Gambling self-exclusion by country: official schemes and how to sign up

Gambling self-exclusion means adding your name to an official register that forces licensed gambling companies to lock you out: existing accounts are closed or suspended, new sign-ups are refused, and in many countries direct marketing has to stop too. Most regulated markets now run one national scheme that covers every licensed operator at once: GAMSTOP in the UK, Spelpaus in Sweden, ROFUS in Denmark, OASIS in Germany, Cruks in the Netherlands, BetStop in Australia. Registration is free in every country in this guide and usually takes 5–10 minutes online.

One limit to understand before you register: self-exclusion binds only operators licensed in that country. Unlicensed offshore sites ignore it completely, which is why every scheme below works best paired with blocking software on your devices. Find your country in the table, follow the official link (all links verified September 2026), and register today, then add the second layer.

What self-exclusion does — and what it doesn't

When you join a national register, every operator licensed in that country must check it before letting anyone open an account, log in, or deposit. The check is automatic and legally enforced: in Sweden, operators must screen against Spelpaus at every login; in Ontario, a site that lets a self-excluded person bet risks losing its license. Several schemes (Spelpaus, ROFUS, BetStop) also require operators to stop sending you promotional email and texts.

Just as useful is knowing what self-exclusion is not:

• Not a website blocker. Gambling sites still load in your browser; the scheme stops licensed companies from serving you, not your phone from showing them.
• Not international. GAMSTOP does nothing in Germany; OASIS does nothing in the UK. Each register covers one country's licensees only.
• Not binding on offshore sites. Casinos licensed nowhere, or in loosely regulated jurisdictions, will happily take your money while you are self-excluded at home.
• Not the same as an operator's own "take a break" tool. Those cover one company; a national scheme covers all of them at once.
• Not treatment. It removes access, which buys you time and space; the urge itself responds better to counselling and peer support.

Because of the first three points, people who get the most out of self-exclusion stack three layers: the national register, blocking software to catch what the register can't, and a gambling block on their bank card (most major UK, Australian, and many US and EU banks offer one in the app). Each layer covers the others' gaps.

National self-exclusion schemes at a glance

Europe

United Kingdom: GAMSTOP, MOSES, and SENSE

GAMSTOP covers every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain: participation is mandatory for operators. You register online in minutes and choose 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years; when the period ends, the block stays in place until you actively ask GAMSTOP to remove it, so lapsing back in "by accident" is hard. For land-based gambling there are two separate schemes: GamStop Betting Shops (formerly MOSES) excludes you from bookmaker shops with one call to 0800 294 2060 for 12 months, and SENSE covers land-based casinos; enrol in person at any participating casino.

Ireland: GRAI register rolling out

Ireland's Gambling Regulation Act 2024 created a new regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), operational since March 2025, and a National Gambling Exclusion Register modelled on GAMSTOP that all licensed operators must join. The register is tied to the licensing rollout, which continued through 2026; as of September 2026 public registration had not yet opened, so check grai.ie for the current position. Until it switches on, Irish readers are stuck with operator-by-operator exclusion, so pair it with device-level blocking to close the gap.

Sweden: Spelpaus

Spelpaus.se, run by the regulator Spelinspektionen, blocks all Swedish-licensed gambling — online casino, betting, bingo, lotteries, and land-based play, all with one BankID login. You choose 10 days, 1, 3, or 6 months, or "until further notice"; the open-ended option cannot be ended for at least 12 months. Nothing can be cancelled early, and licensed operators must stop sending you marketing.

Denmark: ROFUS

ROFUS, the Danish Gambling Authority's register, covers all licensed online gambling plus land-based casinos and betting shops. Options run from a 24-hour cooling-off to 1, 3, or 6 months, or permanent exclusion. Permanent registration can only be deleted after at least one year, and even then Denmark makes you confirm twice, the second time 7 to 30 days after the first. Registering also automatically opts you out of gambling advertising.

Germany: OASIS

Germany's OASIS Spielersperrsystem, administered by Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt, is one register for everything: online gambling, casinos, gaming halls, and sports betting shops. The minimum block is three months, and no block lapses on its own: lifting one always requires a formal application to RP Darmstadt after the term. You can apply fully online with a BundID account or by post, and a worried relative can request a third-party block (Fremdsperre) on your behalf.

Netherlands: Cruks

Cruks, run by the Kansspelautoriteit, covers all licensed online operators plus Holland Casino and slot arcades. Register with DigiD (a paper form exists for people without one) and choose your own duration with a hard minimum of six months, during which the block cannot be undone. Every licensed operator must check Cruks before letting you play.

