Self exclusion: arcades and bingo halls

How self exclusion works in arcades and bingo halls

Self-exclusion is a formal request to a gambling business to refuse you entry or play for a set period. Every licensed gambling business must offer its own scheme, but going venue by venue is slow and easy to get round. That is why the land-based industry runs multi-operator schemes: a single request that covers the same type of venue in the area you choose. The Gambling Commission describes them as letting you ‘make a single request to self-exclude from the same type of land-based gambling within your area’.

For arcades and bingo halls, the request goes on a shared system that participating venues can check. Staff are then expected to recognise you and stop you playing if you come in. Unlike online self-exclusion, there is no login to block, so the system depends on people noticing. That makes your own choices, such as not walking past your usual arcade, part of how it works.

Venue exclusion is aimed at people who want to stop playing, not at anyone who simply wants a cheaper night out. If you are unsure whether you need it, our guide to slot machine addiction signs includes a self-check.

Self exclusion schemes for arcades, bingo halls and other venues

The Gambling Commission’s list of free multi-operator schemes, last updated on 7 September 2026, names the following. Each covers one sector, so if you play in more than one type of venue you join more than one scheme.

The Commission’s licensee page names the betting-shop scheme company as Multi Operator Self Exclusion Scheme Ltd (MOSES). Its consumer page lists the same service as GAMSTOP Betting Shops.

Why arcades and bingo halls must offer self exclusion

Land-based operators that hold premises licences are required by the Commission’s licence conditions and codes of practice (social responsibility code 3.5.6) to take part in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme for the forms of gambling they offer. The Commission names the arcade, betting, bingo and casino sectors. An operator that runs both an adult gaming centre and a bingo hall has to join both relevant schemes.

This sits alongside the Commission’s wider guidance on self-exclusion (opens in a new tab), which also explains GAMSTOP for online play. Our page on FEC and AGC rules covers how these venues are licensed.

Which machines you are stepping away from

Adult gaming centres and bingo halls hold a mix of machine categories, each with its own legal limits from the Gambling Commission’s gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab). Category B machines may make up no more than 20% of the machines available in these venues, a rule in force since 13 July 2011 (opens in a new tab); a government plan announced in May 2024 to allow two Category B machines for every C or D machine is not yet in force.

The B3 machines are the fastest and highest-stake option in these venues, and they are 18+ only. More on each category is on our UK machine categories page and in the glossary entries for AGC and Category B3.

How to self-exclude from arcades and bingo halls step by step

The exact process differs between schemes, but these steps reflect how the land-based schemes are set up: you ask at a venue (or phone), give details that let staff recognise you, and choose the area to cover.

1. Decide which types of venue you need to cover: arcades, bingo halls, bookmakers, casinos or several.
2. For arcades and adult gaming centres, ask staff at a participating venue to start a Bacta or Boomerang Digital self-exclusion, or call 01482 441 142 and choose option 1.
3. For bingo halls, ask at any licensed bingo premises or phone it to register with BISES.
4. Give the details the scheme needs to identify you. Because staff must recognise you in person, expect to be asked for a photograph and identification.
5. List the venues or the area you want covered, including places near work and anywhere you travel to play.
6. Agree the exclusion period and ask what happens when it ends.
7. Add online cover with GAMSTOP and a bank gambling block if you also play on your phone.

Choosing the area your exclusion covers

Land-based schemes work by area rather than nationwide by default. Think about every place you might play: near home, near work, on your commute, and seaside or holiday destinations you visit often. Motorway service areas with gaming machines are included in the Bacta scheme’s list of venue types, which is worth knowing if you drive for work. If you travel widely, ask the scheme how to extend coverage.

Family entertainment centres are a special case. Many hold only Category D machines; licensed FECs can also have Category C machines in an adults-only area. Bacta’s scheme covers FECs with age-controlled sections. Our pages on family entertainment centres and seaside arcade machines explain the set-up.

What venue self exclusion can and can’t do

Self-exclusion is a commitment device, not a lock. It works best when you also avoid the places, and it has some clear gaps:

• Recognition: staff need to spot you, so a busy venue or a new member of staff may miss you.
• Pubs: pub fruit machines run under alcohol licences and machine permits rather than gambling operating licences, and none of the schemes listed by the Commission covers them. Speak to the pub manager directly; see our pub machine guide.
• Members’ clubs: clubs with club machine permits are also outside these schemes; talk to the club secretary.
• Online play: venue schemes don’t touch online slots; GAMSTOP does.
• Other sectors: an arcade exclusion doesn’t cover a bookmaker’s or a casino’s machines.

Cash is another gap. Debit cards still can’t be used directly to play gaming machines (the government decided in May 2024 to lift this ban once protections are in place, but it hasn’t happened yet), so most venue play is with cash or tickets. A bank block won’t stop that. Our page on cashless payments on machines explains the current rules.

How many people use land-based self exclusion

Figures released by the Gambling Commission under a freedom of information request show how many new self-exclusions each land-based scheme added in one quarter. They were supplied voluntarily by the schemes and count new registrations, not everyone currently excluded.

Arcades recorded the most new exclusions of the four sectors in that quarter. The numbers show that venue self-exclusion is widely used and that asking for it is a routine request for staff.

If you go back to an arcade during an exclusion

If you are recognised, staff should ask you to stop playing and leave. If you are not recognised and play anyway, it’s a sign that you need more layers of support, not that the scheme has failed you. Contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, consider widening the area of your exclusion, and tell someone you trust. Our help for slot players page lists treatment and peer-support options.

Try not to think in terms of winning back money lost during a lapse. Every fruit machine and arcade slot is set to return less than it takes over time, whether it is random or compensated.

Combining venue exclusion with online blocks

Many people who play arcade or bingo hall machines also play on their phones, especially once venue play is blocked. Setting up GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab), a bank gambling block and device-level software at the same time closes that route. Our guide to blocking gambling sites explains each step, and the safer gambling hub brings all the tools together.

For quick answers, see can I self-exclude from arcades? and the rest of our guides section.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.