What Self-Exclusion Is and How It Protects Against Gambling Harm

Self-exclusion is a voluntary tool that lets someone block their own access to gambling sites for a fixed length of time. Once in place, the person cannot open an account or place a bet on any site covered by the exclusion until the period ends. Transformation Trust explains how self-exclusion works, who can request it and what families and schools need to know when supporting a young person through recovery.

The mechanism behind a self-exclusion request

A person arranges self-exclusion directly with a gambling site or through a national scheme. The request names a duration – anything from six months upward – and once confirmed, the site must refuse any attempt to log in, deposit or play. The block applies whether the person tries from a computer, a phone or any other device.

Self-exclusion is binding. A request cannot be reversed early, even if the person changes their mind the next day. That permanence is the point: it removes the option to gamble during a moment of temptation and gives space to work on the reasons behind the harm.

GAMSTOP and single-site exclusions

In Great Britain, GAMSTOP is a free national self-exclusion scheme. One registration blocks access to every gambling site licensed by the Gambling Commission at once. The person chooses six months, one year or five years, and GAMSTOP notifies every participating operator immediately.

A single-site exclusion covers only the operator named in the request. Someone with accounts at several sites would need to contact each one separately. GAMSTOP is faster and wider, but both forms carry the same legal weight once accepted.

What the scheme covers and what it does not

GAMSTOP applies to licensed online gambling in Great Britain. It does not reach sites operating without a UK licence, offline betting shops or gaming products sold as entertainment rather than gambling – such as loot boxes in video games. If a young person has been gambling through unlicensed sites or skin betting platforms, GAMSTOP alone will not block that access.

Arranging self-exclusion for someone else

Self-exclusion is a personal decision: only the account holder can request it. A parent cannot register on behalf of a child, and a teacher cannot exclude a student. What a parent or carer can do is sit with the young person, explain what self-exclusion offers and support them through the registration if they choose to go ahead.

Where a young person is under eighteen and gambling illegally, the conversation shifts. Operators must close underage accounts immediately once alerted. GAMSTOP itself is designed for adults, but reporting the underage activity to the site and to GAMSTOP ensures the records are flagged and future attempts to open accounts are harder.

Steps to take when supporting a self-exclusion decision

1. Talk through what self-exclusion will and will not stop. Be clear about gaps – unlicensed sites, offline venues, games that blur the line with gambling.
2. Help the young person register with GAMSTOP at gamstop.co.uk, choosing the longest period that feels right. Shorter exclusions can be extended, but cannot be shortened.
3. Install blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker on shared devices to cover sites GAMSTOP does not reach. Both work across computers, tablets and phones.
4. Set up transaction blocks with the young person's bank or building society to decline payments to gambling merchants. Many offer this as a free control through their app or website.
5. Identify triggers – times of day, emotions, social settings – and agree practical alternatives for those moments. A replacement habit matters more than willpower alone.
6. Connect the young person with ongoing support. The National Gambling Helpline offers free, confidential advice every day on 0808 8020 133, and local counselling services can help address the underlying harm.

What happens during the exclusion period

The gambling site will close the account and reject any new registration attempts using the same name, address, date of birth or payment details. Marketing emails and texts stop. If the person somehow bypasses the block – by using false details, for instance – the operator must close the new account and withhold any winnings once discovered.

Self-exclusion does not erase debt. Money owed to a site before the exclusion began is still owed, and money lost cannot be reclaimed simply because an exclusion is now in place. The tool prevents future harm; it does not reverse past transactions.

Preventing access through other routes

Blocking software and bank controls layer additional protection over the self-exclusion itself. GAMSTOP covers licensed sites; blocking software covers a wider range, including unlicensed operators and some gaming platforms. A transaction block stops payments before they reach any gambling merchant, licensed or not. Together, these measures close more gaps than any single tool can manage alone.

Limits and realistic expectations

Self-exclusion is not a cure. It is a breathing space – time away from the immediate opportunity to gamble while other support does the deeper work. A young person returning from exclusion without addressing the reasons for the harm in the first place faces the same risk again.

The scheme also depends on accurate information. False names or borrowed accounts let someone bypass the block. Family involvement helps here: knowing which devices the young person uses, which friends they might borrow from and which gaming communities normalise gambling makes it harder for gaps to open unnoticed.

Comparison of self-exclusion tools

When to seek further support

Self-exclusion works best alongside counselling, peer support or family therapy. If the young person shows signs of withdrawal – irritability, secrecy, lying about money – or if gambling was masking another difficulty such as anxiety or isolation, addressing only the access to gambling sites leaves the underlying harm untouched.

GamCare offers free, confidential support through its National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, available every day. BeGambleAware provides online resources at begambleaware.org, and Gordon Moody runs residential and online treatment programmes at gordonmoody.org.uk. For families, schools and youth workers, these organisations can recommend local services and advise on the next practical step.

Gambling is restricted to people aged eighteen and over. If a young person is gambling, self-exclusion is one part of a wider safeguarding response – not a substitute for it.

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Download PDF: Self-Exclusion Support Checklist for Families and Schools PDF, 28 KB