Limits, Breaks and Self-Exclusion on Poker Sites and in Card Rooms

What self-exclusion does on a poker site

Self-exclusion is a tool that stops you gambling by blocking your access to the gaming website you have excluded with, for a fixed or open-ended period that you can extend¹. On a licensed site, the effect is simple: while the exclusion runs, you are prevented from gambling⁷.

The part people worry about most is their money. It stays yours. Funds held on your account are not forfeited during a self-exclusion and can still be withdrawn¹. You are locked out of play, not locked out of your balance.

Two practical points shape how you use it. First, a self-exclusion is not the same as closing an account. Closing is administrative; self-exclusion is a gambling block, and it is usually harder to undo. Second, the length matters. Some tools are short pauses measured in hours or days, and some are long exclusions measured in months or years. Pick the one that matches what you actually need, because the short version will hand your account back automatically.

If you are on a site licensed in Malta, a self-exclusion request made because of problem gambling has to apply across every brand that licensee operates, whether or not you hold an account with that brand⁸. That is the difference between blocking one poker room and blocking a company.

CoinPoker: deposit limits, breaks and self-exclusion

CoinPoker offers betting and deposit limits and self-exclusion as responsible gambling features³. Deposit limits are the flexible part: you can set them freely, so the number is yours to choose².

The self-exclusion tool is called Gameplay Pause. When you use it, you voluntarily stop play across all CoinPoker platforms, web, PC, Android and iOS, for a period you set yourself, and during that period you cannot access the account². A 24-hour pause is one of the options: after OTP verification it takes effect, and the account resumes automatically when the pause ends². If you pick a fixed period, the account reopens by itself when that period finishes².

What you can and cannot do during a pause is worth knowing before you start one. Playing games and making deposits are blocked. Withdrawals still work². So if you pause with a balance sitting there, you can still move it out.

Here is the step-by-step for each device.

On mobile:

1. Tap More Features at the bottom right of the app.
2. Tap Responsible Gaming.
3. Click Gameplay Pause.
4. Choose a period.
5. Click Get OTP to self-exclude².

On desktop:

1. Click the down arrow next to your username in the top right of the lobby.
2. Select My Profile.
3. Click Responsible Gaming.
4. Click Gameplay Pause.
5. Click Get OTP to self-exclude².

The OTP step is the confirmation. Nothing takes effect until you complete it, so if you back out at that point, no pause is set.

GGPoker: responsible gaming pages by jurisdiction

GGPoker puts self-exclusion in the Responsible Gaming menu, and you can use it any time you wish⁴. When you do, you are logged out immediately and cannot access the account until the period ends⁴. The period is your choice.

There is a second route if you would rather not do it through the menu: you can self-exclude your account at any time, for any period you choose, by emailing help@ggpoker.com⁴. That is useful if you cannot get into the account, or if you want a written record of the request.

One thing to be clear about before you confirm: on GGPoker, self-exclusion cannot be reversed under any circumstances⁴. This is not a pause you can talk your way out of next week. If you want something shorter and reversible, a deposit limit or a break is the better fit; if you want a hard stop, self-exclusion is the tool.

Because GGPoker operates across many markets, the responsible gaming page you land on and the scheme behind it can differ depending on where your account is registered. If you are unsure which rules apply to you, the operator's support team can tell you which regulator covers your account.

National self-exclusion schemes: Gamstop, OASIS, CRUKS and others

Single-site tools only block one operator. National schemes block you across a whole licensed market, which is usually what people actually want.

Gamstop (UK). Gamstop gives consumers the chance to exclude themselves from all online gambling for a period of at least six months⁵. Because it covers licensed online gambling as a category, online poker sites regulated in Britain fall inside it. One registration, and you are out across the market rather than one room.

CRUKS (Netherlands). CRUKS is the Dutch central self-exclusion register. It works the same way in principle: a single national list that licensed operators must check, so an exclusion follows you between sites rather than stopping at one.

