What is GamStop? How Does It Work?
GamStop is a service that's free and available all over the United Kingdom. When you sign up with GamStop you are stopped from using every UKGC gambling site in the country. That is what GamStop is about. GamStop started in 2018. It became a rule for all licensees in 2020. Before GamStop people had to call each casino and ask them to stop them from playing. This was a slow process. Now things are much easier. All you have to do is fill out a form on the GamStop website which is gamstop.co.uk and you will be stopped from using all the sites.
Here is how GamStop actually works:
For Players
- You need to sign up on the GamStop website which is gamstop.co.uk. This takes less than five minutes to do.
- Then you have to choose how you want to be stopped from gambling. You can choose six months or one year or five years.
- GamStop will then share your details with all the UKGC licensed operators.
- Each operator has to block your account within twenty-four hours.
- You cannot create an account at any of the participating sites while you are stopped.
- You cannot make your exclusion period shorter once it has started.
For Casinos
- All casinos that have a UKGC licence have to sign up with GamStop. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- Casinos have to check every account against the GamStop database to see if the player is stopped.
- If a player has signed up with GamStop the casino has to block their existing account within twenty-four hours.
- Casinos are not allowed to take deposits from players who are signed up with GamStop.
- If a player has deposited money while they are stopped the casino has to give the money back to them.
- If a casino does not follow the GamStop rules they can have their licence taken away. They can be fined a lot of money.
GamStop is completely free to use. It is paid for by a fee on the UKGC licensees. It is separate from the operators. If you are worried about your gambling you can visit gamstop.co.uk or you can call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. This is a service that's available twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. You have to be eighteen years old or more to use this service.
Why Are All UKGC Casinos Required to Be on GamStop?
March 2020 was when the UKGC made it a must for online casinos to be on GamStop.
The UKGC said it was not a suggestion. A rule.
If a casino does not join GamStop it will lose its licence.
That's straightforward.
If a casino has a UKGC licence it is on GamStop.
There are no exceptions.
There are no ways around it.
Before the rule self-exclusion was a hassle.
You could self-exclude at one casino, like LeoVegas. Then sign up at another like bet365 on the same day.
No one stopped you.
The systems were different. So were the databases.
GamStop fixed this by creating a database that all licensed casinos must check before letting you have an account.
When I list the online casinos in the UK every single one of them is on GamStop.
The UKGC licence number is your guarantee.
You do not need to ask if a casino is on GamStop.
The licence number tells you.
→ See our full guide to UKGC licensed casino sites for more on how licensing works.
What Happens After You Sign Up with GamStop?
Once you are registered with GamStop, a few things happen with all the gambling sites that are licensed in the UK.
- Your old accounts will be suspended. Every casino that is licensed by the UKGC has to lock your account. You will usually get an email from each casino to let you know that they have done this.
- Your money is safe. Any money that you have in your accounts will be given back to you. The casinos cannot keep your money just because you have decided to stop gambling.
- You will not get any marketing messages. The casinos have to take you off their mailing lists. This means you should not get any emails, text messages or notifications trying to get you to gamble.
- You cannot open new accounts. If you try to open a new account at a UK casino while you are excluded they will find out that you are registered with GamStop and they will not let you open the account.
- You cannot end your exclusion early. Even if you contact GamStop you have to wait until the time's up before you can ask to be removed from the list.. Even then you have to wait another 7 days before it happens.
There are some things that GamStop does not cover. Betting shops, the National Lottery casinos that are not online and sites that are not licensed in the UK. If you want to be safer it is an idea to use GamStop and also get help from GamCare.
→ For information on how to stay safe you can look at our guide to Responsible Gambling.