How long does Gamstop last? It lasts for the minimum period chosen at registration, which is six months, one year, five years or five years with auto-renewal, and it cannot be cancelled during that period. When the period ends, the exclusion does not lift on its own. Under Gamstop’s terms, last updated on 20 May 2026, it stays in place until the person asks Gamstop to remove it, for up to a further seven years.
This guide sets out, as at 9 October 2026, how the four periods work, what Gamstop blocks and what it does not, what happens when a period ends, and how self-exclusion works in betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades.
If gambling is causing harm to you or someone close to you, the National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, offers free and confidential support on 0808 8020 133. More options are collected in this guide to free gambling support in Great Britain.
What is Gamstop, and who can register?
Gamstop Online is a free service that blocks you from signing up for or using online gambling accounts with companies licensed in Great Britain. Anyone who lives in the UK can register, including people in Northern Ireland. The scheme is run by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, and every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain has to take part.
That last point is a licence condition. The Gambling Commission wrote on 3 April 2020 that online operators had been told in January of that year that taking part in Gamstop by 31 March was a requirement of their licence conditions.
A person in Northern Ireland registers in the same way as anyone else in the UK. The block still applies only to operators licensed in Great Britain. Registration follows four steps:
- Gather the details Gamstop asks for: your name, date of birth, email address, mobile phone number and postal address.
- Give those details so that Gamstop can confirm who you are.
- Choose one of the four exclusion periods described below.
- Keep your details up to date afterwards, as Gamstop advises, so that the block can keep protecting you.
The Gamstop pages consulted for this guide do not say how quickly a registration takes effect. Gamstop itself is the place to check the start date.
How long does Gamstop last?
A Gamstop exclusion lasts for the minimum exclusion period chosen at registration: six months, one year, five years or five years with auto-renewal. Gamstop does not offer a lifetime option or any period shorter than six months. The table below shows what happens in each case.
| Option | Cancel during the period? | At the end of the period |
|---|---|---|
| Six months | No | Continues until removed |
| One year | No | Continues until removed |
| Five years | No | Continues until removed |
| Five years with auto-renewal | No | A new five-year period begins |
Auto-renewal needs a closer look, because it works differently from the other three options. When the five-year period ends, Gamstop’s terms say a new five-year minimum exclusion period begins automatically. The terms say this continues for four further five-year periods, or until auto-renewal is switched off in the person’s Gamstop account. It can only be switched off during the last six months of a five-year period. A choice made at registration can therefore run well beyond the first five years.
Gamstop reported 614,738 people on Gamstop Online in data published on 16 July 2026. More than one in two had chosen a five-year period and one in four a six-month period, while 38% of under-25s had chosen six months. Sign-ups in the first half of 2026 were 16% higher than a year earlier, and 26% higher among under-25s.
Can you cancel Gamstop before the period ends?
No. Gamstop says that once you have registered, you cannot cancel your registration during the exclusion period, and its terms say an exclusion cannot be deactivated until the minimum exclusion period has ended. That applies to all four options.
Gamstop’s About page puts it in one sentence: “Once you’ve registered, you cannot cancel your registration during the exclusion period.”
A shorter break is possible only outside Gamstop. A licensed operator must offer a timeout facility on its own site, with choices of 24 hours, one week or one month, or another period of up to six weeks if the customer reasonably asks for one.
What does Gamstop block, and what does it not?
Gamstop blocks online gambling accounts with companies licensed in Great Britain. Those companies check with Gamstop when someone tries to register or log in, so an exclusion also stops play on accounts that already exist. It does not cover gambling in venues, and it cannot stop access to operators outside the scheme.
Gamstop states that it only stops access to online gambling websites and apps. Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades need their own schemes, which are covered later in this guide.
The National Lottery is split. Its draw games, including Lotto and EuroMillions, are not covered by Gamstop Online, but its online instant win games, including online scratchcards, are covered.
A site that advertises itself as outside Gamstop is, by that description, outside a scheme that every Great Britain licensed operator must join, and so it usually holds no Gambling Commission licence. What you lose without a licence is the framework around the account: the commission’s rules, a complaints process that can end with an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, and any link to Gamstop. Gamstop’s terms add that it cannot help with gambling services run outside the scheme, and that it cannot guarantee that an exclusion will always result in access being denied. The commission’s own pages explain what a Gambling Commission licence covers.
What happens to the money in an account when someone self-excludes? The commission’s guidance, last updated on 27 March 2026, is direct: “The gambling business must close your account and return any money in your account to you.” It continues: “It must also remove your name and details from any marketing databases it uses.” Gamstop notes that how funds are returned depends on the operator, so a question about a balance goes to each operator in turn.
What happens when your Gamstop exclusion ends?
Nothing changes on the day the period ends. Under Gamstop’s terms the exclusion is not removed automatically: it continues for up to a further seven years and is then deactivated. With auto-renewal, a new five-year period begins instead.
Two Gamstop pages word this differently. The About page says the exclusion stays in place after the end of the chosen period unless the person chooses to remove it by contacting Gamstop. The terms add the limit, saying the exclusion will continue for up to a further seven years from the date the chosen period ends and will be deactivated once that period ends. The safe reading is the combined one. The exclusion does not end on its own, and it stays in place until you ask Gamstop to remove it, for up to seven more years.
A person who wants the exclusion to carry on can extend it. According to the terms, an extension of a further six months, one year or five years can be requested through the Gamstop account or the contact centre.
For anyone considering removal, the safeguards are worth knowing before the date arrives. Removal is requested through the Gamstop contact centre, and only after the minimum period has ended. The terms say Gamstop will not deactivate an exclusion within a minimum 24-hour cooling-off period, and the exclusion stays in force throughout it. After that, gambling companies need time to update their records. Gamstop says it cannot guarantee that all gambling companies will remove the block from their sites. Its terms also say that for seven years after an exclusion ends Gamstop informs operators that the person was previously self-excluded.