Canada, province by province. Self-exclusion is a voluntary program across Canada, and you cannot register someone else, though you can access help for yourself and a loved one⁹. Ontario runs My PlayBreak, a voluntary and confidential self-exclusion program that gives players the chance to take a break from gambling¹⁰. The periods on offer are broad: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years¹¹. While a break is running, players cannot access their OLG.ca account¹¹. Prince Edward Island runs its own version, letting any player voluntarily ban themselves from the gaming floors at both Red Shores locations⁹.

Singapore. Self-exclusion applications are available online, and so are family exclusion order applications¹². Organizations with a Corppass account can facilitate group self-exclusion applications for their employees, members or other individuals associated with the organization, with the individual's consent mandatory¹³. There is also a non-casino route covering online betting and jackpot machine rooms, and the application is free¹⁴.

Macau. An individual may apply to exclude himself or herself from casinos¹⁵. Applications are handled through the regulator's isolation service, and Responsible Gambling Information Kiosks accept self-exclusion applications only¹⁶.

Philippines. PAGCOR provides patrons who feel that relatives or they themselves are developing a problem with gaming with the option to self-exclude, and exclusion forms may also be made available at PAGCOR-operated and regulated gaming sites¹⁷. The regulator also publishes the list of poker operators holding a gaming license, so you can check whether a room sits inside the scheme¹⁸.

South Korea. Sports Toto runs an online self-exclusion and self-assessment program that pops up on Betman.co.kr for online players¹⁹.

The pattern across all of them is the same: one application, and the block applies across the operators that scheme covers, not just the site where you signed up.

Limits and breaks in card rooms: what does not exist online

Land-based poker works differently, and the difference catches people out. You cannot usually walk into a card room and ask for a personal deposit limit or a two-hour table break the way you would online. What exists instead is a regulator-level exclusion.

In Kahnawake, a Comprehensive Self-Exclusion Request excludes you from gaming activities held in all land-based gaming facilities licensed and regulated by the Commission until a request to revoke is granted²⁰. You cannot narrow it: a requestor may not ask to be excluded from only a poker room or an electronic gaming device facility²¹. The exclusion also does not cover an attached physically separated restaurant, so you can still eat there²².

The minimum periods are set, not chosen by you. Once self-excluded, a player is not permitted to play in any land-based poker or EGD room licensed and regulated by the Commission for a minimum of 6 months, and for a second or any subsequent self-exclusion, a minimum of two years⁶.

That structure is common. The exclusion is comprehensive by design, because a room-by-room block would be easy to walk around. If you play live poker in a jurisdiction with a regulator scheme, expect the exclusion to cover every poker room and gaming floor that regulator licenses, and expect a fixed minimum term rather than a period you pick.

The practical upshot: if you want a soft tool, like a spending cap or a shorter session, that is something you manage yourself in a card room. If you want a hard block, it is the regulator's scheme, and it will be broader and longer than the online equivalent.

Getting help: helplines and support links

If you cannot set a break from your account settings, start with the operator. GGPoker takes self-exclusion requests by email at help@ggpoker.com⁴. If the site will not act, go to the regulator that licenses it, or to a national helpline.

In Singapore, you can contact the National Council on Problem Gambling at 6354 8154 for exclusion order inquiries and appeals¹⁴. The NCPG also runs counseling services and other support services¹². If you apply for a non-casino self-exclusion, you can ask to be referred for counseling, and a counselor will contact you to make an appointment; charges may apply to foreigners²³.

The routes differ from place to place.

A few things worth knowing before you use any of these tools:

• Your balance is not lost. Funds on account are not forfeited during a self-exclusion and can still be withdrawn¹.
• Short pauses end by themselves. A fixed-period pause reopens the account automatically when the period finishes².
• Long exclusions often do not. On GGPoker, self-exclusion cannot be reversed under any circumstances⁴.
• Some schemes require you to ask in writing to be unblocked. After a self-exclusion period ends, the player must request in writing, by email or chat, the unblocking of the account²⁵.
• You cannot register someone else for a national scheme. Self-exclusion is voluntary, though you can get help for yourself and your loved one⁹.

If you are new to the game and want the rules side first, our guide to poker in Asia covers variants, card rooms and where the game is legal, and playing poker as a visitor or expat covers entry, ID and account setup. If you are weighing live against online play, live vs online poker compares pace, costs and legal status.