What Happens When You Self-Exclude From Gambling

Self-exclusion is the one tool in gambling that is designed to work against you, in the best possible way. You ask to be locked out, and the system is built so that a bad night, an urge or a "just one more" moment cannot simply undo it. But what actually happens on the day your exclusion takes effect? Does your account vanish? What happens to the money sitting in it? Do the emails stop? And what if you change your mind, or walk into a casino anyway?

This page walks through the practical mechanics, drawing on the published rules of schemes across Asia and beyond, from Singapore's National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to Macau's DICJ, the Philippines' PAGCOR and the betting systems of Japan and Korea. If you are still deciding whether to exclude, start with our comparison of self-exclusion schemes in Asia; this page is about what happens next.

What self-exclusion actually does to your account

The core effect is simple: once your exclusion is active, you cannot gamble with the operator or at the venues covered. On an online account, that means the gambling function is switched off. The Malta Gaming Authority describes it plainly: a self-exclusion is a tool which prevents players from gambling by blocking access to the gaming website the player has excluded with, for a definite or indefinite timeframe, extendable by the player¹. During the exclusion, players are prevented from gambling¹.

What that looks like in practice depends on the scheme:

• Online casinos. Your account is locked for gambling. At one operator, self-exclusion locks the account for a minimum of six months⁶. Singapore Pools account holders can exclude themselves from all activity on their account by submitting a self-exclusion request to NCPG⁷.
• Land-based casinos. Your name goes on an exclusion list, and you are barred from entering. In Macau, the excluded person is prohibited from entering or staying at all or some of the casinos in the region during the exclusion period⁸.
• Betting accounts. Japan's keirin (bicycle racing) telephone voting system lets a subscriber suspend their own account, and once suspended by own application, the subscriber cannot apply to lift the suspension until the end of the fiscal year following the suspension date⁹. Korea's racing authority works similarly: a customer may suspend use of the account voting service by applying to the Foundation¹⁰.

One thing self-exclusion does not do is delete your account or your identity with the operator. The record stays, which is exactly the point: it is what stops you from quietly re-registering next week.

Your money: balances, withdrawals and forfeits

This is the question most people ask first, and the answer is reassuring: your money is not confiscated.

The Malta Gaming Authority's guidance is explicit that funds held on account are not forfeited and can still be withdrawn during a self-exclusion². The same authority advises that when you request an exclusion, any remaining funds are withdrawn first¹. That is the practical order of operations: pull your balance out, then lock the door.

What you cannot do is put more money in. Under the Curaçao Gaming Authority's rules, deposits are blocked during the exclusion, and log-in for gambling purposes is not permitted¹¹. So the account becomes, in effect, a read-only wallet: you can see it and empty it, but you cannot feed it or play with it.

There is one important exception, and it involves breaching the exclusion. Under the Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission's comprehensive self-exclusion rules, if you breach the prohibition, any funds that you deposit and/or win will be forfeited to a third-party charity selected by the Commission⁵. That is a deliberate design: it removes the upside of sneaking back in. Winnings made while excluded are not yours to keep under that scheme.

A practical tip that comes straight from the operators' own guidance: before you submit the exclusion request, withdraw everything. Once the exclusion is processing or active, getting the balance out is still possible, but it may involve extra steps, such as contacting support in writing, rather than a one-click withdrawal.

Marketing and promotions

When your exclusion takes effect, the marketing stops. At one online operator, you will not receive promotional materials during the self-exclusion period⁶. Central registers go further: GAMSTOP, the British national scheme, stops further marketing messages across all participating licensed businesses, not just the one you excluded with¹².

This matters more than it might sound. Promotional emails are designed to pull you back, and an exclusion that still lets the operator send you "we miss you" messages would be fighting itself. Schemes that take marketing seriously treat the exclusion list as a suppression list for all communications about gambling.

The flip side is that new accounts are banned. Opening a fresh account with the same operator, or with another operator covered by the same central register, while your exclusion is active is treated as a breach. In the Kahnawà:ke scheme, breaching the prohibition triggers the forfeiture rule described above⁵. Central registers like GAMSTOP exist precisely because single-operator exclusions are easy to route around: the register checks your details against every participating business¹².

If the marketing does not stop, that is worth reporting. A scheme that keeps emailing you offers while you are excluded is not running its exclusion properly, and regulators do act on this; the Malta Gaming Authority reviewed self-exclusion practices across its online licensees in 2026 and required fixes where it found weaknesses².

How long it lasts

Terms vary widely, but they cluster around a few patterns.

Fixed terms you choose. The menus of fixed terms offered by the main schemes are set out below.

Minimums that rise with repeat use. The Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission's comprehensive self-exclusion has a built-in escalation: for your first request, the term is the greater of six months or whatever longer term you ask for; for the second and every subsequent request, the minimum jumps to two years³. The message is deliberate: if you keep coming back to exclude, the system takes longer locks.

