How to Self-Exclude from Gambling in the UK: Online and In Person

What does self-exclusion actually do?

Self-exclusion is a formal agreement not to gamble with the businesses covered for a chosen period. Gambling businesses must maintain their own arrangements, and multi-operator schemes let you make one request covering several businesses or venues of the same type.

It is most useful when you set it up across every route you currently use or could return to. Excluding from one online account while leaving other operators, a local betting shop or an arcade open creates a predictable gap during the next urge.

Use GAMSTOP Online for licensed online gambling

GAMSTOP Online covers websites and apps operated by gambling businesses licensed in Great Britain. Registration uses personal details so participating operators can identify an exclusion. Choose the available exclusion period that fits your plan and provide accurate current and previous details when requested.

Remove existing apps and saved logins after registration, unsubscribe from marketing and install device blocking. GAMSTOP is not a device filter and does not cover gambling businesses outside the Great Britain licensing system, so another layer is important.

Match betting shops, casinos and bingo to their schemes

The Gambling Commission’s current list names separate multi-operator schemes. GAMSTOP Betting Shops covers multiple bookmakers in your area. SENSE offers exclusion from licensed land-based casinos across Great Britain. BISES, run through the Bingo Association, covers licensed land-based bingo premises.

Contact the scheme directly and follow its identity, photograph or venue requirements. If you use more than one type of venue, register with each relevant scheme. Ask how wide the geographic coverage is and what to do if a venue is missing.

• Online gambling: GAMSTOP Online.
• Betting shops: GAMSTOP Betting Shops.
• Licensed land-based casinos: SENSE.
• Licensed bingo premises: BISES.

Cover adult gaming centres, arcades and service areas

For adult gaming centres and some arcade or service-area venues, the Commission lists BACTA and SmartEXCLUSION routes. Coverage and registration method can depend on the venue and area, so use the Commission list as the current starting point and confirm exactly which premises are included.

Write down the specific locations connected to recent gambling and check each one. A scheme name is not enough if the venue you pass after work or visit on a journey is outside its coverage.

1. List every online and physical gambling route used in the last three months.
2. Match each route to the official scheme list.
3. Register and save the confirmation, period and contact route.
4. Ask about nearby venues or operators that are not included.
5. Tell a trusted person when the coverage is complete.

What should I do immediately after registering?

Self-exclusion works better when the next urge meets several barriers. Activate bank blocks, reduce cash access if cash is a route, install blocking software and remove gambling marketing from email, SMS, social media and push notifications. Change routines that pass a venue at the most vulnerable time.

Gambling businesses should close an excluded account, return money held in it and remove your details from marketing databases. Keep records of balances and communications. Do not repeatedly attempt to log in to see whether the exclusion works; use the confirmation and report a genuine failure if it occurs.

What if I gamble while self-excluded?

Stop the session and protect the money that remains. Contact the business and the scheme with the exclusion confirmation, relevant dates, account or venue details and any communication. The Gambling Commission accepts reports that help it assess whether procedures are working, but it states that it cannot provide refunds for money spent.

Treat the failure as a gap to close, not permission to continue. Add a payment or device block around the route, contact the National Gambling Helpline and review whether another scheme or treatment support is needed.