Self-Exclusion Register

A scheme that lets people bar themselves from gambling and requires operators to prevent registered individuals from accessing their services.

Definition

A self-exclusion register is a mechanism through which individuals can voluntarily exclude themselves from gambling, obliging participating operators to identify and block them for the chosen period. Schemes range from a single operator's own exclusion to national or multi-operator registers that apply across many providers at once, and separate schemes may cover online and land-based gambling. Operators must check registrations at onboarding and, where possible, prevent registered individuals from opening accounts, depositing or being marketed to. The register is a cornerstone safer-gambling control, giving people a decisive way to shut off access when they choose to stop.

Worked example

A person who registers with a national online self-exclusion scheme finds that participating operators block them from opening accounts and stop sending marketing for the duration they selected.

Why it matters

For learners it shows a concrete tool that puts control in the customer's hands. For professionals, failing to enforce self-exclusion is a serious and reputationally damaging compliance breach.

Further reading

Authoritative references for compliance — regulators, standards bodies and primary sources. Independent, not affiliated.

• FATF Recommendations (International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism)fatf-gafi.org
• UK Gambling Commission — Anti-money laundering guidance for licenseesgamblingcommission.gov.uk
• EUR-Lex — Directive (EU) 2015/849 (4AMLD as amended by 5AMLD)eur-lex.europa.eu
• FinCEN — BSA filing information (SARs, CTRs; casinos as financial institutions)fincen.gov

Compare with

Often confused with Self-Exclusion Register? These head-to-heads spell out the difference and when to use which.

• Self-Exclusion Register vs Self-Exclusion

Note: The names, coverage and whether registers are national or operator-level vary by jurisdiction; some markets run separate online and land-based schemes.