Returning to gambling is a decision with money attached, so it can help to talk it through first. The National Gambling Helpline, on 0808 8020 133, offers free and confidential support, whichever way the decision is leaning.
Self-exclusion from betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades
Gamstop does not cover land-based gambling. Each type of venue has its own free multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, and according to the commission’s page, updated on 7 September 2026, these schemes “allow you to make a single request to self-exclude from the same type of land-based gambling within your area.”
The general route is the same for every venue type:
- Decide which types of venue to exclude from: betting shops, casinos, bingo premises or arcades.
- Find the scheme for each type in the table below.
- Apply in the way that scheme offers, by phone, in person at a venue or by an email form.
- Repeat for every other type of venue, because one scheme does not cover another.
| Scheme | Where it applies | How to apply | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gamstop Betting Shops | Betting shops in Great Britain | Phone 0800 294 2060 (free) | Fixed term of 12 months |
| SENSE | Licensed casinos in Great Britain | In person at a casino, or by email form | Six months minimum, up to five years |
| Bingo Association | Licensed bingo premises in Great Britain | In person, or by phone to the premises | Check with the scheme |
| BACTA | Adult gaming centres, high street arcades, motorway services | In person; advice on 01482 441 142, option 1 | Check with the scheme |
| SmartEXCLUSION | Adult gaming centres, motorway services, holiday parks | In the venue, or call 01482 441 142, option 1 | Check with the scheme |
Gamstop Betting Shops is a telephone service, and its site refers to a fixed term of 12 months, after which a wish to return to gambling is recorded subject to a 24-hour cooling-off period. SENSE says a request for a lifelong period will be rejected. After the period, a SENSE exclusion continues until removal is requested in person with a casino manager, and even then it is for the casino operator to decide whether the person may gamble again.
The commission’s page does not state how long exclusions last for the bingo and arcade schemes, so the scheme itself is the place to ask. The schemes listed by the commission cover Great Britain, and its page does not mention Northern Ireland.
Beyond Gamstop: other safeguards, and who to call
However long Gamstop lasts, it is one layer among several. A person can ask a licensed operator directly to self-exclude, use the operator’s timeout tools, or block gambling at the bank. The commission notes, on a page last updated on 12 November 2024, that many banks allow customers to block gambling payments from an account and that blocking software can be downloaded onto devices.
If gambling is causing harm, the National Gambling Helpline offers free and confidential support on 0808 8020 133, with live chat and WhatsApp also available through GamCare’s contact page. A lapse during an exclusion is a reason to seek support, not a reason to stop looking for it. For the signs that gambling is becoming harmful, see this guide to signs of gambling harm and where to get help.
This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.
Questions people ask about Gamstop
How long does Gamstop last?
For the minimum period chosen at registration: six months, one year, five years or five years with auto-renewal. It cannot be cancelled during that period, and it does not end on its own afterwards. Under Gamstop’s terms the exclusion stays in place until the person asks for removal, for up to seven more years.
Can you register with Gamstop for life?
No. Gamstop offers six months, one year, five years or five years with auto-renewal, and it does not offer a lifetime option. Auto-renewal starts a new five-year period each time one ends, for four further periods, unless it is switched off during the last six months of a period.
Does Gamstop end automatically?
No. Gamstop says an exclusion stays in place after the chosen period unless the person asks to remove it. Its terms add that the exclusion continues for up to a further seven years from the date the chosen period ends and is then deactivated, so the end of the chosen period is not the end of the exclusion.
Does Gamstop cover betting shops and casinos?
No. Gamstop Online blocks online gambling only. Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls and arcades each have their own scheme, such as Gamstop Betting Shops for bookmakers and SENSE for licensed casinos in Great Britain. A request to one scheme does not cover the others.
Does Gamstop stop you playing the National Lottery?
Only in part. The National Lottery’s draw games, including Lotto and EuroMillions, are not covered by Gamstop Online. Its online instant win games, including online scratchcards, are covered.
Can you use Gamstop if you live in Northern Ireland?
Yes. Gamstop Online is open to people who live in the UK, including Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The block applies to operators licensed in Great Britain, so it covers the same sites as it does for anyone else and does not reach sites outside that licensing system.
What happens to money left in your gambling accounts?
The commission says a gambling business must close the account and return any money in it. Gamstop adds that how funds are returned depends on the operator, so a balance query goes to each operator. The business must also remove the person’s name and details from its marketing databases.
Can you extend a Gamstop exclusion?
Yes, at the end of the minimum exclusion period. Gamstop’s terms allow an extension for a further six months, one year or five years, requested through the Gamstop account or the contact centre. An extension is the opposite of removal: the exclusion simply carries on.
Sources
All pages were read on 9 October 2026 unless a different date is given.
- Gamstop: What is Gamstop Online? (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: Terms of use (last updated 20 May 2026, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: About (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: How does Gamstop Online work? (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: Will I still be able to play the National Lottery? (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: I have removed my exclusion. Why can’t I gamble? (19 November 2025, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: Why haven’t my account balances been returned? (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop: Biannual data 2026 (16 July 2026, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: Self-exclusion (last updated 27 March 2026, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: Free multi-operator and national self-exclusion schemes (last updated 7 September 2026, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: Two operators’ licences suspended for failure to participate in Gamstop (3 April 2020, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: Remote time out facility (accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gambling Commission: View your playing history and restrict or block gambling activity (last updated 12 November 2024, accessed 9 October 2026)
- Gamstop Betting Shops (accessed 9 October 2026)
- SENSE self-exclusion (accessed 9 October 2026)
- GamCare: Talk to us now (accessed 9 October 2026)