Belgium: EPIS

Belgium's EPIS register, run by the Gaming Commission since 2004, is checked at the door of every casino, arcade, and betting operator, online and land-based. Apply with the Commission's ban form; the exclusion runs until you request its removal, and access only returns after a minimum three-month wait. A concerned partner or family member can also apply to have someone excluded.

France: interdiction volontaire de jeux (ANJ)

France's voluntary gambling ban is the strictest in Europe: it lasts a minimum of three years and renews automatically until you formally ask for removal. Request it fully online, with an identity check, at interdictiondejeux.anj.fr, the national regulator's portal. It covers casinos, gaming clubs, and all ANJ-licensed gambling sites, including FDJ and PMU online accounts, though not anonymous retail lottery and scratch tickets bought in shops.

Spain: RGIAJ

Spain's RGIAJ (General Register of Gaming Access Bans), managed by the DGOJ, blocks every Spanish-licensed online operator plus SELAE and ONCE lottery play with a registered account, and is shared with regional registers that govern land-based venues. Electronic registration takes effect immediately; the ban is indefinite, and you can request cancellation only after six months.

Italy: RUA

Italy's RUA (Registro Unico degli Autoesclusi), run by the customs and monopolies agency ADM, covers all licensed online gambling in one step: no bets, deposits, bonuses, or new accounts anywhere. Choose 30, 60, or 90 days, or an indefinite exclusion revocable after at least six months — and even then play only reopens seven days after the revocation request. Register through the ADM portal with SPID or via any licensed operator. Land-based halls are not covered.

Portugal: autoexclusão (SRIJ)

Portugal's regulator SRIJ handles autoexclusão for both online and land-based gambling. Since April 2026 a central online portal lets you exclude yourself from all licensed gambling sites in one request — a big improvement on the old per-operator process. Exclusions run a minimum of three months or indefinitely until you ask to return; exclusion from physical casinos and bingo halls also goes through SRIJ.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia: BetStop

BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register launched in August 2023, covers every licensed online and phone wagering service in Australia. Register once, for anywhere from 3 months to a lifetime; you can extend at any time but never shorten. Operators must close your betting accounts, refuse new ones, and stop all marketing. BetStop covers wagering only: for pokies in pubs, clubs, and casinos, use your state or territory's venue self-exclusion program.

New Zealand: Multi-Venue Exclusion

New Zealand has no national online register. What it does have is Multi-Venue Exclusion (MVE): with help from a free gambling-harm service such as Salvation Army Oasis or PGF Services, you exclude yourself from many pokie venues in your region at once instead of walking into each one. Under the Gambling Act 2003 you can ask any venue or casino to exclude you for up to two years, and entering while excluded is an offence for both you and the venue.

United States: state programs, not a national one

The US has no national self-exclusion scheme: gambling is regulated state by state, so exclusion works state by state too. Three examples of how it looks:

• New Jersey: the Division of Gaming Enforcement runs one request that covers all NJ online casinos and sportsbooks: one year or five years online, with a lifetime option when you enrol in person or by video call (which can also cover Atlantic City casinos).
• Pennsylvania: the Gaming Control Board runs four separate programs (casinos, iGaming, video gaming terminals, and fantasy contests) with online enrolment at responsibleplay.pa.gov; casino exclusions run one year, five years, or lifetime.
• Michigan: the Gaming Control Board offers internet gaming and online sports betting exclusion for 1 or 5 years (removed automatically at expiry) and a separate Disassociated Persons List for Detroit casinos, which you can apply to leave after five years.

If you live elsewhere, search your state's gaming commission or lottery plus "self-exclusion" — most states with legal casinos or online betting have a program, and individual casinos (including tribal properties) run their own. Our helplines directory lists the US problem gambling helpline, which can point you to your state's exact process.

Canada: province by province

Canada's programs are provincial. Ontario got a genuine one-stop tool in May 2026: BetGuard, run by iGaming Ontario, blocks all of the province's roughly 80 licensed gambling sites with one registration: 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or a custom term, no gambling account needed. OLG's own My PlayBreak covers its land-based casinos and OLG.ca for 3 or 6 months or 1 to 5 years. In British Columbia, BCLC's Game Break covers casinos and PlayNow.com for 6 months to 3 years, with GameSense advisors helping you enrol. Every other provincial lottery corporation runs something similar — ask at any casino service desk or your province's player-health site.

If your country has no national scheme

Plenty of countries — and every offshore site, wherever you live — sit outside these registers. You can still build most of the same protection yourself in one evening: install gambling-blocking software on every device, ask your bank to switch on its gambling transaction block, self-exclude directly with any operator where you hold an account, and hand a trusted person temporary oversight of your spending. None of these layers is perfect alone; together they catch most of what slips through.