Self-exclusion is a voluntary gambling ban a player sets for themselves. In Estonia it runs through the HAMPI register and applies to every operator with an Estonian licence — but only to them.
The most important limitation. A foreign casino cannot see or check the HAMPI register. Its own self-exclusion is weaker: the account is closed, but a new email address creates a new account and there is often no technical barrier. If self-exclusion is a tool you need, then foreign crypto casinos are not a safe environment for you — that is the most honest sentence in this glossary.
What actually helps:
- Closing the account in writing. Write to support and use the words self-exclusion together with a period (for example six months, a year or permanently). A licensed operator has to process the request; save the whole exchange.
- A bank gambling block. Most Estonian banks allow gambling-related card payments to be switched off with one toggle — that also covers crypto purchases by card.
- Money further away. Keep crypto in a cold wallet: every extra step is a pause during which a decision has time to change.
- Blockers on the device. They are not watertight, but they reduce stumbling into it by accident.
Help. Counselling is free and anonymous: 15410. A family member who does not know how to start can get advice there too. An overview of the signs, the limits and the help available is on the responsible gambling page.
Before anything else, set yourself deposit and time limits: a casino operating under a Curaçao licence has to process a limit request, but it will not remind you. Gambling is not a way to earn money and lost money cannot be won back.
Step by step, once you have decided
- If you also play at Estonian-licensed casinos, add yourself to the Estonian register. How this works and how the ban ends is explained in the freespin.ee articles The HAMPI register in Estonia and Self-exclusion at online casinos.
- Write to every foreign casino where you have an account and ask for written confirmation that the account is closed and marketing messages are stopped.
- Remove saved cards, bookmarks and passwords; revoke casino permissions in your wallet and remove their addresses from saved recipients.
- Have your bank block gambling payments and move crypto to a cold wallet rather than keeping it in a directly accessible one.
- Talk to someone. Free and anonymous counselling is available on 15410 (15410.ee); help and materials are also at peaasi.ee.
Why this is especially hard at a crypto casino
Opening a no-KYC account does not require proving who you are, so the casino usually has no way to recognise you again. A new email address and a wallet address give a new account, and this can be done in minutes. For that reason self-exclusion must not rely only on the casino closing the account: the decisive part is your own barriers, that is, the bank, the wallet, blocking software on devices and the people around you. The limits guide helps set deposit and time limits, and the self-assessment test helps assess your own risk.
If it is urgent
If you feel you can no longer stop playing, do not stay alone. Call 15410. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call the emergency number 112. For the signs of gambling addiction see also the freespin.ee glossary.