Open-ended until revoked. Singapore's scheme works differently. A person who applies stays subject to the self-exclusion until the Council revokes it. There is no automatic expiry date; the exclusion simply stays on you until you successfully apply to lift it. Singapore Pools' own guidance says the same: the voluntary self-exclusion remains in force until revocation is successfully applied for through NCPG, online via SingPass¹⁴.

Irrevocable windows. PAGCOR's rules state that a self-exclusion period for the first six months is irrevocable¹⁵. Whatever you think later, those first six months are locked.

Early reversal: why you usually cannot lift it

The whole design of self-exclusion assumes that the person who wants back in on day three is not the person who made the best decision. So most schemes build in a period during which no request to lift the exclusion will even be considered.

The examples above show how firm this is:

• PAGCOR: the first six months are irrevocable¹⁵.
• Japan's keirin telephone voting: a self-suspended member cannot apply to lift the suspension until the end of the fiscal year following the suspension date⁹. Japan's boat race system works the same way, and adds that if you do not lift the restriction after the lifting-eligible date, it simply continues¹⁶.
• Singapore: the exclusion remains in force until it is revoked successfully, and foreigners applying to revoke must have been on the safeguard for at least one year¹⁷.
• Kahnawà:ke: a Request to Revoke will not be accepted before the expiry of the exclusion term, and if a request is refused, the applicant may not reapply for six months from the refusal decision¹⁸.

There are a few schemes with a genuine early-exit door. Japan's casino resort regulations, set out in the dependency-prevention rules under the IR Act, allow a self-requested exclusion measure to end before its set expiry if the person wishes, but only after one year has elapsed from the start of the measure¹⁹. Malta's rules similarly allow a player to request a decrease or revocation of a self-exclusion, but the request must be made to the operator in writing, detailing why the self-exclusion was imposed and how circumstances have changed²¹. Even then, there is a cooling-off on the reopening itself: for an indefinite exclusion, the account cannot be reopened until at least seven days after the request is accepted; for a definite exclusion, at least 24 hours²¹. Those delays exist so that a momentary urge cannot become an instant return.

The practical takeaway: assume you cannot lift it early, and if your scheme does allow it, expect paperwork, a written explanation and a waiting period, not a quick toggle.

Getting back in after the period ends

When the term runs out, what happens next depends on the scheme, and the difference matters.

Automatic lifting. PAGCOR's self-exclusion order is lifted automatically after the completion of the exclusion period²². You do not need to do anything; you simply stop being excluded. The same applies to family exclusion orders in the Philippines: on expiration, the relative may re-apply using RG Form 3, otherwise the order is lifted automatically¹⁵.

You must ask. Under the Curaçao rules, after the self-exclusion period ends, the player must request in writing, by email or chat, the unblocking of the account¹¹. The exclusion does not evaporate on its own; you have to come back and formally reactivate. Note the wording there: activation is irreversible and irrevocable for the duration of the exclusion period, meaning once you reactivate, you cannot change your mind mid-term¹¹.

Extension requires a fresh application. Macau's DICJ states that the exclusion period may be extended only after a new self-exclusion application is made, or after the applicant has confirmed a new third-party exclusion application²³. In other words, the exclusion never quietly rolls over: if you want to stay excluded, you have to say so again.

Revocation as a formal process. In Singapore, lifting the exclusion is a revocation application to the Council, done online via SingPass on the NCPG website¹⁴. Foreigners must have been on the safeguard for at least one year before applying¹⁷. Until the Council revokes it, the exclusion stays in force, so the outcome of the application, not the passage of time, is what ends it.

If you are weighing whether to lift an exclusion at all, our page on canceling a self-exclusion early compares the revocation rules across schemes in more detail.

Where and how to apply

If you have not excluded yet, or are helping someone who has not, here is what the application actually involves in the main Asian schemes.

Singapore. Applications go through NCPG e-Services online²⁴. The step-by-step guide covers exclusions from casinos (Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands), jackpot machine rooms at private clubs, and Singapore Pools online betting²⁵. For non-casino exclusions, there is also a paper route: complete the application form, seal it and mail it to NCPG, which only accepts forms with an original signature, not photocopies²⁶.

Macau. Applications are free of charge⁸. You can apply in writing in person at the DICJ office, or electronically through the Responsible Gambling Information Kiosks⁸. Forms are available at the DICJ office, the Resilience Center of the Social Welfare Bureau and all casinos, or downloadable from the DICJ website⁸. DICJ will notify you of the start and end date of the exclusion period within five working days after the application is submitted²³. Inquiries go to exclusion@dicj.gov.mo²³.

Philippines. PAGCOR runs two routes. Online, you accomplish the self-exclusion application via the Self-Exclusion Application Portal, submitting an image of a government-issued ID and a selfie taken during the application¹³. On paper, you submit the application form, a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID and two 2x2 color photos taken within the last six months, full-face view with no hat, glasses or facemask; if someone else submits it for you, a selfie or video call is required to confirm²². The documents are much the same for the exclusion program handled through PAGCOR's regulatory office: a valid government ID with photo, the accomplished RG Form 2 and one 2x2 photo¹⁵.

