The controls, and how to use them

GamStop, step by step

GamStop is the national self-exclusion scheme, and it's the single most effective tool if you want a clean break from online gambling. You register on the GamStop site with your name, date of birth, address, email and phone number, then choose a minimum period: six months, one year or five years.

Once it's active, every operator licensed in Great Britain is required to stop you opening or using an account for that period. It can take up to 24 hours to take full effect across all sites, and it can't be undone early — that's the point of it. When the period ends, the block stays in place until you actively ask to remove it, with a further cooling-off wait.

Deposit limits

Set on the operator's own site, deposit limits cap what you can pay in per day, week or month. Cutting a limit applies almost immediately; increasing one carries a delay so a heated moment can't translate into a bigger commitment on the spot. Setting a limit you're comfortable with on day one is the easiest habit to build.

Time-outs and reality checks

A time-out is a short, fixed lock on your account — anywhere from a single day to six weeks — for when you just need to stop for a bit. Reality checks are the quieter tool: a pop-up at an interval you choose that tells you how long you've been playing, which is surprisingly effective at breaking the auto-pilot of back-to-back spins.

Self-exclusion on a single site

If your concern is one particular operator rather than gambling generally, you can self-exclude from that site alone for six months or more. It's narrower than GamStop, but quicker to set up if you only play in one place.

Where to get help alongside the tools

Tools handle access; people handle the rest. GamCare runs the free National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, around the clock, and BeGambleAware offers free, confidential advice and a route into treatment. You can reach GamStop directly to start a self-exclusion.