For a UK betting or casino site to get a licence, it needs to meet a number of set criteria. Among those criteria, one of the most important is that it sign up to the United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s regulations on challenging problem gambling. The main one among those is that such sites must be members of Gamstop.
This raises certain issues for some bettors. Gamstop is a beneficial service for many people, providing self-exclusion from all of the UK’s betting sites at the click of a mouse. However, when you sign up for that self-exclusion, you commit to it for six months, a year, or five years. And when we say you commit to it, we mean that Gamstop will keep that exclusion in place, even if you decide you no longer want it.
But, is there a way around it?
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How to Cancel Gamstop Self Exclusion?
Naturally, this is an issue for some people, who end up wondering how to cancel Gamstop. They will email and phone the service itself, explaining that they want to end their exclusion, only to find that Gamstop will not play ball.
No matter how much you ask how to remove Gamstop, the answer will be the same. It’s not happening. Gamstop won’t let you. We’ll come to why that is later on, but just to clarify one more time, there is one answer to the question of how to reverse Gamstop.
You can’t.
Why are people wondering how to get around Gamstop?
People sign up to Gamstop because they are concerned that their betting is getting out of control. And when that is the case, it is perfectly reasonable to look for a solution through services like Gamstop. They’re excellent at what they do. They put in place a thorough and solid block that means you can’t sign on to all the usual sites to place a bet or play casino games. And that block stays in place. So if you feel tempted, even if you beg, you won’t be able to overturn it.
Why might you be wondering how to bypass Gamstop? Well, you might have signed up after a problematic spell of gambling, knowing that the only way to deal with a runaway gambling habit is to walk away for a prolonged break. You may have been in the middle of a difficult life experience where gamblng became like a crutch to get you through. You may have fallen into the habit of chasing losses, and needed to put a roadblock in place before you chased them down a road there was no coming back from. And with those bad times behind you, you might feel capable of betting without it becoming a millstone around your neck.
That being the case, you might remember that you were able to make that break thanks to Gamstop blocking you from all of the UK betting sites you used to frequent, and those you might have joined to get more free betting bonuses. And as grateful as you are for the help they provided, you now feel ready to bet safely again. But if you ask how to reverse Gamstop, you’ll come up against a brick wall. You can’t. It’s there, for as long as you agreed for it to be there.
Nobody can tell you how to reverse Gamstop
People may be annoyed at the idea that you can’t just remove the restrictions that Gamstop puts on your attempts to play at online casinos and bet at sportsbooks. But if you’re annoyed at Gamstop, don’t be. There’s a very good reason for their restrictions to be as they are.
Let’s say your compulsive need to gamble has gone away. This is true for a lot of people, because compulsive behaviour is often a response to negative situations. And once those situations are dealt with, the problem with compulsion can often go with them. So when you go to Gamstop and ask them to remove the restrictions, shouldn’t they say “great! We’re glad you’re doing better, just let us remove the block for you, it won’t take a moment!”?
Before you answer that, ask yourself another question. If you were someone with a continuing problem with compulsive gambling, and you really wanted to place a bet or play some slots, wouldn’t you claim that your issues were fixed, just to get your accounts unblocked? That’s exactly what people do to enable problem behaviours. So Gamstop are going to hear a lot of people saying “Yes, I’m fine now, you can remove the block”. And a lot of those people aren’t going to be telling the truth. So if the matter of how to remove Gamstop was as simple as just asking, a lot of people would be easily able to fall back into negative behaviours.
When you sign up to Gamstop, you sign up for a period of time. It can be six months; a year; or five years. And once that is in place, it is immovable. There is one genuine answer to how to cancel Gamstop: wait for your specified period to be ended, and then ask for the restriction to be discontinued. If Gamstop allowed this to be done any other way, they wouldn’t be doing what they are supposed to do. So that’s that, then. You can’t bypass Gamstop.
Or can you?