Kahnawà:ke. Players may submit a Comprehensive Self-Exclusion Request Form directly to the management of a land-based gaming room or to the Commission, and the request excludes you from gaming activities at all land-based facilities licensed by the Commission²⁷.

Japan and Korea. The racing systems handle suspension through the account itself: keirin subscribers apply through the Promotion Association, and Korean racing customers apply to the Foundation for suspension of account voting⁹.

Before applying, it can help to take a gambling self-test to see where you stand; NCPG offers one on its site²⁴.

Can someone else apply for you?

Your own self-exclusion is yours to make, but the schemes recognize that gambling harm rarely affects only the gambler.

Group applications with consent. In Singapore, organizations with a Corppass account can facilitate group self-exclusion applications for their employees, members or other individuals associated with the organization, and consent from the individuals to be excluded is mandatory²⁸. An employer cannot lock you out without your agreement; they can only make the process easy.

Third-party and family exclusion. This is a separate, stronger tool. In Macau, a third-party exclusion application must come from the excluded person's spouse, parent, son or daughter, or brother or sister, and the person to be excluded must sign the application form to confirm the exclusion²³. DICJ also describes the family route as a request by a spouse, ascendant, descendant or family member within the second degree of kinship by blood, subject to DICJ confirmation²⁹. In Singapore, a family exclusion order lets individuals apply to exclude a family member whose gambling has caused serious harm to the family, covering the casinos, jackpot machine rooms and Singapore Pools online betting³⁰. In the Philippines, a relative may re-apply to extend a family exclusion using RG Form 3¹⁵.

So the short answer: no one can self-exclude you without your signature, but in several jurisdictions a close family member can apply for a separate family or third-party exclusion that does require your confirmation. Our page on family exclusion orders covers that route in full.

Singapore's scheme in practice

Singapore deserves its own section because its scheme is unusually broad and unusually sticky.

A person may apply to be excluded from all manner of general remote gambling, among other forms of gambling, or a combination of these. In practice, the NCPG guide lists what exclusions block you from: casinos (Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands), jackpot machine rooms at private clubs, and Singapore Pools online betting²⁵. The coverage is broad, but it is not total: the guide itself notes that lottery tickets bought in shops are not blocked, so one application does not reach every regulated product in the country²⁵.

The exclusion is also open-ended: it continues until the Council revokes it. There is no six-month or two-year clock ticking down; you are excluded until you successfully apply to lift it, which for foreigners requires at least one year on the safeguard¹⁷. Until revocation, the exclusion stays on you however long that takes.

There is no automatic exit for anyone: the exclusion continues until the Council revokes it, whatever your residence status. A visitor who excludes themselves and then goes home should not assume the exclusion has lapsed; it stays in force until revocation is applied for and granted, so going home does not end it by itself.

Singapore Pools account holders have their own route: the account terms allow an account holder to exclude himself from all activity on his account by submitting a self-exclusion request to NCPG⁷, and the exclusion stays in force until revocation is successfully applied for through NCPG online via SingPass¹⁴.

Coverage gaps: what self-exclusion does not stop

Self-exclusion is a strong tool, but it has edges, and it is worth knowing where they are before you rely on it completely.

It covers only what it covers. A single-operator exclusion stops one casino or one website. Singapore's scheme is broad, covering both casinos, all jackpot machine rooms and all remote gambling²⁵. But no scheme in the region covers unlicensed and offshore gambling sites, which is why many people pair self-exclusion with blocking software such as Gamban, which works at the device level¹².

It does not stop the wider gambling world. Exclusion from casinos does not remove lottery tickets from shops, does not stop a friend from placing a bet for you, and does not block cash betting with anyone off the register. The exclusion binds the operator and the venue, not the whole environment.

Entry enforcement is not perfect. A land-based exclusion depends on recognition at the door. If you get in anyway, the consequences vary sharply by scheme. In Macau, failure to comply with the exclusion constitutes a crime of disobedience⁸. In Singapore, the criminal offense for a casino-excluded person entering casino premises does not apply to persons excluded only by self-exclusion or a voluntary visit limit³¹, which means a self-excluded person who walks into Marina Bay Sands is removed rather than prosecuted. And in the Kahnawà:ke scheme, the sting is financial: anything you deposit or win while breaching is forfeited to charity⁵.

It does not manage your money for you. The exclusion blocks deposits and play with covered operators, but it does not freeze your bank cards, contactless payments or crypto wallets. People who need that layer usually combine exclusion with the debt and banking steps described in our guide to gambling and debt help.

It does not treat the underlying problem. Self-exclusion removes access; it does not remove the urge. That is why schemes like Singapore's keep the exclusion in force until the Council formally revokes it rather than letting it quietly lapse, and why most advice pairs exclusion with support, whether that is a helpline, Gamblers Anonymous or professional counseling. If you are using self-exclusion because gambling has already caused harm, the exclusion is the start of the process, not the whole of it.