Responsible Gambling
If gambling has stopped being something you control, the quickest step is to talk to someone who does this for a living. GamCare and BeGambleAware are free, confidential and independent of any casino — and both answer today.
Talk to someone
- GamCare
- Free helpline, live chat and counselling for anyone affected by gambling, including family members. gamcare.org.uk
- BeGambleAware
- Advice, self-assessment tools and signposting to local services. begambleaware.org
- Gamblers Anonymous
- Peer support meetings, in person and online. gamblersanonymous.org.uk
- NHS
- The National Gambling Helpline and NHS gambling clinics are reachable through nhs.uk.
Tools that block access
GamStop is the national online self-exclusion register for Great Britain. One registration blocks you from every UK-licensed gambling site for a period you choose, from six months to five years. It does not cover land-based venues or offshore sites. The guide to the scheme explains how it works.
Bank blocking stops card payments to gambling merchants at the bank’s end, and several UK banks offer it in their app. It covers offshore operators as well as UK-licensed ones, which is why it is often the more complete tool.
Blocking software installs on a device and filters gambling sites, including offshore ones that GamStop cannot reach. Some products require a trusted person to hold the password, which is the point.
Operator limits — deposit limits, loss limits, session time-outs and site-level self-exclusion — are set with each casino individually. They are useful, but they only apply to the operator where you set them.
If you have already excluded yourself
The period you chose runs to its end, and it cannot be shortened by asking. If the period feels unmanageable, that is a conversation for GamStop and for a support service, not for a search for alternatives. The pages on removing an exclusion and on why bypassing does not work cover the ground honestly.
If someone you know is affected
GamCare advises family members and friends as well as players, and BeGambleAware publishes guidance for concerned relatives. The most useful thing is usually to talk early and without blame, and to help put a practical barrier in place rather than relying on promises.
A note on this site
This site compares offshore casinos, which is a commercial activity and one that involves affiliate links. It is not a support service and it is not neutral on the question of whether to gamble. If you are here because gambling is causing harm, the organisations above are the right destination, and the rest of this page is not.
Gambling is for adults only. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, and never chase losses. If you are worried about your own gambling or someone else’s, contact GamCare or BeGambleAware — both are free and confidential.
If you want to stop entirely
The strongest tool available to a UK resident is GamStop, the national self-exclusion scheme. Registering blocks you from every UK-licensed operator for a minimum of six months, and the block cannot be lifted early. It does not reach the offshore casinos compared on this site — that is precisely what "not on GamStop" means — so a self-exclusion here has to be arranged with each operator directly.
If the reason you are looking at casinos outside GamStop is that a GamStop exclusion is already in place, that is worth pausing on. The scheme exists because a decision was made at a point when things were difficult, and routing around it does not undo that decision.
Blocking software that reaches further
Gamban and GamBlock are paid blocking tools that work at the device level rather than through the operator. They block gambling domains regardless of licence, which means they reach the offshore sites a GamStop exclusion does not. BetBlocker is a free alternative with a similar approach. All three are installed by the person who wants the block, which is the point.
Practical steps for tonight
- Set a deposit limit at every operator you use. Most allow it in the account settings and apply it immediately.
- Remove stored payment methods. The friction of re-entering a card is often enough.
- Install a blocking tool on the device you gamble on, not just the one you use most.
- Tell one person. A commitment made to someone else is harder to break than one made to yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does GamStop block casinos outside the UK?
No. The scheme is enforced through Great Britain licence conditions, and an operator licensed elsewhere is not bound by them, so there is no check for it to make. The block stops exactly at the licence boundary. That is why an offshore casino stays reachable after registration, and why the tools that cover it work at device level: blocking software filters the domain itself, so it does not depend on which regulator issued the permit.
How do I block offshore casinos?
With device-level blocking software. Products such as Gamban, GamBlock and BetBlocker filter gambling domains on the device itself, so they work regardless of the operator's licence and do not depend on a register being checked. That is what makes them the practical answer for offshore sites. Install the tool on every device you gamble on, not only the one you use most, and where the product allows it, have a trusted person hold the password.
Can I self-exclude at an individual offshore casino?
Yes, at most of them. The option usually sits in account settings and applies to that operator alone, because offshore brands share no register and each holds its own permit. Nothing carries across to a sister site on the same permit, let alone to an unrelated one. It therefore has to be repeated at every site you use, and it depends on that one operator honouring the request — which is why it works best alongside a block that does not rely on any operator at all.
Where can I get help?
GamCare runs the national helpline on 0808 8020 133, with live chat and counselling, and BeGambleAware offers advice, self-assessment tools and signposting to local services. Both are free, confidential and independent of any casino, so neither will report you to an operator. If gambling is causing harm now, the helpline is the fastest route: it is answered by people trained for the conversation, and it does not require you to have stopped first. Gamblers Anonymous and NHS services are further options.
Is it possible to remove a GamStop exclusion early?
No. An entry runs for the period you chose, with six months as the minimum, and the scheme is built so that a decision taken in a difficult moment cannot be undone in a moment of regret. That is the design, not an administrative delay. At the end the exclusion does not lapse by itself either: it stays in force until you ask GamStop to remove it. If the period feels unmanageable, the right conversation is with GamStop and a support service rather than with a casino.