Last updated 5 November 2026·Checked against published operator terms

What Is GamStop UK?

GamStop is the UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme: one register that a person can join to be blocked from every gambling website licensed in Great Britain. It is free to use, it is funded by the gambling industry, and it is enforced through Gambling Commission licence conditions rather than by law alone.

Who runs it

GamStop is operated by the GamStop self-exclusion scheme, a not-for-profit company funded by operators that hold a Gambling Commission licence. Its board includes representation from the industry and from bodies concerned with gambling harm, and it is overseen by the Gambling Commission as part of the licensing conditions it places on operators.

That structure matters. It means the scheme is not a government database, not a charity and not a private company selling a service. It is an industry-funded utility whose use is compulsory for UK-licensed operators.

What it is for

Self-exclusion is a harm-reduction tool. It is for a person who has decided that they want a break from online gambling and wants that decision enforced at the point of access, rather than relying on willpower. The scheme covers online gambling sites licensed in Great Britain: casinos, sportsbooks, bingo and poker rooms.

It does not cover land-based venues, the National Lottery, or any site licensed outside Great Britain. Those limits are not loopholes; they are the edges of the licensing system the scheme is built on.

What it blocks

Online casino and slot sites: Covered, if the operator holds a UK licence.
Sportsbooks and betting sites: Covered, on the same basis.
Bingo and poker: Covered where the operator is UK-licensed.
Land-based betting shops and casinos: Not covered. Those have their own self-exclusion arrangements, usually run by the venue or a local scheme.
Sites licensed outside Great Britain: Not covered. There is no mechanism to block them, because the block is applied by the operator and they are not part of the arrangement.

Why it is compulsory for operators

The Gambling Commission requires licensed operators to participate in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, and GamStop is the scheme that satisfies that requirement for remote gambling. An operator that failed to check the register would be in breach of its licence conditions, which is why the check happens at registration, login and deposit.

This is also why the offshore market is described as “outside” GamStop rather than “exempt” from it. There is no exemption to apply for. The obligation attaches to a licence these operators do not hold.

What the scheme does not promise

It does not promise that you cannot gamble. It promises that UK-licensed online operators will refuse you. It does not cover apps already installed, accounts already open before registration, land-based venues, or offshore sites. Anyone who tells you the scheme is a complete barrier is overstating it.

For a fuller account of the mechanism, including what happens at registration and how long a block lasts, see how GamStop works. If you are already registered and want to understand the period you chose, the page on self-exclusion covers it.

Support alongside the scheme

GamStop blocks access; it does not provide counselling. For support, GamCare runs a free helpline and live chat, and BeGambleAware offers advice and signposting. Both are independent of the scheme and confidential. The responsible gambling page lists the main services.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does GamStop stand for?

It is a contraction of the words “gambling stop”, not an acronym. The name is the trading name of the national online self-exclusion scheme for Great Britain, chosen to be plain enough to remember when someone is searching for a way to stop. Because it describes an intention rather than a scope, it tells you nothing about what is covered: the edges of the scheme come from the licensing system, not from the wording, and they stop at Great Britain.

Is GamStop a government body?

No. It is a not-for-profit company funded by operators that hold a Gambling Commission licence, with a board drawn from the industry and from organisations concerned with gambling harm. Its authority comes from licence conditions rather than from statute, which is why participation is compulsory for UK-licensed operators. That also sets its limits: GamStop can require a check, but it does not investigate a casino, fine one or adjudicate a dispute. Those go to the Gambling Commission, and personal support goes to GamCare.

Does GamStop cover all gambling?

No. It covers online casinos, sportsbooks, bingo and poker rooms that hold a Great Britain licence, because the block is a condition attached to that remote licence. Land-based venues, the National Lottery and every site licensed elsewhere are outside it, and those are not gaps you can apply to close. For a reader this matters in practice: a GamStop entry will not stop a shop visit or an offshore account, so a complete plan needs the venue's own scheme or a device-level block as well.

Is GamStop free?

Yes. Registration costs the person nothing: the scheme is funded by the operators required to participate, so the cost sits with the industry rather than the player, and the form asks for no card details. There is also no subscription to maintain and no fee to leave. That is worth knowing because the name is sometimes borrowed, and a service that charges for “GamStop registration”, or asks for payment to remove an entry, is not the scheme and should be treated with suspicion.

Can I use GamStop if I live outside the UK?

Not in the way the scheme is designed to work. Registration is built around a British address and a British licensing system, and the match happens at operators holding a Great Britain licence. Someone living abroad can only be caught by it if they also hold accounts with those operators. For anyone outside the UK, a device-level blocking tool or a bank block is the more reliable option, because it does not depend on where the casino is licensed.