A guide to gambling blocking tools

I'm Tracy Simpson, and this page covers the practical tools people use to make gambling harder to reach: GAMSTOP, blocks your bank can put on your card, and blocking software you install on your device. These tools can buy you breathing space. They don't fix the pattern underneath the gambling on their own, which is often where counselling comes in, alongside them rather than instead of them.

GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is a free self-exclusion scheme covering online gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain. You choose an exclusion period from 6 months up to 5 years, with the option to renew automatically so you don't have to register again when it ends. Registration needs some personal details to confirm your identity, and it's designed to be quick and easy.

Bank-level card blocks

Many UK banks and card providers let you switch on a gambling block for your card in their app, which stops gambling-related payments on that card. Not every provider offers this, and how it works varies, so check your own banking app or ask your provider directly. A card block only affects card payments, not cash withdrawals or transfers, so it works best alongside other tools, not alone.

Blocking software on your devices

These block gambling sites and apps at the device level, which can catch things a single-site self-exclusion won't.

BetBlocker is a free, charity-run tool that blocks a large number of gambling sites and apps across most major platforms, with no registration required.

Gamban is a paid app that blocks gambling sites and apps across major device platforms.

I'm naming these because they're real, available tools, not because I'm endorsing one over the other. Check the details yourself before choosing.

What these tools can't do

They make gambling harder to reach. They don't address why you're gambling in the first place. Most people find they work best alongside other support, not as a replacement for it, whether that's counselling, the support available to your family, or one of the free services listed on those pages.