GamStop UK National Self-Exclusion Scheme Reports Growing Registered User Base

GamStop, the UK's National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme operated by the National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited (NOSES), continued to expand its registered user base throughout 2023. GamStop is a free service that allows any person in Great Britain to self-exclude from all UKGC-licensed online gambling operators simultaneously through a single registration — removing the need to contact dozens of individual operators separately.

GamStop became mandatory for all UK Gambling Commission-licensed online operators in May 2020. Before the mandatory integration, individual operators ran their own self-exclusion systems, meaning a player who excluded from one operator could often simply move to another licensed site. The national scheme creates a single point of exclusion that applies across the entire licensed online market simultaneously.

Self-exclusion periods on GamStop are available at three durations: 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Players can also register for a permanent self-exclusion. Once registered, players cannot access any UKGC-licensed online casino, sportsbook, bingo, or poker site from their registered email address or through other identification. Operators are required to match registrations against the GamStop database and block registered customers.

GamStop's registration process requires basic personal information (name, email address, date of birth, and partial postcode) and is completed online at gamstop.co.uk or through a telephone registration. The scheme is offered free of charge to players, with its costs funded through charges levied on UKGC-licensed operators.

A significant limitation of GamStop is that it only covers UKGC-licensed operators. Unlicensed offshore gambling sites — which are easily accessible from the UK despite UKGC not licensing them — are outside the scheme's scope. Problem gambling charities and research groups have consistently highlighted this gap, noting that some problem gamblers who self-exclude through GamStop migrate to unlicensed alternatives. The gambling reform discussions in 2023 included debate about strengthening enforcement against unlicensed sites accessible to UK players.