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.
â See our full guide to UKGC licensed casino sites for more on how licensing works.
Register with GamStop. Here Is What You Need To Do
Registering with GamStop is really easy and it does not take a lot of time it takes under five minutes. It is completely free. Here is the full process to register with GamStop.
Step 1. Go To The GamStop Website
You need to go to gamstop.co.uk and click on "Register". You should know that GamStop is the scheme so you need to be careful of other sites that are not official.
Step 2. Give Them Your Details
You need to give them your name, date of birth email address, postal address and mobile number. They use these details to match them against casino databases. You should use the details you use at GamStop and other gambling sites because if you use nicknames or old addresses it may not work properly with GamStop.
Step 3. Choose How Long You Want To Be Excluded From Gambling With GamStop
You need to choose how you want to exclude yourself from gambling with GamStop. You can choose 6 months, 1 year or 5 years with GamStop. You need to think about this because once you start you cannot change your mind or make it shorter. If you are not sure it is better to choose the longer option.
Step 4. Verify Who You Are With GamStop
GamStop will send you a verification email or SMS. You need to confirm your registration by clicking on the link or entering the code. You need to do this because your exclusion is not active until you complete this step.
Step 5. Your Exclusion From Gambling With GamStop Starts
Once you verify your registration GamStop shares your details with all UKGC-licensed operators. They have to block your account within 24 hours. Most of them do it within a few hours. Then your exclusion from gambling is active.
Step 6. Get Some Help With Your Gambling Problem
Registering with GamStop is an idea but it works even better if you get some extra help. You should think about contacting BeGambleAware GamCare or calling the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. It is free. They are available 24/7. You have to be eighteen years old or more to use these services.
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.
â For information on how to stay safe you can look at our guide to Responsible Gambling.
Why Can Some Casinos Still Accept Me After GamStop?
Because those casinos are not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and therefore are not connected to GamStop. The scheme only binds UKGC licensees, so a site run on an offshore licence never receives your exclusion and can register you as if it did not exist. Being able to sign up somewhere is not a sign the exclusion has failed; it is a sign that site sits outside UK regulation, with no GamStop protection, no UK complaints route and no regulator behind it. If you have self-excluded and find yourself looking for sites that will still take you, that is the moment to reach out for support, not to open an account. The National Gambling Helpline is free, 24/7, on 0808 8020 133. These sites are covered, factually, in our guide to casinos not on GamStop.
Is GamStop the Same as GamBlock or Self-Exclusion at One Casino?
No, and the difference matters. GamStop is a national scheme that covers the whole UKGC-licensed market from a single registration. Excluding yourself at one casino only blocks that one site. GamBlock is different again: it is software you install on your own device to block gambling sites, not a register operators check, so it works at the device level rather than the account level. Many people use more than one together, because each covers a gap the others leave. We explain the device-level option in our guide to casinos not on GamBlock.
