What self-exclusion actually does
Self-exclusion is a request you make once, in a calm moment, that removes the choice from you later, when the moment is not calm. You ask operators to refuse your custom for a set period. They then have to close or block your accounts and stop sending you marketing.
It costs nothing, and it is not a judgement about you. GAMSTOP's identity check does not appear on your credit file, and the scheme tells a gambling company only whether you are registered when the company checks. The staff who process these requests do it every day.
The schemes, and what each covers
The Gambling Commission lists six free schemes for Great Britain: one for online gambling and separate ones for betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades, because each is covered by a different register. Signing up to one does not sign you up to the others.
| Scheme | What it covers | Length | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAMSTOP | Gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain | 6 months, 1 year or 5 years (or 5 years renewing itself) | Free |
| Gamstop Betting Shops (formerly MOSES) | Betting shops in Great Britain | 12 months | Free |
| SENSE | Casinos in Great Britain | 6 to 12 months | Free |
| BISES, BACTA and SmartEXCLUSION | Bingo halls, adult gaming centres, arcades, motorway service areas and holiday parks | Set by each scheme | Free |
GAMSTOP is done online and takes a few minutes. Gamstop Betting Shops is one free phone call, on 0800 294 2060. SENSE can be done on its website, or in person with a manager at any casino. Some people find a phone call easier than a form and some find it harder; both routes are there.
What GAMSTOP covers, and what it does not
GAMSTOP applies to sites and apps licensed to operate in Great Britain. Anyone living in the UK, Northern Ireland included, can register, but it only blocks operators with that licence. It does not reach operators working without one, and it does not cover betting shops, casinos or arcades, which is what the land-based schemes are for.
That gap is worth knowing about in advance. Someone who registers and then finds an unlicensed site has not failed at anything; they have found the edge of one tool. Blocking software on your phone and computer closes part of the rest, and many UK banks now let you block gambling payments, often with a switch inside the banking app.
It is meant to be hard to undo
A self-exclusion cannot be cancelled the moment you regret it. That is the point of it, and it is the part to think about before you choose a length. Six months is the shortest term any scheme offers. Five years is a different kind of decision, and it is there for people who want it.
What happens when the term ends depends on the scheme. Online, GAMSTOP does not switch itself off: it stays in place for a further seven years unless you ask for it to be removed, and removal starts a 24-hour cooling-off period. Land-based exclusions stay in place for six more months after the term unless you take steps to gamble again, and SENSE then removes your record automatically.
Talking to someone first
The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is free and confidential on 0808 8020 133 in England and Scotland; in Wales the free helpline is 0808 281 9265. Both are open 24 hours a day. You do not need to be in crisis to call it, and you do not need to have decided anything before you do. Asking what the options are is a normal reason to ring.
The same line is there if you are calling about somebody else. Friends and family use it too, and they are not expected to have the vocabulary for it.
Where to start
Pick the scheme that matches where you actually gamble, and register now rather than after the next session, because the decision is easier today than it will be then. Our responsible gambling and support page lists the schemes and helplines for Great Britain and for other countries, including the national registers that block every licensed operator at once.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these on 12 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Free multi-operator and national self-exclusion schemes (updated September 2026): the six schemes, the betting shop number, and the helpline numbers.
- GAMSTOP help centre: What is Gamstop Online? (lengths, who can register), My exclusion has expired (the seven-year tail and the 24-hour cooling-off) and Will Gamstop Online appear on my credit file?.
- Gamstop Betting Shops (formerly MOSES): a phone service, 12 months.
- SENSE: how to enrol and how to remove: online or in person, 6 to 12 months, then a six-month thinking period.
- Gambling Commission licence conditions 3.5.2 and 3.5.4: marketing stops; land-based exclusions run six months past their term.
- Gambling Commission, Block gambling payments with your bank (February 2025).
- NHS, Help for problems with gambling: the helpline supports friends and family too.
More in Law of the Game
First published between September and December 2025; rewritten in August 2026; facts checked against the sources above on 12 October 2026.