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Safer gambling tools

How GamStop and on-site limits work in practice

7 min read

Quick answer

Operator tools (deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks) apply to one account. GAMSTOP is a national self-exclusion that UK-licensed remote operators must honour. They stack: you can limit a site this afternoon and, if that is not enough, exclude across the licensed market. Unlicensed sites are outside GAMSTOP — which is one reason this comparison only lists UKGC-licensed domains.

Limit sliders and a house-shaped lock on a split field — Limits live on the account. GAMSTOP lives on your identity across licensees.

Tools on the operator

UK remote licence conditions require operators to give customers ways to control spend and time. The labels vary; the jobs do not.

Deposit limits. A ceiling per day, week or month. Lowering one is usually immediate; raising it often has a cooling-off delay.
Loss and session limits. Caps on net losses or on how long a session may run before the site interrupts you.
Reality checks. A timed prompt showing how long you have been logged in. Dismissing it does not reset the clock to zero in any useful sense.
Time-out. A short break — 24 hours, a week, a month — on that brand. It is not a nationwide exclusion.
Product blocks. Some brands let you switch off casino while leaving sports open, or the reverse. Useful only if you will actually honour it.

GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is the national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling licensed in Great Britain. You register with proof of identity. Minimum duration is six months; you can choose a year or five years. During an active exclusion, UK-licensed remote operators must refuse new accounts and block existing ones linked to you. It does not empty a balance by itself — pending withdrawals still follow the operator’s cash-out process — and it does not cover every website on the internet.

Rejoining after the minimum period is a deliberate request, not an automatic reopening. There is a further waiting period. If you are registering in distress, speak to GamCare as well; exclusion is a barrier, not a treatment plan.

This

Time-out on one brand

Stops you logging into that operator for a set spell. Sister sites on another licence remain open unless you close those too.

That

GAMSTOP exclusion

Applies across UK-licensed remote operators that participate — which, for Commission licensees, they must. It is the wider fence.

What this site cannot do

Reel Borough House cannot place a GAMSTOP exclusion, cannot set your deposit limit, and cannot see your account. We are a comparison publisher. If you are in a spiral, skip our forms. Use the operator’s responsible-gambling page, then GAMSTOP, then a person at GamCare or the NHS gambling-harm pathway.

Where the four links go

UK Gambling Commission — licensing, consumer information, how to complain about a licensee.
GAMSTOP — register a self-exclusion.
GamCare — advice, chat, treatment signposting, National Gambling Helpline.
GambleAware — commissioning of treatment and advice, including BeGambleAware.

The responsible gambling page collects warning signs and the same resources in one place.

Last updated 18 August 2026