Responsible Gambling
This site covers casinos that are not connected to GamStop, which means the usual safety net is not there. This page is about what replaces it, and where to get help if the answer is that you need some.
Get help now
If gambling has stopped being something you control, these services are free, confidential and independent of any operator or of us.
- GamCare, National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133. Open 24 hours a day, every day. Free from UK landlines and mobiles, with live chat also available.
- GamCare treatment services. Free structured treatment and counselling across Great Britain, arranged through the helpline.
- Gamblers Anonymous. Peer support meetings in person and online, across the UK.
- GamAnon. Support for family members and partners affected by somebody else's gambling.
- NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic. Specialist NHS treatment, by referral or self referral depending on your area.
- Samaritans: 116 123. Free, 24 hours, if things have reached the point where you need to talk to somebody now.
Why GamStop does not cover these sites
GamStop is the national self exclusion scheme for operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Registering with it blocks you from every British licensed gambling site for the period you choose. It works by being a condition of that licence, which is precisely why it has no reach over operators licensed elsewhere.
The casinos covered on this site hold licences outside Great Britain. They do not query the GamStop register, so a GamStop registration does not stop you opening an account with them. If you registered with GamStop in order to stop, that gap is the thing to plan around rather than the thing to use.
Control tools that still work
Because these operators will not enforce an exclusion for you, the effective tools are the ones that sit on your device or with your bank.
- BetBlocker. Free, registered charity, blocks tens of thousands of gambling sites across all your devices including ones outside the UK. Once a restriction period is set it cannot be undone by you until it expires, which is the point.
- Gamban. Paid software covering the same ground, blocking gambling sites and apps at the device level regardless of where the operator is licensed. Often provided free through GamCare treatment.
- Bank gambling blocks. Most UK banks and app based accounts can block gambling transactions on your card, usually with a cooling off delay before the block can be lifted. This works on offshore operators because it stops the payment rather than the site.
- Operator side limits. Many of the casinos we list do offer deposit, loss and session limits. They are voluntary and the operator will not chase you about them, so set them when you open the account rather than after a bad session.
- Removing stored payment methods. Small friction, but the gap between deciding to deposit and being able to is where a lot of decisions get reconsidered.
Warning signs worth taking seriously
These are the patterns that tend to appear before somebody describes themselves as having a problem, and the ones people most often explain away.
- Gambling with money set aside for something else, or gambling with borrowed money
- Increasing stakes to feel the same interest, or chasing a loss to get back to level
- Playing longer than intended, repeatedly, and being surprised by the time
- Hiding how much you play or how much you have lost from people close to you
- Feeling irritable or restless when you cannot play
- Looking for a way past a block you set for yourself
That last one deserves saying plainly, because it is specific to this corner of the market. Searching for casinos outside GamStop when you are registered with GamStop is itself a warning sign, and it is a common reason people arrive at pages like ours. If that is why you are here, the most useful thing on this page is the helpline number rather than the shortlist.
Practical habits if you do play
Decide the amount before you start and treat it as spent rather than invested. Keep gambling money separate from money you need. Set a time limit as well as a money limit, since sessions stretch more easily than budgets. Do not gamble to recover a loss, because the loss and the next bet are unconnected. Do not gamble while drinking or while upset. Take the deposit limits an operator offers even when you feel you do not need them.
Understand also that the house edge is not a rumour. Slots return a set percentage over very large numbers of spins, and no staking pattern changes it. A welcome bonus does not change it either, as the wagering arithmetic on our new non GamStop casinos page shows.
Protecting people under 18
Gambling is illegal in the United Kingdom for anyone under 18. If children use your devices, filtering software such as BetBlocker, Net Nanny or your operating system's parental controls will block gambling sites, and it is worth not storing payment details in a browser that a child can reach.
If somebody else's gambling is the problem
GamCare's helpline supports affected family members as well as gamblers, and GamAnon runs peer support specifically for relatives and partners. Practical steps that help: do not take on their debts, do not lend money, keep your own accounts separate, and encourage contact with the helpline rather than trying to manage it alone. You are not responsible for fixing it and you do not have to carry it quietly.