Responsible Gambling

Gambling at sites outside the GamStop scheme can be an enjoyable experience, but it comes with a responsibility that sits entirely with you. This page sets out what responsible gambling looks like in practice, what warning signs to watch for, which tools and organisations can help, and how to set limits even at casinos not on GamStop — where some of the familiar UK safeguards work differently.

What Responsible Gambling Actually Means

Responsible gambling is not about gambling less — it is about gambling in a way that stays within your means, your time and your emotional limits. That means treating it as entertainment with a cost, rather than a way to generate income or recover losses.

A few principles that sit behind it:

• Only stake money you have already decided you can afford to lose entirely.
• Set a session time before you start, and stop when it ends — regardless of whether you are up or down.
• Never chase losses. A losing streak does not become a winning streak because you increase your stakes.
• Keep gambling separate from alcohol, stress or emotional lows, all of which affect judgement.
• Track what you spend. The figure in your head is almost always lower than the real one.

Recognising When Gambling Has Become a Problem

Problem gambling does not always look dramatic. It often builds gradually, and the people closest to it are usually the last to see it clearly. The following are recognised indicators:

• Spending more than you planned on a regular basis, not occasionally.
• Borrowing money, using credit, or dipping into savings earmarked for bills or essentials.
• Feeling irritable, anxious or depressed when you cannot gamble.
• Hiding your gambling activity from family or friends.
• Gambling to escape stress, low mood or personal difficulties.
• Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down or stop.
• Neglecting work, relationships or health because of time spent gambling.

Recognising one or two of these in yourself is not a diagnosis — but it is a reason to pause and use some of the tools below.

Self-Exclusion: GamStop and Beyond

GamStop is the UK's national self-exclusion register. Registering at gamstop.co.uk applies a block across all online gambling operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). You choose a minimum exclusion period of six months, one year or five years. During that period, you cannot reverse the block, and UKGC-licensed sites are required to refuse your registration and close any existing account.

Sites listed on Sites Not On Gamstop operate under licences issued outside the UK — typically from jurisdictions such as Curaçao, Malta or Gibraltar — and are therefore not connected to the GamStop register. This means a GamStop exclusion does not automatically apply to them. If you have self-excluded via GamStop and wish to extend that exclusion to non-GamStop sites, you need to use the tools each individual site provides.

How to Self-Exclude at Non-GamStop Casinos

1. Account settings: Most licensed offshore casinos include a responsible gambling or player safety section inside your account. Look for self-exclusion, cooling-off periods or deposit limits.
2. Customer support: If you cannot find the option yourself, contact the casino's live chat or email support and request a self-exclusion. Reputable operators will action this promptly and confirm it in writing.
3. Third-party blocking software: Tools such as Gamban, Betblocker and Gamblock operate at the device level and block access to gambling sites regardless of which licensing regime they fall under. Gamban is paid; Betblocker is free.
4. Bank controls: Most major UK banks now allow you to block gambling transactions from within their app. This is a practical and immediate step that works across all sites.

Tools You Can Use Right Now

You do not need to identify as having a problem to use these. They exist to help anyone keep gambling within limits they are comfortable with.

Support Organisations in the UK

All of the following services are free and confidential. You do not need to be in crisis to contact them — they support anyone who is worried about their own gambling or that of someone close to them.

• GamCare — gamcare.org.uk — the UK's leading support service for problem gambling. Free helpline: 0808 8020 133, available 24 hours a day.
• Gamblers Anonymous UK — gamblersanonymous.org.uk — a peer-support programme based on shared experience, with meetings across the UK.
• BeGambleAware — begambleaware.org — information, self-assessment tools and links to treatment services.
• Gordon Moody — gordonmoody.org.uk — residential and online treatment for people with severe gambling disorder.
• NHS Northern Gambling Service and NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic — free specialist NHS treatment; referral available through your GP.

Legal Standing and Age Restriction

You must be 18 or over to gamble on any site listed on Sites Not On Gamstop. By using this site and the casinos it covers, you confirm you meet that requirement. No exceptions apply, and reputable operators will ask for identity verification before processing withdrawals — sometimes before allowing play.

The casinos reviewed on Sites Not On Gamstop hold licences issued by regulators outside the UK. Playing at them as a UK resident is not prohibited by law, but it does mean the UKGC's consumer protections — mandatory self-exclusion via GamStop, complaints escalation to the UKGC, and the requirement for operators to carry out affordability checks — do not apply in the same way they do at UKGC-licensed sites. That places a greater responsibility on you to use the tools described on this page and to choose sites that have their own responsible gambling infrastructure in place.

For a fuller comparison of what differs between offshore and UK-licensed operators, see our overview of non-GamStop casinos.

How to Keep Gambling Enjoyable

Most people who gamble do so without difficulty. These habits help keep it that way:

1. Decide your budget before you open the site — not after you have logged in.
2. Use deposit limits as a hard cap, not a guide. If you reach it, stop.
3. Take regular breaks. Step away from the screen every hour, at minimum.
4. Balance gambling with other leisure activities. If it is the only thing you look forward to, that is worth noting.
5. Review your spending monthly, the way you would any other leisure budget.
6. If someone close to you raises a concern, listen before dismissing it.

If You Are Worried About Someone Else

Concern for a friend or family member is one of the most common reasons people contact GamCare. You cannot force someone to address a gambling problem, but you can avoid enabling it — for example, by not lending money without understanding what it is for — and you can express concern clearly and without judgement. GamCare's helpline supports people affected by someone else's gambling, not only gamblers themselves.

If you have questions about how Sites Not On Gamstop operates or the information on this page, you can reach us via the contact page. Our terms and conditions set out this site's full scope and limitations.