GamStop Self-Exclusion
GamStop self-exclusion is a single registration that asks every UK-licensed gambling site to refuse you for a period you choose. You sign up once, you log in to check or manage the entry, and the block is applied by the operators rather than by you.
Signing up
Registration is done online through the GamStop website. It asks for your name, date of birth, address, email address and mobile number, and it asks you to choose an exclusion period. There is no fee and no interview; the form is the whole process.
The details matter because they are what operators match against. If the name on your casino account differs from the name on the register — a maiden name, a middle name, a different address — the block may not match, and you may still be able to register at a site you expected to be closed to you. Register with the details you actually use.
The login, and what it is for
Once registered, you can log in to view your entry, confirm the dates and, when the period ends, see the status. The login is not a way to lift the block early: the entry runs for the period you chose, and logging in does not change that.
If you cannot log in, the recovery route runs through the email address or mobile number on the account. GamStop support handles those cases directly; there is no workaround through a casino.
What the period means
You choose a minimum of six months and a maximum of five years. The period starts when the registration is confirmed, and it cannot be shortened by asking an operator. During it, UK-licensed sites are required to refuse new accounts, refuse logins and refuse deposits from the details you registered.
When the minimum period ends, the block does not lapse on its own — it stays in force until you ask GamStop to remove it. Doing nothing keeps you excluded, and you are not contacted to renew it — though you can register again if you want to.
What it does and does not cover
It covers online gambling sites licensed in Great Britain. It does not cover:
- land-based betting shops, casinos and bingo halls, which have separate arrangements;
- the National Lottery;
- any site licensed outside Great Britain.
That last point is the one that brings people to this site. A casino regulated in Curaçao is not part of the arrangement, so the register has no effect on it. That is a structural fact about licensing, not a failure of the scheme. The overview page explains why, and the mechanism page shows how the block is applied at the operator’s end.
If the block is not working
The usual cause is a mismatch in the details you registered, or an account opened before you registered. Operators are required to check at registration, login and deposit, but the check depends on the data matching. If a site you expected to be closed is still open, contact GamStop rather than the operator.
The other common cause is simply that the site is not UK-licensed. In that case the register was never going to apply, and the answer is not a workaround but a different decision about where you gamble. If that is where you are, the support page is the better next step than any casino list.
Support while you are excluded
GamStop blocks access; it does not provide counselling. GamCare runs a free helpline and live chat, and BeGambleAware offers advice. Both are confidential and independent of the scheme.