# Self-Exclusion and Deposit Limits: What Exists in India

Source: https://cricketin.org/guides/self-exclusion-and-limits

[By Neha Bhattacharya](/authors/responsible-gaming-officer), Responsible Gaming Officer. [Reviewed by Rajeev Sathe](/authors/editor-in-chief), Editor-in-Chief. Updated 29 Aug 2026. Editorial policy: https://cricketin.org/editorial-policy

18+ Betting money on cricket carries a direct risk of financial loss, and it can become an addiction. Real-money online gaming is banned across India under the PROG Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026.

If betting is already costing you money you need, or sleep, or people close to you, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is **14416**, and it runs in 20 languages. Our [page on help for gambling harm](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india) lists what else exists.

---

India has no central self-exclusion register. Here is what does work: bank card switches, phone level blocks, and the exact way each one gets bypassed.

No national self-exclusion register exists in India that we could verify, and no licensed operator exists to enforce one. The tools that do work are yours already. Your bank must let you switch card transaction types off and lower limits at any hour. Your phone can block apps, downloads and named websites.

This page lists each tool, what it actually stops, and how people undo it. It ends with a four layer plan and the honest gaps we could not fill.

## What self-exclusion actually means

Self-exclusion is a promise you make in advance, then hand to someone else to enforce. You ask to be locked out. Later, when you want back in, the lock is not yours to open quickly.

In countries with licensed betting, a national register or the operator enforces that promise. You register once. After that, every licensed site must turn you away.

India works differently. There is no licensed real-money betting market to enforce anything. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. It bans real-money online games across the country. The ban also covers offshore sites that serve India ([Nishith Desai Associates](https://nishithdesai.com/research-and-articles/hotline/gaming-law-wrap/setting-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-online-gaming-law-comes-into-force-15586)).

So the tools that matter here are yours, not an operator's. Your phone. Your bank. The people at home. This page walks through each, and says plainly where each one leaks.

## Why India has no central self-exclusion register

We looked for one. A single government list you could join, that all platforms must honour. We did not find any such register, scheme or order.

What we still need to check: whether the Online Gaming Rules, 2026 or any state scheme sets up a register, an age gate duty or a deposit cap. We could not confirm any of those in a primary text. So we print no clause number here.

This has a practical result. Nobody can close your accounts for you. Nobody keeps a list of your names to check against. Whatever you set up, you set up yourself.

It also means the usual advice from abroad does not transfer. Asking an unlicensed offshore site to self-exclude you gives you no rights and no proof. The site is already outside the law here. Our read of the ban is on [the PROG Act page](/legal/prog-act-2025-explained), and the offshore side is on [our page on offshore apps](/legal/offshore-betting-apps-india).

## Deposit limits you set at your bank

This is the strongest tool most people already have. Indian card issuers must give every cardholder a facility to switch transaction types on or off. The same facility must let you set or change limits ([Reserve Bank of India, January 2020](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)).

The same circular says the switch covers domestic and international use. It also covers point of sale, ATM, online and contactless payments. The facility must run day and night, through the mobile app, net banking, an ATM and an IVR menu. Your bank must also alert you when a card status changes ([RBI](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)).

Two moves are worth making today. Switch off online card use if you do not shop online. Then drop your online limit to a small figure, so a big transfer simply fails.

What this does not cover: transfers you make by UPI or net banking, and money you hand to another person. We could not verify current UPI per-day limits from an NPCI page, so no UPI figure appears here. Ask your bank what your UPI cap is and whether it can be lowered. Background on the payment side sits on [our page about UPI and gaming payments](/guides/upi-and-online-gaming-payments).

## Tools built into an iPhone

Apple's Screen Time settings include Content and Privacy Restrictions. They can restrict access to apps, block app downloads and block store purchases. They can also block a named website. You type its web address into a never allow list ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)).

Built-in apps can be turned off rather than deleted. Apple notes they are hidden from the Home Screen and can be turned back on later ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)). That last part is the weakness, and it is worth reading twice.

The setting is only as strong as the passcode on it. If you know the Screen Time passcode, you can undo everything in under a minute. Which is why the next section matters.

## Tools built into Android

Google Family Link lets the account holder limit or block the apps on a managed device. You can block a single app. You can set a daily limit in hours and minutes. You can also hold new Play installs for approval ([Google For Families Help](https://support.google.com/families/answer/7103028?hl=en)).

Two limits are documented. System apps cannot have app limits placed on them, and app limits work on devices running Android 7 and above ([Google](https://support.google.com/families/answer/7103028?hl=en)).

Family Link is built for a parent managing a child's device. Adults sometimes borrow the idea. They ask someone they trust to hold the controlling account. That is a workaround, not a designed use.

A browser is the obvious gap. Blocking one app does nothing about the same service opened as a web page. Block the site addresses too, or you have moved the problem, not solved it.

## What the app stores do and do not stop

Google Play allows real-money gambling apps only in select countries, and only where the developer holds a valid licence for that country. The developer must also stop access from places the licence does not cover ([Google Play policy](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9877032?hl=en-GB)).

India is not described as an allowed market on that policy page. So a betting app you find for Android usually did not come from Play at all. It came as a file you were told to install by hand.

That route removes the store's checks and adds real security risk. We cover it on [our page on sideloading risks](/guides/apk-sideloading-risks) and on [how to spot a fake cricket app](/guides/how-to-spot-a-fake-cricket-app).

## Blocking software, and a case worth knowing

Dedicated blocking software exists. It sits on your device and refuses to open gambling sites and apps at all, rather than relying on you to look away.