How people bypass Gamstop
Right back at the start, we mentioned that Gamstop works as a way of blocking people from playing at UKGC-licensed betting sites. And in that information is some helpful intelligence on how to bypass Gamstop. In fact, people use multiple means to do this, and below, we’re going to look at the good and the bad ways that people overcome the restrictions placed by Gamstop.
7 Tips on how to get around Gamstop
Use unlicensed betting sites
Signing up to Gamstop is essential for any UK betting site that wants to operate under a licence. But what if you bet at a site that doesn’t have a licence? Then you don’t need to worry about Gamstop.
The answer to that rhetorical question is that if you bet at a site that doesn’t have a licence, you will be at significant risk of losing everything you put into your account. Unlicensed casinos are illegal, and can be shut down at any moment: either by the casino itself, which has no particular incentive to abide by the law; or by the UKGC, which can force illegal casinos to stop operating. Either way, your account is gone, and quite probably all of your funds with it.
Use a VPN to bet abroad
We’re broadly familiar with the idea of using a VPN to access TV content from other countries, but of course their use is broader than that. Can they be a part of figuring out how to bypass Gamstop? The theory is that by pretending you are in another country, you can bet at bookmakers hosted in that country. For instance, if you hear of a good Norwegian bookie or casino, you may want to give that a try, but they probably won’t accept UK customers.
So you could use a VPN to spoof your IP and pretend you’re in Oslo. Will it work? Possibly, briefly, until the point where you need to prove your address, which you won’t be able to do because you aren’t there. Then they’ll check your IP and see it’s a generic one as used by VPNs, and the game is up. Again, your account is closed, and you are unlikely to see your money again.
Bet in a land-based location
Again, we pointed out that Gamstop blocks you from betting at UK betting sites, as in websites. It means that you can’t bet online, but its reach ends there. If you still want to bet and are prevented from doing so by Gamstop, then you could go to a nearby betting shop, or visit a casino, to place bets and play slots or table games.
There are issues with this, although it is one of the better alternatives to Gamstop sites. Among the issues is the fact that these things are hard to do casually. You can’t easily go to a betting shop on your lunchbreak at work, or visit a casino on a lazy weekend morning. And when you have to commit that kind of time and effort, there is always the danger of betting more to “make it worth your while”.
Use crypto sites
Among the less bad ideas as to how to reverse Gamstop, signing up to cryptocurrency-based casinos certainly has its merits, as many of the crypto casinos out there have some of the best new games. They also permit total anonymity and allow you to bet when you want, on what you want. In addition to this, they often have the best offers and promotions online. So why wouldn’t you want to bet at a crypto casino?
Well… Not everyone is into crypto or particularly understands how it works. Many of the main crypto brokers will ban you if you use your account to fund betting, which is also a drawback. And even if you’re an experienced crypto user and know your way around a crypto betting site, there is still the unavoidable fact that crypto experiences price fluctuations. In the time it takes to win big at a crypto slot, the price of your chosen coin could have fallen, wiping out any gains you have made.
Use a friend’s details
Some people actually do this, so let’s go through the cases for and against. When you are signed up to an online casino and then register with Gamstop, you will be blocked from playing there. That doesn’t mean that your friends or family are blocked, so why not use their details. A different name and date of birth, even at the same address, will usually allow you to register at bookies and casinos that have banned you due to Gamstop.
But let’s be clear. If you are wondering how to reverse Gamstop and you come up with “pretend to be someone else”, that’s a sign you need Gamstop more than ever. First of all, it’s fraud. Second of all, if you’re using someone else’s details, you have to use their payment methods. That’s all sorts of complicated, and if it goes wrong you can end up with more than just gambling as a problem. Our verdict: Never use someone else’s details to sign up to a bookmaker. Even if they’re OK with it, it’s as bad an idea as is humanly possible.
