GAMSTOP Explained: What It Covers and What It Doesn’t

GAMSTOP is the UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme. It exists to help people who feel they can no longer gamble safely by preventing access to UK-licensed online gambling operators.

This article explains how GAMSTOP works, who it protects, its limitations, and when it is the right option.

What Is GAMSTOP?

GAMSTOP is a free, independent service that allows UK residents to self-exclude from all participating UK-licensed online gambling operators through a single registration.

Once registered, operators must:

• Close or suspend your accounts
• Prevent you from opening new ones
• Stop sending gambling marketing
• Apply enhanced checks if access is attempted

GAMSTOP is designed for people who want to stop gambling online, not simply reduce it.

How GAMSTOP Works in Practice

When you register, you choose an exclusion period:

• 6 months
• 1 year
• 5 years

Key points:

• Exclusion cannot be cancelled early
• At the end of the term, a cooling-off period applies
• Access is not automatically restored
• You must actively choose to return to gambling

This structure is intentional. GAMSTOP is designed to create a firm barrier, not a flexible one.

What GAMSTOP Does Not Do

This is where misunderstandings cause harm. GAMSTOP does not:

• Block access to offshore gambling sites
• Cover crypto casinos
• Stop gambling advertisements appearing online
• Block payments or cryptocurrency transactions
• Address land-based gambling automatically

Anyone relying on GAMSTOP alone while continuing to access unregulated platforms is not fully protected.

Combining GAMSTOP With Other Protections

For stronger protection, GAMSTOP should be used alongside:

• Gambling-blocking software on devices
• Bank or payment-level gambling blocks
• Honest conversations with trusted people
• Professional support services

Self-exclusion addresses access, not underlying behaviour.

Final Word

GAMSTOP is one of the strongest online gambling protections available in the UK. It is deliberately strict, deliberately inconvenient, and deliberately hard to reverse.

If you are considering GAMSTOP, that decision should be taken seriously and acted on promptly. Delaying rarely reduces harm.