Keeping it something you can afford to lose

How Gamstop works

Gamstop is the national online self-exclusion scheme for Great Britain, and it is free. Registering blocks you from signing up for or using online accounts with gambling companies licensed in Great Britain — not one operator at a time, but all of them. That includes every site listed on this website.

You choose the length of the exclusion, from six months up to five years, and you can set it to renew automatically so you never have to think about it again. Registration involves giving personal details so your identity can be confirmed and matched against operator checks. Once it is in place you cannot cancel it during the period you have chosen; it stays in effect afterwards until you contact Gamstop to remove it. A separate scheme, Gamstop Betting Shops, covers land-based betting shops.

It is worth being clear about the limit of it: Gamstop covers online gambling businesses licensed in Great Britain. Sites operating without a Great Britain licence are outside the scheme, and that is one of several good reasons to stay with licensed operators. Pairing Gamstop with device blocking software and a bank gambling block closes most of the remaining gaps.

Signs worth taking seriously

Harm rarely announces itself. It usually shows up first in the ordinary details of a week — and it is much easier to act on early than late.

• Staking more than you planned, or more than you can comfortably lose, and adjusting the plan afterwards to fit.
• Gambling to win back losses, or gambling for longer after a loss than after a win.
• Using money set aside for bills, rent or food, or borrowing to gamble.
• Hiding how much you gamble, or being vague about it when asked directly.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you cannot gamble, or relieved rather than entertained when you can.
• Gambling to escape stress, boredom, loneliness or low mood rather than for enjoyment.
• Missing work, sleep or time with people because of gambling.

If several of those look familiar, GambleAware's gambling harms self-assessment takes a few minutes and is anonymous, and the National Gambling Helpline will talk it through with you without judgement.

Two things that are simply not true

Both come up constantly, and both cost people money.

Machines are not "due". Slot outcomes are produced independently of each other. A game that has not paid out for hours is no more likely to pay out on the next spin, and one that has just paid out is no less likely to. There is no pattern to read, no warm or cold streak, and no timing that improves your position.

Gambling is not a way to fix money problems. Every game here is designed to return less than it takes over time, so using it to solve a shortfall reliably makes the shortfall worse. If debt is the pressure, free independent debt advice is available in the UK — and dealing with that is a completely different problem from gambling.

If you are worried about someone else

You do not need the gambler's permission to get support. GamCare works with family members and friends in their own right, and GambleAware publishes advice on how to raise it, how to protect joint finances, and what help exists locally. If you share a household with someone who is trying to stop, you can also register with Gamstop yourself so that your details cannot be used to open an account.