Gamban

Gamban is a software application that operates at the device-network level to block gambling websites and apps. Unlike national self-exclusion schemes such as GamStop — which work by registering your details with UKGC-licensed operators — Gamban prevents the device itself from connecting to gambling platforms, regardless of where they are licensed or based.

The software maintains a database of over 35,000 gambling-related domains, apps, and services, which is updated regularly as new gambling sites emerge. Gamban is available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and as a browser extension, allowing users to apply blocking across all their devices from a single account.

Gamban is widely recommended by gambling treatment providers in Great Britain, including the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic, GamCare, and Gordon Moody. It is often deployed as part of a structured treatment plan alongside GamStop registration and professional counselling, as the combination of account-level exclusion and device-level blocking provides more robust coverage than either tool alone.

Once installed, Gamban intercepts outgoing network connections and blocks any attempt to load a domain in its database. This operates below the browser level — switching browsers, using private or incognito mode, or changing search engines does not bypass the block. The application runs persistently in the background and is designed to resist simple removal.

Gamban's coverage extends beyond UKGC-licensed sites. Because it blocks based on domain lists rather than operator registration status, it includes offshore gambling platforms, crypto gambling sites, social gaming platforms with gambling mechanics, and other domains outside the reach of the GamStop self-exclusion scheme.

Gamban does not block banking, shopping, streaming, or other internet activity — only gambling-related domains. The block list is categorised and targets sites that meet gambling criteria, not broad internet categories.

GamStop and Gamban address different layers of gambling access. GamStop creates an account-level exclusion with all UKGC-licensed operators — once registered, those operators are legally required to close or restrict your account and decline new registrations. GamStop covers only UKGC-licensed online gambling, and the exclusion persists as long as the registration is active, even if Gamban is removed.

Gamban adds a device-level barrier: even if a site is not UKGC-licensed (and therefore not subject to GamStop), Gamban can still block access to it. For people who access offshore or unlicensed platforms, Gamban provides coverage that GamStop structurally cannot. Treatment providers generally recommend using both together during the early stages of recovery, when access barriers are most important.