How to Block Gambling: A Step-by-Step Guide

Blocking yourself from gambling puts practical barriers between you and a bet, so that a bad moment does not have to turn into a bad night. There are several ways to do it in the UK, most of them free, and each one covers a different gap. This guide goes through every route step by step: online self-exclusion with GAMSTOP, bank gambling blocks, blocking software, device settings, schemes for betting shops, casinos and arcades, and cutting down gambling marketing.

Gamstop Guide is an independent self-help resource. We are not GAMSTOP or Gamstop Online and we cannot register anyone. Every block described here is set up directly with the organisation, bank or tool concerned.

Why use more than one block

No single block is perfect, but together they close almost every door. Many people start with GAMSTOP and a bank block on the same day, then add software over the following week.

1. Register with GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is the free national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling in Great Britain, run by Gamstop Online. Since 31 March 2020, every online gambling business licensed by the Gambling Commission has had to take part as a condition of its licence, so one registration covers all of them. The requirement was later extended to licensees that take bets by phone and email.

1. Gather your details first. Include every email address, mobile number and home address you have used with gambling sites, including old ones. The scheme matches these against accounts, so a missing detail can leave a gap.
2. Go to the official site. Type gamstop.co.uk into your browser. Registration is free, and any site asking for payment is not the official scheme.
3. Enter your details and confirm your identity. According to its terms of use, the scheme checks identity through verification questions or with a photo of you and an official photo ID.
4. Choose your minimum period. Six months, one year or five years, or five years with automatic renewal.
5. Keep your confirmation. The exclusion generally takes effect within 24 hours, although Gamstop Online says this cannot be guaranteed.

Two things are worth knowing before you choose. The minimum period cannot be shortened once you have registered. And when it ends, the exclusion does not lift by itself: it continues unless you contact Gamstop Online to remove it, and removal then involves a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours. If you choose the auto-renewing option, renewal can only be switched off in the last six months of the period.

2. Switch on a bank gambling block

A gambling block stops card payments to businesses coded as gambling. Because it works at the payment stage, it can also stop payments to gambling websites that do not hold a British licence. The Gambling Commission’s guidance on blocking gambling transactions names the following banks and what each offers:

1. Open your banking app. Look for “card controls”, “spending controls”, “card freeze” or “gambling block” in the card or settings menu.
2. Switch the gambling block on. If you cannot find it, call your bank or ask in a branch. Many banks not listed above have similar options.
3. Repeat for every card. Second current accounts, savings accounts with cards and prepaid cards all need the block too.
4. Choose the strongest version. Blocks with a waiting period before they can be removed give urges time to pass.

3. Install blocking software

Blocking software stops gambling websites and apps from loading on your devices, whoever runs them and wherever they are licensed.

• BetBlocker is free and run by a charity registered in Scotland. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and other systems, and can go on as many devices as you like. You choose a block period from one day to five years, and once a block has started it cannot be lifted before the end of that period.
• Gamban blocks gambling sites and apps on phones, tablets and computers. Gamstop Online’s support pages describe it as free for UK residents, GamCare can arrange a free licence through the National Gambling Helpline, and Halifax and Lloyds Bank offer their customers access to it.

1. Install it on every device. Phone, tablet, laptop, any shared computer and any games console with a web browser.
2. Choose a long block period. A longer block means fewer decisions to make on difficult days.
3. Let someone else hold any code. If the tool uses a password, a trusted person can keep it.
4. Add new devices straight away. A new phone arrives with no blocks on it.

4. Use device and app store settings

Your phone and computer already have controls that can add another layer. They were not built with gambling in mind, but they help.

Menu names change with each update, so if you cannot find a setting, search your device’s help pages for “restrict websites” or “content restrictions”.

5. Self-exclude from betting shops, casinos and arcades

GAMSTOP covers online gambling only. If you also gamble in person, separate free schemes cover physical venues. Gamstop Online lists them on its support pages:

Venue schemes rely partly on staff recognising you, so it helps to cover the places you actually go and to avoid walking routes that take you past them while the habit is fresh.

6. Cut down gambling marketing and adverts

Adverts, emails and texts can arrive at exactly the wrong moment. You can reduce them a lot:

• Self-exclusion and marketing. Licensed operators must take reasonable steps to stop sending marketing to people who have self-excluded, so a GAMSTOP registration should also reduce emails and texts from licensed operators.
• Unsubscribe. Use the unsubscribe link in every gambling email and reply STOP to marketing texts.
• Ad settings. Google and most social media platforms have ad settings that let you see fewer adverts on sensitive topics such as gambling. Look for “ad preferences” or “ad topics” in your account settings.
• Mute and unfollow. Unfollow or mute gambling accounts, tipsters and betting-related groups.
• Ad blockers. Gamstop Online suggests installing an ad blocker in your browser.

7. Self-exclude with individual operators

Every gambling business licensed by the Gambling Commission must also offer its own self-exclusion. If there is a site or app you used a lot, you can contact it and ask to self-exclude from your account directly, as well as registering with GAMSTOP. This adds an extra layer for that account in particular. Ask them to close the account, return any remaining balance and remove you from marketing. You do not have to explain your reasons.

A simple plan for today

1. Register with GAMSTOP at gamstop.co.uk for the longest period you feel able to commit to.
2. Switch on a gambling block on every card you hold.
3. Install BetBlocker or Gamban on every device.
4. Join a venue scheme if you gamble in shops, casinos or arcades.
5. Unsubscribe and change your ad settings.
6. Tell one person what you have done, and call the helpline if you want to talk it through.

Blocks buy time. What you do with that time matters just as much. Our guide on how to take control of gambling covers urges, triggers and money, and our guide to gambling support services in the UK explains where to get free help. To check whether a particular website is licensed in Great Britain, see our UKGC licensed operator register.