By Michael ·
A gubbed betting account is one a bookmaker has restricted, and the kind of restriction decides what the account is still good for.
This page won't show you ways to hide your betting from a bookmaker, and we explain why further down. If you're new to the idea, start with what matched betting is.
The three kinds of gubbed betting account
A promo ban means you stop getting offers and offer e-mails, but you can still bet at normal stakes. This is usually the first kind a matched bettor gets.
A stake restriction means the bet slip refuses your stake or cuts it. The bet slip is the box where you type your stake before you confirm a bet.
A closure means the account is shut.
A bookmaker's terms can allow all three. Bet365's terms, for example, say it may close, limit or suspend your account at any time. They also say that if it closes your account, it pays back any real money balance, unless it finds illegal or prohibited activity.
How to tell which one you have
Check for yourself:
Open the promotions page while you're logged in. If offers you used to see have gone, a promo ban is likely.
Type a normal stake on a popular market. You don't have to place it. If the bet slip refuses or cuts it, that's a stake restriction.
Check your inbox. If offer e-mails have stopped, that points to a promo ban too.
How common restrictions are
The Gambling Commission, which licenses UK bookmakers, asked the largest online betting firms for their 2024 figures. It published them in July 2025. Out of about 14.9 million active accounts, 643,779 were restricted. That's 4.31%.
Promo bans weren't counted, so they aren't in that 4.31%. More than half (51.29%) of restricted customers had lost money with that firm over their lifetime. And about 59% of stake restrictions limited the customer to less than 10% of a normal stake.
The Commission's view is that restricting an account is a lawful commercial decision. In its words there's no "universal service obligation" in gambling, and being a winning customer isn't a protected characteristic.
Why bookmakers do it
Bookmakers can restrict accounts that look unprofitable to them, and their terms let them limit stakes or close accounts.
The terms don't list what sets it off. The Commission's own forum minutes from May 2024 also note that safer gambling and anti-money-laundering triggers usually aren't shared with customers.
What still works after a promo ban
2UP offers pay your bet as a winner if your team goes two goals ahead. They're promotions, so a promo-banned account usually loses them. Before you back anything, check that the offer still shows on your account, on the promotions page or on the market itself. If it isn't there, assume it doesn't apply to you.
B90 is Betfair Sportsbook's 90 Minute Guarantee, which pays a bet as a winner if your team is winning at 90:00. We found nothing public on whether it's removed from restricted accounts. Check it shows on your account before you rely on it, and see the Betfair 90 Minute Guarantee explained for how it works.
Extra places are each-way bets where the bookmaker pays more places than usual. Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes and Unibet run them on selected races, and the terms differ from one bookmaker to the next. They often stay open on promo-banned accounts. A stake restriction usually ends them. Our extra place matched betting guide shows the method.
You can still place ordinary bets on a promo-banned account. Without a lay bet on an exchange to cover them, though, that's plain gambling, not matched betting.
Do the maths at the stake you're allowed
If extra places still work on an account, the maths is the same as any matched bet. Most of the time the pair of bets ends in a small qualifying loss, which is the cost of taking part. The payout comes in the less common case where the horse finishes in the extra place. What a restriction changes is your stake, and the result scales with it. Results vary.
Example | Full stake | Capped stake |
|---|---|---|
Back stake at 3.0 | £10 | £2 |
Lay stake at 3.1, 2% commission | £9.74 | £1.95 |
Liability | £20.45 | £4.09 |
Qualifying loss | £0.45 | £0.09 |
Liability is what the exchange holds from your balance to cover the lay. At a £2 cap everything is five times smaller, including the payout when the offer lands. Put the stake the bet slip actually accepts into our Extra Place Calculator, a free tool that needs no account.
Mug betting, and why we don't teach it
Mug betting means placing ordinary bets with no lay bet to cover them. The old version of this page gave tips on it. We've dropped them for three reasons.
First, it costs real money. Second, it only delays a restriction; it doesn't stop one. Third, in a Bournemouth University study of 2,112 UK matched bettors, reported in September 2026, some said they'd moved from matched betting into other gambling.
Your rights when you're restricted
The Gambling Commission says a bookmaker shouldn't change a free bet's terms once you've accepted the offer and started it.
The Commission said in July 2024 that, without a genuine regulatory concern, there's no valid reason to delay a withdrawal. It also said bookmakers shouldn't ask at withdrawal for information they could reasonably have asked for earlier. A bookmaker can still check your ID, though. Bet365's terms say that if you're slow to send what it asks for, your withdrawal may be delayed.
Checks are not a gub
A request for financial statements or proof of address is a check, not a restriction. Bet365's terms, for example, say it has to check your identity, your financial circumstances and the source of the money you deposit, and the documents it asks for include financial statements and proof of address. Answer honestly, and keep a record of your deposits and withdrawals.
What not to do
Some advice online crosses a line, so we won't repeat it in detail. Using a friend's or relative's account, or opening one for them to use for you, is account fraud, not matched betting.
Don't chase a gub either. Depositing more to win back what a restricted account cost you is chasing losses. If that sounds familiar, the National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133.
Can a restriction be lifted?
Some promo bans lift after months, while stake restrictions are generally treated as permanent. Don't plan around it.
See what still works on your accounts
If you've been promo-banned at a few bookmakers, extra places may be the offer still open to you. Our free list shows today's extra place races. Check each race's place terms against your own account before you bet. If you later want help spotting close prices, our Extra Places alerts can tell you by e-mail, web push or Discord. You still choose and place every bet yourself.
Checked against Bet365's, Betfair's, Betfred's, Coral's, Ladbrokes' and Unibet's terms on 14 November 2026.
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