India has a complication here. Gamban, a United Kingdom self-exclusion blocking app that does not offer gambling itself, has been unreachable in India since 7 February 2023. It was caught in blocking orders from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Those orders were issued under Section 69A of the IT Act and aimed at a batch of gambling apps. Gamban says it was swept up by mistake. Its petition was before the Delhi High Court in July 2026 ([MediaNama](https://www.medianama.com/2026/07/223-urgency-delhi-hc-gamban-blocking-chearing/)).

We are not recommending any product. The point is narrower. Do not assume a well-known blocking tool will work from India, and check before you rely on one.

## How each tool gets bypassed

Every tool on this page has a hole. Knowing the hole in advance is the difference between a plan and a wish.

**Table 1. What each tool blocks and how it is usually undone**

| Tool | What it blocks | How it gets bypassed |
|---|---|---|
| Card switch off, low online limit | Card payments online, and other types you switch off ([RBI](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)) | You switch it back on in the app in seconds; UPI, net banking and cash are untouched |
| iPhone Screen Time | Apps, downloads, purchases and named websites ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)) | Anyone with the Screen Time passcode turns it off; a second device is unaffected |
| Android Family Link | Chosen apps and new Play installs ([Google](https://support.google.com/families/answer/7103028?hl=en)) | Browser access still works; system apps cannot be limited; the account holder can lift it |
| Blocking software | Gambling sites and apps at device level | Uninstalling it; using a different phone; the tool may not be reachable in India |
| A promise to yourself | Nothing, on a bad night | It is undone by the same mood that made the bet |

Read the bypass column as a design brief. The fix is always the same: put the key with someone else, or make the delay long enough for the urge to pass.

## A plan that can hold for thirty days

Stack the weak tools instead of trusting one. Four layers is usually enough to make a late-night deposit annoying, slow and visible.

- Lower your card limits and switch off online card use in the bank app ([RBI](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)).
- Block the apps and the site addresses on your phone ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios), [Google](https://support.google.com/families/answer/7103028?hl=en)).
- Give the passcode or controlling account to one person you trust. Do not keep a copy.
- Book something for the risky hour. A call, a walk, a meeting.

Then set a check-in date thirty days out. Write it in your calendar with the amount you have not spent. Progress that you can see is easier to keep.

If any layer fails, do not throw the whole plan out. Fix the layer that broke and keep the rest.

## Handing the key to someone else

This is the part people skip, and it is the part that works. A limit only you control is not a limit. It is a preference.

Pick one person. Ask them to hold the Screen Time passcode or the Family Link account. Ask them not to give it back the same day if you ask for it, no matter the reason.

Say the awkward part out loud when you set it up. That you will probably ask for the passcode back, and you want them to say no. Agreeing to that in a calm hour is much easier than in a bad one.

You may want to talk to someone outside the family first. Tele-MANAS is free at any hour on 14416. It runs in 20 languages ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2199421&reg=48&lang=2)). The rest of the verified list is on [our help page](/guides/help-for-gambling-harm-india).

## What limits cannot fix

Blocks buy time. They do not treat the reason you were reaching for the phone. Debt does not shrink because the app is gone.

Two things usually need separate handling. The money, which may need a repayment plan, and the mood, which may need a counsellor. Losses already taxed or already frozen are a third problem again; see [frozen payments](/guides/payment-freeze-and-chargebacks) and [how TDS works on winnings](/legal/tds-on-winnings-india).

If you are not sure how bad things are, work through [the twelve warning signs](/guides/signs-of-gambling-addiction). Our starting point for all of this, including the numbers, is [the responsible gaming hub](/responsible-gaming).

## Questions people ask

### Can I put myself on a list that blocks all betting sites in India?

Not that we could find. We searched for a central register or scheme and found none. If any such register exists under the 2026 rules, we have not seen the text creating it.

### Will my bank stop payments to betting sites automatically?

Do not count on it. What is certain is the control you hold. You can switch off transaction types and change limits at any time ([RBI](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)). Ask your bank in writing what it blocks on its own.

### Does blocking an app also block the website?

No. They are separate. On iPhone you add site addresses to a never allow list under Content and Privacy Restrictions ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)). Do both, or the browser stays open.

### Why can I not download a well known gambling blocker in India?

One case is documented. Gamban's site and app have been unreachable in India since February 2023 after Section 69A blocking orders aimed at gambling apps, and its petition was in the Delhi High Court in July 2026 ([MediaNama](https://www.medianama.com/2026/07/223-urgency-delhi-hc-gamban-blocking-chearing/)).

### Should I give my passwords to a family member?

That is a personal call, and it carries its own risks. A narrower version is safer: hand over only the Screen Time passcode or the Family Link account, not your bank login.

## More from the guides

- [Signs of Gambling Addiction](/guides/signs-of-gambling-addiction)
- [T20 Cricket Rules Explained](/guides/t20-rules-explained)
- [Test Cricket Rules Explained](/guides/test-cricket-explained)
- [UPI and Online Gaming Payments in India](/guides/upi-and-online-gaming-payments)
- [Wagering Requirements](/guides/wagering-requirements-explained)
- [What Is a Session Bet in Cricket](/guides/what-is-a-session-bet)
- [What Is Overround](/guides/what-is-overround)
- [APK Sideloading Risks on Android](/guides/apk-sideloading-risks)
- [Cricket Bet Types Explained](/guides/cricket-bet-types-explained)
- [Supreme Court on Online Gaming](/legal/supreme-court-online-gaming-cases)
- [TDS on Online Gaming Winnings](/legal/tds-on-winnings-india)
- [Caribbean Premier League 2026 — live schedule and table](/leagues/cpl)