTOP is not a credit reference agency and self-excluding has no effect on your credit score.
GamCare offers free confidential help on 0808 8020 133 and via live chat, and BeGambleAware provides advice and referrals into free treatment across the UK.