Casino app marketing preferences
Casino app marketing preferences decide which promotions a UK casino can send you and how: email, text, phone, post, push notification or in-app message. Since 1 May 2025, licensed operators must let you choose by gambling product and by channel. This guide shows where the settings live, how to change them on iPhone and Android, and which messages keep coming whatever you pick.
By the Best Casino Apps UK team. Last checked .
Key takeaways
- UK operators must ask you to opt in to direct marketing separately for each product (such as casino, betting or bingo) and each channel.
- Change your choices in the app’s account or settings menu; unsubscribe links and STOP replies also work.
- Push notifications have two switches: the casino’s own preferences and your phone’s notification settings.
- Opting out stops promotions, not service messages such as security codes, withdrawal updates or changes to terms.
- Self-excluding through GAMSTOP or an operator should stop marketing from that operator altogether.
- Opt-in rule
- By product and channel, since 1 May 2025
- Channels covered
- Email, SMS, phone, post, push, in-app, social
- Where to change
- Account > Settings or Communication preferences
- Cost to opt out
- None
- Still sent after opt-out
- Account and safety messages
- Complaints about unwanted messages
- Operator first, then the ICO
What casino app marketing preferences control
Every UK-licensed casino keeps a record of what promotional contact you have agreed to. That record is your marketing preferences, sometimes labelled Communication Preferences, Contact Preferences or Notifications in the app. It covers direct marketing: messages sent to you personally to promote gambling, such as a reload offer by email, a text about a weekend tournament, or a push alert inviting you back to a game.
It doesn’t cover general advertising you see on television, websites or social media, which isn’t addressed to you by name. Nor does it cover service messages the casino needs to send to run your account. Those distinctions matter, because people often switch every box off and are then surprised to receive an email about a verification document; that message isn’t marketing.
| Channel | Typical content | Where you control it |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly offers, new games, prize draws | App preferences or unsubscribe link | |
| SMS | Short offer alerts | App preferences or reply STOP where offered |
| Phone calls | Account manager or VIP contact | App preferences or ask the caller |
| Post | Letters or cards | App preferences or customer support |
| Push notifications | Offer and game alerts on your lock screen | App preferences and phone settings |
| In-app messages | Inbox items and banners | App preferences; some banners can’t be switched off |
| Social media | Messages or targeted ads | App preferences and the platform’s ad settings |
UK rules behind the opt-in screen
Three sets of rules shape what you see when a casino asks about marketing.
- The Gambling Commission’s licence conditions. A social responsibility code provision that took effect on 1 May 2025 requires online operators to give customers the choice of which products and which channels they want marketing about. Agreeing to casino emails doesn’t mean agreeing to sports texts.
- The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). These require consent for most marketing by email, text and automated call. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforces them.
- UK GDPR. You have an absolute right to object to your personal data being used for direct marketing. Once you object, the operator must stop, and it can’t ask you to justify it.
On top of that, a casino shouldn’t market to anyone who has self-excluded with it or through GAMSTOP, and the Commission expects operators to consider pausing marketing to customers showing signs of harm. Our overview of UK casino app rules covers the other changes from 2025 and 2026.
The marketing step when you open an account
Most casino apps ask about marketing on the final screen of registration, near the age and terms confirmations. Under the 2025 rule, you should see a choice that separates products and channels, either as a grid of switches or as a short list of tick boxes. A few practical points:
- Boxes shouldn’t be pre-ticked. If something already looks switched on, read the label: it may be the terms acceptance, not marketing.
- You can open an account without agreeing to any marketing. Declining doesn’t stop you depositing, playing or withdrawing.
- If you share a household device, consider leaving push and SMS off so offers don’t appear on a screen others see; see our guide to casino apps on shared family devices.
- Any choice made at sign-up can be changed later in the app, usually in less than a minute.
How to change marketing preferences in a casino app
Menu names vary between brands, but the route is similar in most UK casino apps:
- Open the app and sign in.
- Tap your account icon, initials, balance or the menu button (often three lines in a corner).
- Choose Settings, My Account or Profile, then look for Communication Preferences, Marketing Preferences or Contact Preferences.
- Switch each product and channel on or off. If there is a single ‘opt out of all’ option, use that to clear everything at once.
- Tap Save or Update. Some apps save each switch instantly and show a confirmation banner.
