Account limits serve another purpose

Blockers stop a screen reaching a site. Self-exclusion and payment controls work on the other side: the account that would be opened and the money that would move. They cover routes no browser, device or router can see, and they are the layer that still holds when a blocker is missing.

Smartphone face down beside a small lamp on a bedside table in a dark room — Late evening is when a pause between impulse and action matters most.

What self-exclusion does that a blocker cannot

GAMSTOP is the national online self-exclusion service for Great Britain. A person registers once, free of charge, and chooses a period of six months, one year or five years. Licensed online gambling operators serving Great Britain must then refuse registered people, close their accounts and stop sending them marketing. A registration cannot be shortened once it is made, which is part of its value.

Because the barrier sits with the operator, it works on a new phone, a friend's laptop or a public computer with no blocker installed. It acts on who you are, not on which device you use.

Three account-level controls

GAMSTOP: One registration that reaches licensed online operators in Great Britain. It does not reach unlicensed sites, and it does not cover land-based venues, which run their own separate schemes. The Gambling Commission publishes information on those.
Operator tools: Licensed operators offer deposit limits, time-outs and account closure on request. These apply to one operator at a time, so they are a useful pause rather than a wall.
Bank and card controls: Several UK banks, including Monzo and Starling Bank, have offered settings that block card payments to gambling merchants. Credit cards have not been usable for gambling in Great Britain since April 2020. Check your own bank's app for the current options.

How the layers complement each other

Blockers reduce how easy a site is to open. Account controls reduce what an open site can do. Together they cover each other's weak points: a blocker on the laptop does nothing about a phone, while self-exclusion works on both, and a card control holds even if an unlicensed site is reached.

A first-week sequence

Register with GAMSTOP and choose a period you will not want to shorten.
Ask your bank about a gambling block on cards, and switch it on in the app.
Ask any operator you still use to close your account, and keep the confirmation.
Add the device-level and network-level controls from the other guides.
Tell one trusted person what is in place, and agree who holds the passcodes.

Where to get support

Gambling can cause harm to money, relationships and health, and no one has to deal with it alone. Online gambling with licensed operators in Great Britain is for adults aged 18 and over.

GamCare (opens in a new tab) runs the National Gambling Helpline, which is free and confidential.
BeGambleAware (opens in a new tab) provides information, tools and signposting.
GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) explains and manages online self-exclusion.
Samaritans listen to anyone in distress, and debt charities such as StepChange and National Debtline give free money advice.

This is general information, not personal advice. A doctor or an advice service can help with your own situation.