Block Gambling Sites Uk

When it comes to responsible gambling there are tons of measures out there to help keep you safe and limit your spending. We have a whole series of responsible gambling guides that can help you make the right decisions, including how to keep track of time and how to limit spending. One option comes straight from your bank - gambling transaction blocks.

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These controls can block any gambling transactions at the source, stopping you from being able to deposit and play at online casinos or even make bets at the bookies. These are particularly useful for those who struggle to limit their spending and time gambling. UK gambling charity GambleAware says these bank blockers need to be standardised to help vulnerable people to gamble responsibly.

Different banking groups have differing options available and it can be difficult to know exactly what is available to you, so we have created this rundown of all the UK's top banks and what gambling block options they provide to help you gamble responsibly.

Do remember, however, that GamStop is mandatory for all UK licensed online casinos in the UK, so that is still the most effective option for taking a break from gambling.

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Barclays Gambling Controls

Barclays is one of the biggest name brand banks in the UK, and when it comes to gambling controls they don’t disappoint. Not only do they have the option to set spending limits, helping you budget throughout the month, there are also transaction blocks available. These can be set to a certain merchant type, such as gambling. Once this block is in place the customer’s transaction will be declined straight away.

After listening to customer feedback, Barclays introduced a 72 hour gambling transaction block. The delay is said to give customers time to consider their reasons for gambling, the affordability of gambling, and gives time for any potential ‘urge’ to gamble to pass.

Halifax Gambling Controls

Halifax, another major high street bank, is one of the best for gambling transaction block options. As a part of the Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax customers can access 3 months free Gamban coverage, a tool which blocks all online casinos and betting sites from installed devices.

Through the mobile app, customers can also apply a gambling block to their card. This is automatically applied and blocks transactions with gambling merchants. Once you have decided to disable the gambling block it will still be active for another 48 hours, as a ‘buffer’ that allows the customer to consider their reasons for gambling and adds another layer of friction between the player and gambling.

Activating the gambling block is simple through the app, simply head to ‘More,’ ‘Card Management,’ ‘Card Freeze’ and then ‘Freeze Gambling.’ As easy as 1, 2, 3... 4.

HSBC Gambling Controls

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HSBC offers a service called a ‘cooling off period,’ which allows customers to block gambling transactions, just like Halifax and Barclays offer. This block takes 24 hours to be disabled, acting as a barrier against the urge to return to gambling and allowing the customer extra time to think about the affordability of and the responsibility of their gambling.

The block can be activated online, via the app, by phone, and in branch. HSBC is one of the banks with the widest range of methods of activating the block, which is helpful for those who do not feel comfortable or able to operate online or mobile banking.

Lloyds Gambling Controls

Just as with Halifax, Lloyds customers can claim 3 months free of the Gamban service, to help block gambling transactions across all installed devices. After this, the customer would be required to pay for the subscription should they wish to carry on using the Gamban service.

Lloyds also offer a gambling block, which can be activated via the mobile and tablet application. The block is applied instantly and, once disabled, takes 2-3 days to be removed.

Metro Bank Gambling Controls

As far as we can see, Metro bank does not currently offer any gambling management controls. As one of the fastest growing UK banks, it's disappointing to see Metro Bank not provide its customers with the tools to limit their gambling by preventing them to spend any money with gambling operators.

Nationwide Gambling Controls

While Nationwide Flexone account holders will probably notice their card is automatically fitted with a gambling block, as minors as young as 11 can hold this account, this block can be removed by speaking to someone in branch and verifying your age.

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There are currently no gambling block options available for other account holders with Nationwide, which is disappointing to see from such a major banking group in the UK.

Natwest Gambling Controls

Natwest advertises a gambling block that can be applied to its credit cards, though these are no longer accepted at UK licensed casinos. So far, they have not extended its gambling block to debit cards, so there is no gambling control offered by Natwest at the moment.

Santander Gambling Controls

Santander does not offer any cooling off periods but it does offer a gambling block control which is activated through the application by heading to ‘Cards,’ and then ‘Freeze and Manage Cards.’ This block, whilst helpful, is unfortunately fully disabled as soon as the customer unfreezes gambling transactions. This lack of a cooling off period means that this tool is less effective in preventing overspending when gambling, as the user can simply turn off the block whenever the urge to gamble strikes.

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What are the challenger banks doing better?

All the above gambling controls are those offered by high street banks, the banks you will find branches of all across the country. Online banks, like Monzo and Starling, provide more in depth controls over your spending that can be controlled by the respective apps. We've gone into details about these responsible gambling tools in our Monzo gambling controls and our Starling gambling controls guides.