There are plenty of online casinos not on Gamstop. But we strongly recommend that you DO NOT play at a non Gamstop casino.
Why? Because Gamstop is the UK’s national self-exclusion program for online gambling – backed by the UK Gambling Commission. Gamstop is there to help protect British players. Playing at a casino without it would mean you are not protected.
At Casino Professor, player safety is extremely important. Therefore, we make sure that all sites on our UK online casinos list have joined Gamstop before listing them. We do not list casinos not under Gamstop to our UK readers.
Gambling sites with Gamstop
Gamstop is the main self-exclusion scheme for online gambling in the UK. As of January 2020, the Gambling Commission made it compulsory for all casino, betting, and online gambling operators to join Gamstop from March 2020 onwards. This means that all non-Gamstop casinos in the UK are operating illegally.
Any operators or casinos not on Gamstop that had a UK licence prior to these new rules were forced to implement this self-exclusion within their system. Any operators that failed have their licences revoked (which has happened before).
What do gambling sites with Gamstop have to do?
They must work with the service to try and ensure that no person who has self-excluded is then allowed to gamble online within the specified time period of exclusion.
So this is why all licenced sites in Great Britain need to follow online casino verification UK procedures. This allows each site to verify your identity when you try to sign up. They must check the Gamstop register to see if your details match. If they do, you will be prevented from signing up.
View all participating companies.
UK casinos not on Gamstop
Since it is mandatory for a licensed casino site to be on Gamstop, there aren’t any legit UK casinos not on Gamstop.
But are there gambling websites that accept players from the UK that aren’t on Gamstop? For sure there is. But these casinos are usually licensed by Curacao, or other offshore countries – so are operating without a valid UK license. They don’t provide the same level of protection for players. So make sure to avoid them.
The hard part is that many of these sites have the same features as licensed casinos. For example, the same slots & games, bonuses, and payment methods to an extent are available. Here are a few examples.
Megaways slots not on Gamstop
Slot machines are the most played type of casino game. However, there are different types. For example, there’s Megaways slots which have become very popular.
As non-Gamstop casinos know this, they will offer Megaways slots to try and entice players to sign up and play. But the player protections afforded by the Gambling Commission aren’t there. So they are best avoided.
No deposit bonus not on Gamstop
Some sites give out a bonus for signing up. That’s called a no deposit bonus.
A few casinos not under Gamstop will offer no deposit bonuses for new players. Don’t be enticed by them.
Live casino not on Gamstop
You can now connect to video streams of live dealers. Unfortunately, this can be done at dodgy sites alongside legitimate ones.
So make sure to turn the stream off if the live casino is not on Gamstop.
Non Gamstop casinos PayPal
PayPal have always been strict about partnering with gambling sites. They only allow payments using their platform at legit gambling sites.
So you won’t find a PayPal casino not on Gamstop – as they will refuse to partner with them.
How to sign up with Gamstop
You can register for Gamstop at www.gamstop.co.uk. This will exclude you from online casinos and other gambling websites in the UK that you have already signed up to. It will also prevent you from signing up at other sites that you haven’t joined.
It should only take a few minutes to do – but you are asked to provide as much information as possible. Some of the details you will be asked for include:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Current address & postcode
- Any postcodes where you’ve lived previously
- All email addresses you’ve used
- All mobile phone numbers you’ve used
Don’t worry if you can’t remember everything – they just want as much information as possible to try and make the self-exclusion as solid as possible.
Once you have signed up, it can take up to 24 hours for the register to be updated. A confirmation email will be sent to you. An account will also be created which you can use to keep your details up to date (for example, if you move address or change mobile number).
Gamstop is a completely free service. You just need to be a resident of the UK.
How long does Gamstop last?
You can choose how long you want to be prevented from using gambling websites licensed in the UK. Currently, the time limits listed on Gamstop About are:
- 6 months
- 1 year
- 5 years
Choose how long you want to be prevented from gambling when you sign up.
Cancel Gamstop?
There is no way to cancel Gamstop once you have signed up. This is for your own protection to help prevent you from gambling again.
It’s also not possible to shorten the self-exclusion period once it’s been set. For example, if you choose 1 year then you can’t change that to 6 months later on.
Once the time period has elapsed, the ban will not be enforced. However, you can always sign up again to extend your self-exclusion.
How to withdraw from Gamstop sites after exclusion?
If you still have withdrawable funds in your account after you’ve self-excluded, you can request for these to be returned to you.
However, Gamstop is not able to help you with this. The withdrawal process may also differ for each gambling site. So you can contact them directly to make a withdrawal.
Customer support
If you wish to know more about Gamstop self-exclusion, their support is open every day from 8am to midnight. You can contact them by:
- Phone: 0800 138 6518
- Email: helpdesk@gamstop.co.uk
- Webchat: at Gamstop.co.uk
Does Gamstop affect my credit score?
No. According to the official Gamstop website, signing up to their service will not show on your credit file, affect your credit score, or damage your chances of getting a mortgage.
They might conduct a search using a credit reference agency when you sign up. This kind of “soft search” may be done to verify your identity. However, it is not visible to any other organisation.
Is my Gamstop data shared?
Gamstop will tell gambling companies if you have self-excluded. Of course, this is done to prevent you from being able to gamble if there’s a match. Aside from that, no other information will be routinely shared with gambling companies.
Gamstop will currently hold your information about file for 14 years after the minimum exclusion period has ended.