Run out the clock
So we all know you can’t break the Gamstop self-exclusion period, for any reason. That being the case, you could just … wait? If you self-excluded for six months and feel fine after three, why not give it a bit longer and see how you feel a month later? Then one more month? At that point, you’re nearly at the end of the self-exclusion period, so you might as well let it run.
This isn’t the worst idea. The absolute worst thing about it is that you may have to wait a while more to bet. But if your exclusion is for five years, and you’re comfortable with casual betting after three, then you have to go through that same block of time another nineteen times to get to the end of the exclusion period. It’s not really a solution except in very specific circumstances.
Give Non Gamstop sites a try
We go back, once again, to the point that Gamstop prevents you from betting online at UK-licensed sites. Now, we’ve already dealt with the loophole of betting at unlicensed sites (but if you need a refresher: NO. DON’T DO THIS). But there is also the possibility of betting at sites that don’t have a UK licence. If you’ve been wondering how to bypass Gamstop, this is the most reasonable way to do it.
The UK is not the only country in the world that issues licences to betting sites. In fact, only betting sites catering specifically for UK customers and with physical infrastructure in the UK can even apply for a UKGC licence. But there are other sites out there, some of which allow UK bettors to have accounts and make bets there, and they can be licensed anywhere. This isn’t a loophole, and it isn’t a hack. You can just bet at casinos that aren’t licensed in the UK. And this is the step we would recommend.
Misconceptions about avoiding or trying to reverse Gamstop
It’s easy to raise one’s eyebrows when the idea of how to get around Gamstop is mentioned. The idea of avoidance is enough to make some people feel that there is something to hide, something less than above board, about your actions. And this can lead to people making assumptions about why you are betting on non Gamstop sites. These are some of the things that may be mentioned if people hear about you finding out how to bypass Gamstop.
These casinos are somehow illegitimate
If you wanted to bet again, and were free of any compulsive issues, that’s fine. But why are you betting at offshore sites? That sounds like something a person does when they want to hide something. You can point out, in response to this argument, that as good as Gamstop is, it is sometimes like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. You’d happily bet at UK sites, given the option, but you don’t have that option, so it’s got to be overseas casinos.
Which, by the way, are fully licensed and trusted by the top game developers – who have some skin in the game. You’d better believe that the likes of NetEnt and Microgaming aren’t about to license their games to some fly-by-night casino that ignores the law.
You’re taking extreme steps to feed a gambling problem
There’s really nothing out of the ordinary about betting on a non Gamstop betting site. Plenty of people do it without even realising, or knowing what Gamstop is. They’re casinos aimed at an international audience including UK players. They’re not licensed in the UK because the restrictions placed on who can get a UK licence mean it’s not possible for them to get one – not just anyone can buy property in the UK to set up infrastructure. But why does a licence have to be from the UK to be acceptable?
You’re doing something illegal
It’s not illegal to bet at a casino based offshore. There are plenty of illegal betting sites in the world, and betting at them is problematic. But it is perfectly legal to choose to bet at a casino not based in the UK. Some of the licensing authorities used by offshore casinos are actually stricter on foul play than the UKGC. If the Gamstop self-exclusion periods were more staggered, rather than just six months, a year, or five years, then more people would just wait it out and then there wouldn’t be an issue. As it is, the action you are taking to allow you to bet is far less extreme than what some people do, as we covered above.
FAQ on how to remove Gamstop as a problem
Are there any UK casinos not on Gamstop?
There almost certainly are, but they’re not widely known, or known to us at all. We certainly couldn’t name them, because they operate illegally and don’t seek to attract any attention. The truth of the matter is, if you’re using a UK casino and it’s not on Gamstop, you are using an illegal casino. Signing up to Gamstop is an essential part of getting a UK betting licence. If you don’t have a licence, and are operating a casino in the UK, then you’re breaking the law. It’s really that simple, and this is why you should avoid UK casinos not on Gamstop.
I signed up to Gamstop and can still bet. Is this normal?
