Safer gambling · Guidance
Last reviewed: 22 September 2026
Self-Exclusion Options in the UK
If you want to stop gambling, self-exclusion can block access to gambling covered by an operator or multi-operator scheme.
It is different from a short break. The exclusion normally stays in place for the minimum period you choose, subject to the terms of the scheme.
What self-exclusion does
Depending on the operator and scheme, self-exclusion can:
- close or suspend your gambling account
- prevent you from opening new accounts with businesses covered by the exclusion
- stop direct gambling marketing from those businesses
- support checks intended to identify attempts to return
If limits or short breaks are no longer enough, self-exclusion provides a stronger access barrier.
When Gambling Stops Being Fun
You do not need to wait for severe harm before taking a break or considering self-exclusion.
Recognise the warning signsNational self-exclusion schemes
Different schemes cover different forms of gambling. GAMSTOP Online covers online operators licensed in Great Britain. SENSE covers licensed land-based casinos in Great Britain. GAMSTOP Betting Shops, formerly MOSES, helps people exclude from multiple bookmakers in their area. Separate schemes cover bingo and some adult gaming centres.
Customer-facing land-based gambling businesses are required to participate in the relevant multi-operator arrangements. In August 2026, the Gambling Commission fined an adult gaming centre operator after it failed to join the relevant scheme until its licence was suspended.
GAMSTOP Online
GAMSTOP Online allows UK residents to exclude from online gambling websites and apps covered by the scheme through one registration.
Read the GAMSTOP guideCasino self-exclusion: SENSE
SENSE covers participating land-based casinos licensed in Great Britain. Our guide explains enrolment, exclusion periods and removal.
How SENSE worksGAMSTOP Betting Shops
The service formerly known as MOSES helps you self-exclude from multiple betting shops in a selected area.
How betting-shop self-exclusion worksWhat self-exclusion does not do
Self-exclusion only covers the operators, sites or venues included in the exclusion. It does not automatically:
- block unlicensed gambling sites
- remove gambling-related content from the internet
- block gambling payments through your bank
- block gambling sites or apps at device level
If you need more barriers, you can combine self-exclusion with bank gambling controls or blocking software.
Blocking software
Blocking software can restrict access to gambling sites and apps, although no tool guarantees complete coverage.
About blocking softwareSites outside British licensing
UK self-exclusion coverage follows the operator and scheme, not the payment method. Do not assume a site outside British licensing will recognise a GAMSTOP exclusion.
Unlicensed gambling sitesWhat happens if you gamble while self-excluded?
An exclusion is meant to stop access, but schemes can fail. If a website, account or venue covered by your exclusion lets you gamble, stop using it and report the breach to the operator and, where relevant, the scheme.
Keep account details, dates, screenshots and correspondence if you plan to complain. A breach does not automatically create a right to a refund. What matters is what the operator should have done, what actually happened and how the complaint is handled.
If you are repeatedly finding ways around an exclusion, add other barriers such as bank gambling blocks or blocking software rather than relying on one measure.
If an exclusion was not applied correctly
Start with the operator's complaints process. Keep a record of the exclusion, the gambling that followed and the operator's response.
How to complain to a gambling operatorCan you cancel self-exclusion early?
You should not expect an exclusion to be cancelled during the minimum period you chose. A later change of mind does not immediately restore access.
After that minimum period, the rules differ between remote and non-remote gambling. Gambling Commission ordinary code says remote exclusions should remain in place for at least another seven years unless the customer takes positive action to gamble again. For non-remote gambling, the equivalent period is six months. A one-day cooling-off period applies when a customer asks to return during those post-exclusion periods.
Multi-operator schemes can also have their own reinstatement process, so check the terms of the scheme you joined.
Support during self-exclusion
Self-exclusion restricts access to gambling. It does not deal with debt, mental-health problems or the reasons gambling has become difficult to stop.
Gambling support, debt advice or mental-health support can be used alongside exclusion where relevant.
Find support
Free gambling support is available across the UK and Ireland, with different services depending on where you live.
Find supportBefore you register
Check the official terms so you know which gambling is covered, how long the exclusion lasts and what happens when the minimum period ends.
Authoritative sources
- Gambling Commission self-exclusion guidance
- Gambling Commission multi-operator scheme guidance
- LCCP non-remote self-exclusion duties, marketing and customer funds
- LCCP non-remote ordinary code: exclusion periods and return to gambling
- LCCP remote ordinary code: exclusion periods and return to gambling
- Gambling Commission: Holland Park Leisure enforcement action, 18 August 2026