Three names for a break that do different things. How hard each is to undo, what the operator must do, and which one fits what you want.
Three names, often used as if they meant the same thing. They do not, and picking the wrong one is how people end up with a break that ends sooner than they meant.
The question that sorts them is simple: how hard do you want this to be to undo.
A time out is a pause that ends by itself. Choose it if you want a break.
Self-exclusion is a commitment with a structure around it and a long tail. Choose it if you want stopping to be the default and starting again to take effort.
Cooling off is not really a third product. The term gets used for short operator breaks, and it is also the name for a specific step inside self-exclusion, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Because the Commission uses it for something precise.
Under the ordinary code for remote licensees, when a self-excluded customer takes positive action to gamble again, "the customer is given one day to cool off before being allowed to access gambling facilities". That is a one day delay at the end of a self-exclusion, not a product you sign up for.
Operators also use cooling off as a brand name for short breaks. Both uses are in circulation. When an operator offers you a cooling off period, read what it actually does rather than assuming it is either of the above.
The Commission describes it as "a commitment not to attempt to gamble for a minimum period of six months".
The periods, from the ordinary code: a minimum of not less than six nor more than twelve months, the option of selecting up to at least five years, and extension on request in further periods of at least six months. After the period you chose, it "remains in place, for a minimum of 7 years, unless the customer takes positive action to gamble again".
So self-exclusion does not quietly lapse. It keeps running until you actively end it, and then makes you wait a day.
This is where self-exclusion has real teeth that a time out does not.
Licensees must close the account and return any funds held in it. The Commission is explicit that merely stopping withdrawals while still accepting wagers is not enough.
They must take all reasonable steps to prevent marketing material reaching a self-excluded customer, and must remove the person from marketing databases or flag them "within two days of receiving the completed self-exclusion notification".
They must have procedures so that an excluded person "cannot gain access to gambling", including a register of excluded persons, records of card numbers to exclude, staff training, and removing access from anyone found gambling or trying to.
They must also signpost counselling and support when administering it.
Immediately. The Commission's position is that a customer who decides to self-exclude "should be able to do so immediately and should not be required to wait".
It must be available both through customer services and through an automated remote process, so you do not have to speak to anyone if you would rather not. That process may include a confirmation step so it is not triggered by accident.
How to set the lightest of the three is covered in how to set a time out on a casino account.
UK Gambling Commission, LCCP social responsibility code 3.5.3 (remote). https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/lccp/condition/3-5-3-remote-sr-code
UK Gambling Commission, LCCP ordinary code 3.5.4 (remote). https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/lccp/condition/3-5-4-remote-ordinary-code
UK Gambling Commission, Self-exclusion in social responsibility. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/page/self-exclusion-in-social-responsibility
| If you want to | Use | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Stop for a few days or weeks | Time out | It lifts on its own and your balance stays put |
| Stop and make restarting deliberate | Self-exclusion | Minimum six months, then stays in place a minimum of seven years unless you act |
| Get your money out as part of stopping | Self-exclusion | The account is closed and funds must be returned |
| Stop the emails as well | Self-exclusion | Marketing must stop within two days of the notification |
| Stop everywhere at once | Self-exclusion | It can be applied across operators, which a per-operator time out cannot |
If gambling has stopped feeling like a choice, the tools on this page are worth using, and talking to someone is worth more. Operators are required to point you to support when you self-exclude. You do not have to wait for them to offer.
Self-exclusion carries an explicit duty: all reasonable steps to prevent marketing, acted on within two days of the completed notification. With a time out, switch marketing off yourself in the same settings screen.
Yes. The Commission requires licensees to close the account and return any funds held in it.
Yes. It must be available through an automated remote process as well as through customer services.
Self-exclusion rules and quotes are from UKGC LCCP 3.5.3, 3.5.4 and its self-exclusion guidance. How to choose is general guidance. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.