Self-Exclusion
Ready to put controls in place to restrict your online gambling activities.
GAMBLING SELF-EXCLUSION SCHEMES
What you can do to help yourself:
When trying to refrain from gambling activities or trying to stop your gambling escalating and causing you serious harm, there are prevention tools you can put in place to help you do this. Below you will see two schemes that you can use to help you STOP gambling and remove the temptation that may still exist.
GAMSTOP- NATIONAL SCHEME:

The national online self-exclusion scheme GAMSTOP, is a not for profit organization initially set up by the Remote Gambling Association [RGA] to design, introduce and run a national online self-exclusion system to meet the aims of the gambling commissions licence conditions and codes of practice [LCCP].
- REGISTRATION IS FREE
- BLOCKS ALL ONLINE GAMBLING SITES IN UK
- AGE AND IDENTITY CHECKS TO BE COMPLETED
- REGISTRATION ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES
- OPERATOR CHECKS CARRIED OUT
- YOUR NAME ADDED TO NATIONAL SECURE DATABASE
- SAFE AND SECURE
- EXCLUSION MINIMUM PERIOD IS 6 MONTHS
- CAN NOT REMOVE FROM DATABASE DURING THE 6 MONTHS
- YOU CAN REMOVE YOURSELF ONCE MINIMUM PERIOD EXPIRES
- PERSONAL ACCOUNT CREATED AFTER REGISTRATION [UPDATE]
- SIGN POSTING GUIDANCE GIVEN FOR TREATMENT SUPPORT SERVICES
- ALL OPERATORS MUST SIGN UP TO GAMSTOP [LCCP]
- OVER 165.000 INDIVIDUALS HAVE SIGNED UP [TO DATE-2020]
- OVER 165.000 INDIVIDUALS HAVE SIGNED UP [TO DATE-2020]
LAND BASED SELF-EXCLUSION SCHEME:
You can use the self-exclusion scheme to ban yourself from either your local bookmaker, or all bookmakers in your local area, known as area exclusion, or all bookmakers nationally. Remember this scheme is for land-based gambling only, so it does not extend to online gambling, for which there are other schemes we have highlighted. See below details of self-exclusion for land-based gambling only:
- APPLY IN PERSON IN BETTING SHOP IF ONLY SINGLE SHOP EXCLUSION REQUIRED
- ID/PHOTO NEEDED TO REGISTER
- AREA EXCLUSION TO BE DONE ONLINE OR VIA TELEPHONE TO GAMBLE AWARE HELPLINE.
- MINIMUM PERIOD IS 6 MONTHS
- MAXIMUM PERIOD IS 5 YEARS
- NATIONAL EXCLUSION ALSO AVAILABLE VIA ONLINE/TELEPHONE
- BINGO AND CASINO SELF-EXCLUSION REQUIRES YOU TO VISIT THEIR PREMISES IN PERSON
- CASINO EXCLUSION CAN ALSO BE DONE VIA THE -SELF ENROLMENT NATIONAL SELF-EXCLUSION [SENSE] WEBSITE
Ultimately the decision to enter gambling premises or open online accounts, where you have self-excluded, is entirely yours, which is why it is so important you are fully committed to change and want to do something about you gambling issues.
For more information on self-exclusion, please see contact numbers below:
GAMBLING HELPLINE- 0808 8020 133
GAMSTOP- 0800 138 6518
GAMBLEAWARE- 0808 8020 133
NATIONAL PROBLEM GAMBLING CLINIC- 0207 381 7722