- Close the screen and reopen it to check your choices stuck. If they reset, update the app and try again, or ask support to change them for you.
Push notifications: the casino’s switch and your phone’s switch
Push alerts are the one channel with two independent controls. The casino’s preference decides whether it sends a promotional push; your phone decides whether any push from that app is shown. Turning off the phone’s switch silences everything from the app, including potentially useful alerts such as a withdrawal being approved, so many people prefer to switch off only the marketing setting in the app.
| Step | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Settings > Notifications | Settings > Apps (or Notifications) |
| Pick the app | Scroll to the casino app | Choose the casino app > Notifications |
| Turn off everything | Toggle Allow Notifications off | Toggle All notifications off |
| Fine-tune | Change lock screen, banners and sounds | Switch off individual categories if the app provides them |
| Quieter option | Use a Focus mode to hide the app at set times | Use Do Not Disturb or Digital Wellbeing schedules |
On Android, apps can divide their alerts into notification categories, so you may be able to keep account alerts while turning off promotions. Whether that’s possible depends on how the developer set up the app. Our full guide to casino app notifications goes through which alerts are worth keeping, and the push notification glossary entry explains the technology.
Unsubscribing from emails, texts, calls and post
You don’t have to open the app to opt out. Each channel has its own route:
- Email: marketing emails must carry a way to unsubscribe, usually a link at the bottom. Using it should update the same preferences you see in the app.
- Text messages: many promotional texts include a STOP keyword or short opt-out instruction. If yours doesn’t, change the SMS switch in the app.
- Phone calls: tell the caller you don’t want marketing calls. They should record this against your account.
- Post: use the app’s preferences or contact customer support, as letters are often produced in batches days in advance.
Messages already queued when you opt out may still arrive for a short while. If promotions continue for more than a few days, contact support in the app and ask them to confirm your preferences in writing. If you changed your email address or mobile number recently, check the new details are on the account, as explained in our guide to changing your contact details.
Messages you still receive after opting out
Opting out of marketing doesn’t make an account silent. The operator still needs to contact you about the account itself, and some messages are there to protect you.
| Message | Marketing? | Can you switch it off? |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly offers and new game alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Prize draw or tournament invitations | Yes | Yes |
| One-time login or security codes | No | No, they protect the account |
| Verification or document requests | No | No |
| Deposit and withdrawal confirmations | No | Usually not |
| Changes to terms or privacy notice | No | No |
| Safer gambling interactions and limit confirmations | No | No |
If a message labelled as an account update is really promoting an offer, it counts as marketing and should respect your choices. Note it, and raise it with the operator.
Does opting out affect offers or rewards?
Opting out of marketing means you won’t be told about personalised promotions by that channel. It doesn’t change your balance, your access to games, or any bonus you have already accepted. Offers that are already in your account generally stay visible in the app’s promotions area or inbox, so you can still read and claim them deliberately.
Some operators do send certain promotions only through marketing channels, so a fully opted-out account may simply see fewer of them. That is a reasonable trade if you prefer fewer prompts to play. A casino shouldn’t penalise you for opting out, and it can’t make marketing consent a condition of opening or keeping an account.
Gambling ads outside the app
Your casino preferences control direct contact, not the general ads you see while scrolling. Social networks and search engines have their own settings. Google’s ad settings, for example, let signed-in users limit ads on sensitive topics including gambling, and the major social platforms offer ad preference menus where you can hide or reduce particular advertisers or topics. Look for Ad preferences or Ad topics in each platform’s settings.
Advertising tracking on your phone is a separate layer again. On iPhone, Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking lets you refuse app tracking requests. On Android, Settings > Privacy (or Google) > Ads lets you delete the advertising ID on recent versions. Our guide to casino app privacy settings has the full routes, and casino apps and your personal data explains what tracking labels on store listings mean.
Still receiving promotions after opting out?
- Check the date you opted out. Allow a few days for queued messages to clear.
- Open the app’s preferences again and confirm every product and channel is off.
- Check the message really comes from that operator and is sent to the address or number on your account. Sister brands run by the same company may hold separate preferences.
- Contact support through live chat or email, ask them to stop all direct marketing, and request confirmation.
- If it continues, make a formal complaint to the operator using its complaints process. Our guide on how to complain about a casino app sets out the stages.
