Take a break and ban yourself
Self-exclusion can help if you want to cut down, have a break or quit for good. You choose the locations or websites you want to be banned from. Anyone can do it, and it’s free.
How does it work?
You choose the locations or websites that you know present risks for you – a venue, the section of a venue where there’s gambling (say, the gaming room), or an online betting service – and you say how long you want to opt out. It might be temporary or permanent. It’s your call.
In NSW, the minimum time you can self-exclude from clubs and pubs is 6 months. For casinos, TAB agencies and their participating licensed venues, the minimum self-exclusion period is 12 months. For online betting services, the minimum is three months.
Get help from a GambleAware counsellor
A GambleAware counsellor can explain your options and help you self-exclude. Get in touch with a gambling counsellor or call GambleAware on 1800 858 858 24/7.
For clubs, pubs, and hotels
You can reach an agreement with the venue or venues so that you won’t be allowed to go into places you’ve specified. If you try to go in, staff will stop you from entering.
How to ban yourself from pubs, clubs and hotels
In person
Contact the venue directly and let them know you want to self-exclude. They’ll explain what you have to do, and you’ll sign an agreement identifying the venue, or the part of the venue, you want to be blocked from.
Online
You can also use the online multi-venue self-exclusion system (https://mvse.com.au/self-facilitation) to ban yourself from the gaming areas of some clubs and hotels.
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
This information is confidential. Your name and photo will be added to the venues’ registers, but only the staff who need to identify you will have access.
For casinos
How to ban yourself from The Star
You can self-exclude from The Star by:
How to ban yourself from Crown
You can self-exclude from Crown by:
For TAB outlets
TAB’s BetCare Program lets you fill out a form to nominate up to 15 TAB agencies and participating hotels and clubs in NSW – plus your online account. To find out more, call 1800 882 876 or check out the BetCare brochure.
For online betting
Anyone who wants to stop or take a break from online betting can register with BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. By registering with BetStop, you can ban yourself from online or phone betting services across Australia in one simple process. You can take a break for a period from three months up to a lifetime. A ban can be extended at any time.
Once you have registered with BetStop, betting services must close all your accounts. They must not let you place a bet or open a new account and are not allowed to send you marketing messages.
You can access BetStop at http://www.betstop.gov.au/signup.
If you only want to ban yourself from one or some betting services, you need to contact your betting provider directly to request the ban.
You can also use blocking software
Specialist blocking software can prevent access to all online gambling sites, servers and apps in one go. It’s a great way to help stop kids and young people experimenting with gambling online.
There are 2 types of blocking software. Take a look at user reviews and ratings to decide what’s right for you.
General blocking software
Lets you set authorisations or parental controls to prevent or monitor access to a range of websites or apps.
For example, Net Nanny filters different categories of online content in addition to gambling. It can track searches, enforce safe search, and set alerts for flagged words like “poker” or “casino”. It can also place daily time limits on device use.
Gambling-specific blocking software
Lets you block gambling advertising and access to gambling websites:
- Gamban for Android, Windows, iOS and macOS
- GamBlock for Android, Windows, iOS and Mac
- Betfilter for Android, Windows, iOS and Mac
- BetBlocker for Android, Windows, Linux, Fire OS, iOS and Mac
