GamStop and Bingo: How Self-Exclusion Works

GamStop is the free national scheme that blocks you from every UK-licensed online gambling site and app at once — bingo, casino, slots and betting — with a single registration.

It's straightforward to set up, it takes minutes, and there are a few things about how it works that people genuinely don't expect. The most important is that it doesn't switch itself off when your chosen period ends. This page explains what it covers, what it doesn't, and how to use it properly.

What GamStop is

GamStop is run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, a company registered in England (number 10504973) and based in Harrogate. It is free to use.

You register once. Every online operator licensed by the UK Gambling Commission is then required to prevent you from opening a new account or logging into an existing one for the length of your exclusion. You don't have to contact each site individually, which is the whole point of it — a single form covering hundreds of operators.

Choosing your period

You pick a minimum exclusion period when you register:

• Six months
• One year
• Five years
• Five years with auto-renewal — at the end of five years you're automatically entered into another five-year period without needing to contact GamStop

Once registration is complete, you cannot deactivate the exclusion before your minimum period has finished. That's deliberate. A self-exclusion you could cancel on a bad evening wouldn't be worth much.

The part most people get wrong

Your exclusion does not lift automatically when the minimum period ends.

It stays in place for a further seven years unless you actively take steps to remove it. So if you register for six months and then simply get on with your life, you remain excluded — you don't wake up on day 183 with your accounts quietly restored.

If you do decide to remove it after the minimum period has passed, you request removal and a 24-hour cooling-off period begins. You can cancel that request at any point during those 24 hours from your online account. Only after the cooling-off period has run does the exclusion actually come off.

That design is doing real work. The gap between deciding to gamble again and being able to is exactly where most people change their minds.

What GamStop covers — and what it doesn't

It covers online gambling operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission: their websites and their apps, across bingo, casino, slots, sports betting and lotteries run by licensed operators.

It does not cover gambling sites that hold no UK licence. Those sites sit outside the scheme entirely, and outside the consumer protections that come with UK regulation — there's no GamStop, no UK complaints route, and no Gambling Commission oversight if something goes wrong. If you have self-excluded, a site that will still take your money is not a loophole worth finding; it is the clearest possible warning sign about that operator.

It does not cover land-based venues. High street betting shops, bingo halls, casinos and arcades run their own self-exclusion arrangements, which you arrange separately with the venue or through the relevant multi-operator scheme.

It does not block gambling adverts, and it doesn't stop marketing emails from arriving immediately — though licensed operators must remove excluded customers from marketing. If promotional emails keep coming, that's worth reporting to the operator and, if it continues, to the Gambling Commission.

Registering

Registration is done at gamstop.co.uk and takes a few minutes. You'll be asked for the personal details operators hold about you — name, date of birth, address, email and mobile number — because the scheme has to match your registration against the accounts you hold.

A few practical points. Give every email address and mobile number you've used to open gambling accounts, not just your current one, or accounts registered under the old details may not be matched. Keep your details up to date afterwards, since a house move can weaken the match. And if you've moved in the last few years, add your previous addresses too.

You can extend an existing registration at any time. You just can't shorten one.

What to pair it with

GamStop blocks licensed online operators. It doesn't touch your money, your device or the reasons you were gambling, so on its own it's one layer rather than a solution. The people who find it works best tend to stack it with two or three of these:

• A gambling block with your bank. Most UK banks now offer one, applied at card level, often with a delay before it can be lifted. It stops the transaction rather than the website.
• Blocking software on your devices. Dedicated gambling blockers cover phones, tablets and computers, including sites GamStop has no reach over.
• Removing the payment methods saved in any accounts you still hold, and deleting the apps.
• Telling one person. Unglamorous, and consistently the thing people say made the difference.

Where to get support

Self-exclusion is a tool, not treatment, and there's free confidential help available whether or not you use it.

• The National Gambling Helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 8020 133, run by GamCare. It's free and confidential.
• GamCare also offers free online chat, forums and structured treatment across England, Scotland and Wales.
• BeGambleAware provides free information, self-assessment tools and routes into local support.
• Gamblers Anonymous runs peer support meetings across the UK, in person and online.
• GamFam and Gam-Anon support family members and friends, who are often the people carrying the most and asking for the least.

If gambling has left you in financial difficulty, StepChange and Citizens Advice both offer free debt advice, and you should never pay for it.

Frequently asked questions

Is GamStop free?

Yes. It's provided at no charge by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited.

How long does GamStop take to work?

Registration itself takes minutes, and operators are required to act on the exclusion. Give it a little time to propagate across every licensed operator, and don't treat the first hours as a test.

Does GamStop end automatically?

No, and this is the most commonly misunderstood part. Once your minimum period ends, the exclusion stays in place for a further seven years unless you actively request its removal.

Can I cancel GamStop early?

No. You cannot deactivate before your chosen minimum period has finished. After that, removal requires a request followed by a 24-hour cooling-off period, which you can cancel during.

Does GamStop cover bingo sites?

Yes — every UK-licensed online bingo operator is covered, alongside casino, slots and betting sites. One registration covers them all.

What if a site still lets me gamble after I've registered?

Either the operator holds no UK licence, or your details didn't match the account. Check whether you registered every email address and mobile number you've used, and contact GamStop. If a UK-licensed operator has let an excluded customer through, report it to the Gambling Commission.

Will GamStop affect my credit rating?

No. GamStop is a self-exclusion scheme, not a credit reference agency, and registering does not appear on your credit file.

Can I self-exclude for longer than five years?

Yes — choose the five-year option with auto-renewal, which rolls you into a further five-year period automatically, and remember that any exclusion persists beyond its minimum period until you act to remove it.

If you are struggling, the National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and available at any hour on 0808 8020 133.