Self-exclusion from gambling venues or activities
Self-exclusion is when you ban yourself from a gambling venue (or part of a venue) or online wagering service for a period. Self-exclusion is an important tool for dealing with gambling harm (in addition to seeking help from a Gambling Help service).
Self-exclusion from online wagering
BETSTOP is the national self-exclusion register for all online wagering products.
You can complete your own self-exclusion at BETSTOP This will ban you from all licensed online wagering products in Australia and stop online wagering companies emailing you incentives to gamble.
You can choose how long you wish to self-exclude, from 3 months to a lifetime ban.
Self-exclusion from gaming venues
By law, venues must help anyone who requests a self-exclusion.
Once in effect, self-exclusions remain in force for up to 5 years, but you have a 24-hour cooling-off period.
If you ask for self-exclusion at a gaming venue, a nominated person (usually known as the customer liaison officer) will explain the exclusion process to you. They are required to provide you with the self-exclusion forms and the contact details of your local Gambling Help Queensland service.
You can also ask a Gambling Help service to remotely process your self-exclusion and liaise with gambling venue staff on your behalf.
Gambling venues must maintain a register of excluded persons. This register is only available to the staff who need to know about exclusions (e.g. gaming room staff). Venues must otherwise keep your information confidential and ensure your individual circumstances are always respected.
Read the video transcript.
If you breach the terms of self-exclusion
If you enter a venue (or part of a venue) you’re excluded from, you’ll be asked to leave. The incident will be reported to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) for investigation and you could be fined.
You won’t be entitled to any winnings while gambling at a venue you’re self-excluded from.
If you try to enter a venue (or part of a venue) that you’re excluded from and the venue doesn’t take reasonable steps to stop you from entering, you can contact OLGR to report the incident or submit a complaint online. The incident will be investigated and the venue can be fined.
How to cancel self-exclusion
If you feel your situation has changed, you can lodge an application to cancel your self-exclusion with the gambling venue. You can only apply 1 year from the day after the exclusion was issued or within the 24-hour cooling-off period.
More information
- Find counselling, support and advice for gambling harm.
- Learn more about the types of gambling-related exclusions.
- Download the:
- ‘Getting in over your head?’ brochure for information about self-exclusions and venue-initiated exclusions
- ‘You can control your gambling’ self-help guide to help gamblers identify and reduce the negative effect of their gambling—the guide can be used together with counselling.