- Unwanted marketing emails, texts and calls can be reported to the ICO, which enforces PECR.
Marketing that continues after you have self-excluded is a more serious issue than an ignored preference. Tell the operator straight away, keep copies of the messages, and mention it in any complaint.
If you want fewer prompts to gamble
If the reason you are looking at marketing settings is that offers are pulling you back into play, switching off promotions is a good first step, but other tools go further. A time-out or self-exclusion stops marketing from that operator and blocks play. Registering with GAMSTOP covers every online operator licensed in Great Britain; our page on GAMSTOP and casino apps explains how it works. Blocking software and bank gambling blocks add another barrier, compared in our guide to gambling blocking apps.
Free, confidential support is available from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (24 hours a day), GamCare, and NHS gambling clinics. Our safer gambling hub lists them in one place.
18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop marketing from a casino app?
Open the app, go to your account or settings menu and find Communication or Marketing Preferences, then switch every product and channel off and save. You can also use the unsubscribe link in a marketing email or reply STOP to a promotional text where that option is given. To silence push alerts entirely, turn off notifications for the app in your phone’s settings as well. Allow a few days for queued messages to stop. Our casino app notifications guide shows which alerts are worth keeping, such as security codes and withdrawal updates.
What is the UK rule on casino marketing consent?
Since 1 May 2025, the Gambling Commission has required online operators to let customers opt in to direct marketing by product and by channel. That means you can, for example, accept casino emails but refuse sports betting texts. The rule sits alongside PECR, which requires consent for most electronic marketing, and UK GDPR, which gives you an absolute right to object to direct marketing. Operators shouldn’t market to people who have self-excluded. Our UK casino app rules guide summarises the wider regulation.
Will I lose my bonus if I opt out of marketing?
No. Opting out doesn’t remove a bonus you have already accepted, change its terms or affect your balance. You may see fewer new personalised offers, because some promotions are only sent through marketing channels, but offers already in your account usually remain visible in the promotions area or in-app inbox. A licensed casino can’t make marketing consent a condition of having an account. If an offer you expected seems to have vanished, ask support. Our guide to opting in to a casino bonus explains how bonus opt-ins differ from marketing opt-ins.
Why do I still get emails after unsubscribing?
There are usually three explanations. Messages scheduled before you opted out may still be sent for a few days. The email may be a service message, such as a verification request or a change to the terms, which isn’t marketing. Or it may come from a sister brand run by the same company that holds a separate preference record. Check the sender and your settings in each app, then contact support if promotions continue. Persistent unwanted marketing can be raised as a complaint, as covered in how to complain about a casino app.
Are push notifications counted as marketing?
Promotional push notifications are direct marketing, so they should follow the preferences you set in the app. Account alerts, such as a confirmation that a withdrawal has been processed, are service messages. Your phone adds a second control: turning off notifications for the app in iPhone or Android settings blocks every push, whatever the casino sends. If you want account alerts but no promotions, switch off marketing in the app and leave the phone setting on. The push notification glossary entry explains how these alerts reach your lock screen.
Does self-exclusion stop casino marketing?
Yes. Once you self-exclude with an operator, it should stop sending you marketing, and registering with GAMSTOP extends that to all online operators licensed in Great Britain, which must check the GAMSTOP list. Marketing that arrives after self-exclusion should be reported to the operator immediately. Self-exclusion also blocks access to gambling for the period you choose. Our step-by-step guide on how to self-exclude on a casino app explains the options, and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 can talk you through them.
Can I choose casino marketing but not sports marketing?
Yes, that is exactly what the product-by-channel rule allows. Where a brand runs both a casino and a sportsbook, its preference screen should let you accept one product and refuse the other, and choose separately for email, SMS, push and other channels. Combined apps sometimes group these under one settings page with a switch per product. If you only see a single on-off button, contact support and ask for your preferences to be set by product. Our casino apps vs betting apps page explains how brands separate the two.
How do I complain about unwanted gambling marketing?
Start with the operator. Use its live chat or email to ask it to stop all marketing, then follow its formal complaints process if messages continue. Keep screenshots of your preference settings and the messages you received. Unwanted electronic marketing can also be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which enforces PECR, and gambling ads that seem misleading or irresponsible can be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority. Our complaints guide sets out each stage, including independent dispute resolution for other account issues.