No, Gamstop usually works pretty well and very widely. If you can still bet at a UK site that is on Gamstop, then there’s been an error somewhere, but there’s no way from here to know what the error is. Gamstop do acknowledge that sometimes, things can fall through the cracks and your self-exclusion can fail. Their response to this issue is to point out that you shouldn’t be trying to bet if you are self-excluding, but in the main, an exclusion will usually be 100% secure.
My Gamstop self-exclusion ended and I still can’t bet. Why?
It’s not always made clear how to reverse Gamstop when the period ends, but for clarity, once the period is over, your accounts will not unblock automatically. You will need to contact Gamstop and say that, with your exclusion period now over, you would like the block to be removed. They will then take the action to do so. Without you asking for this to be done, however, your exclusion will continue for another seven years before automatically expiring.
Can I trust Non Gamstop betting sites?
As much as you can trust anything that is run by humans, who make mistakes. No-one can say without caveat that you can trust this or that site not to let you down. Sometimes there will be errors. Sometimes the responses to those errors will be unsatisfactory. Sometimes, when you chase that up with the licensing authority, you’ll get nowhere fast. But if you’ve found out how to bypass Gamstop and are betting at a recommended casino or sportsbook, you are betting as safely as can reasonably be guaranteed. Unlicensed casinos are the ones that can’t be trusted.
Does Gamstop have a cooling-off period?
No. If you’re thinking of how to cancel Gamstop and land on the idea that “Sorry, I made that decision in haste”, then just think about how that sounds to Gamstop. You impulsively made the decision to not bet online, but now you’ve thought about it, you don’t have a problem? This isn’t a jetski you’ve bought on a whim, distance selling regulations do not apply, and if you accepted the terms of your exclusion at the time – as you will have done, if you’re now excluded – then you cannot reverse that acceptance. People who are genuinely addicted to betting need help, and letting them return to bookmakers because they googled “How to remove Gamstop” wouldn’t be helping them.
Will Gamstop work if I change my name and address?
We need to take this question in stages. First of all, if you can give a different address legitimately – because you sometimes stay with family in another place – then you will realistically still be blocked, because you need to give (and prove) a date of birth to register with a betting site. If you give a false address, that can be checked, and if proven, it is fraud. If you give a different name? Well, what are we asking here? Have you changed your name officially (as you will need to do, to open a betting account in that name)? If so, ask yourself this: Does changing your name and address to get around self-exclusion sound like the action of someone who doesn’t need help with a gambling problem?
What if I only want to bet at UK casinos?
Then, to be frank, you’re going to need to wait for your exclusion to expire. That’s the trade-off here – you can absolutely bet while you’re self-excluded by Gamstop, but it won’t be at UK betting sites. And get used to that, by the way, because betting sites can restrict you whenever they want, for however long they want, for whatever reason they want. So even when your exclusion ends, they can – and it’s not unheard of for them to do this – refuse to accept you as a customer if you’ve self-excluded before. Is that fair? Probably not. Is it legal? Yes, completely.
Where are Non Gamstop casinos licensed?
In theory, a casino not on Gamstop is any casino that doesn’t sign up to the program, so pretty much anywhere. But in the main, the casinos you will be able to bet at once you’re on the Gamstop program are licensed in a few different jurisdictions. Most commonly, they tend to be in Curacao, which has a noted eGaming authority that issues licences to casinos all over the world. It may also be the case that they are licensed in Malta. Many UK casinos are licensed in both the UK and Malta, which indicates the respect that many have for the Maltese licence. You are also liable to see licences from Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica and potentially the Canadian municipality of Kahnawake.
Conclusion
There are good and bad reasons people try to find out how to cancel Gamstop. And there are good and bad ways to put into practice how to get around Gamstop. If you’re in the middle of a self-exclusion period and cannot play at Gamstop casinos and betting sites, then it’s always going to be better to find the most legitimate ways to bet – and as we’ve shown, the best way to bypass Gamstop is to bet at reputable, licensed casinos based outside the UK.