Self-Excluding

Self-exclusion is when you exclude yourself from being able to access gambling activities either online or in person. If you feel your gambling behaviors are causing you harm you can choose to self-exclude from most forms of gambling.

There are multiple types of self-exclusion available and some people use the relevant service to which most of their gambling takes place on/in, whilst others will use all the services available at once to ensure the temptation to go back gambling is significantly reduced knowing access to it is severely limited.

Please find information below relating to different types of self-exclusion options available.

 

Cooling off periods

Most gambling operators give customers the option to suspend their account temporarily so they no longer have access – this is called a cooling off period. Colling off periods can last anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days. If you need to self–exclude for a longer period or permanently more services are available below. 

 

BANKS

Some banks in the UK allow an option to block gambling transactions.

You can find a full list of the banks and service they offer here.

 

Gamstop

Gamstop offers you the opportunity to self-exclude from all UK licensed online gambling companies all under one roof. If you sign up to Gamstop which is completely free, you will be blanket self-excluded from all UK online gambling operators for a period of your choosing from 6 months to 1 year to 5 years.

To sign up to Gamstop you will need to visit the Gamstop website, click on register and provide them with the following information

• Your current address and postcode and any postcodes you have lived at previously
• Your date of birth
• Any email addresses you currently use or have used in the past
• Any mobile numbers you currently use or have used in the past

 

Gamban

Gamban is a self- exclusion scheme which Block access to over 60,000 gambling websites and apps worldwide and is free to UK residents. The software is regularly updated and has a bunch of help resources to help reduce gambling harms.

 

Moses

Moses is a self-exclusion service for multiple betting shops.

If your gambling is mainly done inside betting shops and you feel you want to stop, this is a great service to use. To register for Moses you will need to ring them free on 0800 294 2060, they will take a note of where you gamble most often and create an area around that tailored to your needs to self-exclude from betting shops within that area.

You will then need to send along a copy of a passport photo and a clear picture of you so they can circulate it in the betting shops.  The self-exclusion lasts for 1 year at the end of which you will need to phone Moses and renew should you require.

 

SENSE

Sense is a self-exclusion service for land based casino’s.

If you gamble in a land based casino and you feel you would like to take a break through exclusion or permanently you can register to SENSE to do that. There is a full list of participating casinos available on their website.

To register with SENSE you can register at any of the participating casinos.

If you do not wish to visit the casino to register you can request to join SENSE via email. You will need to download the enrolment for from their website and then fill it in and send it back to [email protected].

 

BACTA

If you find you are spending a lot of time and money in arcades (adult gaming centres) and you feel you need to have a break or permanently exclude you can do so through BACTA.

In the first instance you will need to self-exclude at your local arcade or the one you gamble in most often.

If you wish to self-exclude the member of staff will ask you for a few basic personal details and ask for your consent to those details being used to self-exclude you from the venue.  They will also take your photograph so other staff will know that you should not be allowed into the venue and will be able to identify you.

When you are providing details, the member of staff will explain that you will also be excluded from all Adult Gaming Centres within one kilometre of the venue from which you are excluding yourself currently.  The member of staff will also explain that if you wish to be self-excluded from another area or for a wider area that you will have to call BACTA Self-Exclusion Services on 020 3930 9769 Monday to Friday between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.

This self-exclusion is for a period of 6 or 12 months and after the period you chose has expired you will need to contact BACTA again to inform them otherwise the self-exclusion will remain for a further 6 months.

 

BISES

If you are worried about how much time or money you are spending in bingo halls then BISES is a service you can use to self-exclude.

The quickest way for a customer to request exclusion is to attend their local bingo club or licensed bingo premises, where a trained member of staff will be able to explain the scheme, undertake the interview, take a digital image and assist you in completing an online self-exclusion form which you will need to sign.

If you do not wish to sign up inside of the bingo hall, you can do this online, visit BISES website where you will fill in a form and a member of staff will contact you within two working days.

Self-exclusion from bingo halls with BISES is for a minimum of 6 months and if you want to end the self-exclusion after that you will need to contact them to do so.