# What happens to your betting account when you delete the app? > Deleting a betting app does not close your account. How closure works under s.171, how to ask in writing and how it differs from self-exclusion. Source: https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/deleting-betting-app-vs-closing-account/ Updated: 2026-11-07 Deleting a betting app removes it from your phone and does nothing else. To close the account, you ask the operator. Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 (s.171, wording to be re-read) a licensee closes an account on your written request, or after 13 months without participation. Deleting the app is also not self-exclusion. ## Delete, close, exclude: three different acts **Three actions and what each does. Source: Gambling Regulation Act 2024 s.171 (to be re-read); GRAI Protection Tools; operator help (Not checked) · checked 7 November 2026** | Action | What it does | Who acts | |---|---|---| | Delete the app | Removes the app from the phone. Account, balance and history stay with the operator; operator help pages: Not checked. | You, on the phone | | Close the account | Ends the account with the operator. | You write to the operator, or the licensee closes it after 13 months without participation (s.171) | | Self-exclude | Blocks your betting under the operator's terms. Terms: Not checked. | You, with the operator; the national register is planned, not in force | **In short:** only the operator can close your account. ## How to close an account in writing 1. **Check the account first.** Open your balance and open bets in the app. See [your betting history](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/betting-history-wins-losses-in-app/). 2. **Write to the operator.** Use the support channel on its help pages. Channels: Not checked. 3. **Say what you want.** Ask for the account to be closed, and ask what happens to any balance. 4. **Keep the record.** Save your request and the reply with their dates. 5. **Delete the app last.** Do it only once the operator confirms. **In short:** write first, delete afterwards. ## If you want a break, not a closure - Time-out or self-exclusion steps are in [taking a break or self-excluding](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/time-out-or-self-exclude-in-a-betting-app/). - The term is explained in [self-exclusion](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/self-exclusion-meaning/). - GRAI's Get Help page lists support lines. Gambling Awareness Trust: 1800 936 725, 24/7. **In short:** a break and a closure are separate requests. ## Common questions **Does deleting the app close my account?** No. It removes the app from the phone. Closing the account is a request to the operator. **Can I close my account without writing?** Our sources name a written request (s.171). Whether an operator also accepts closure inside the app is Not checked. **Is closing an account the same as self-exclusion?** No. Closure ends the account. Self-exclusion blocks betting under the operator's terms. The national exclusion register (ss.44-49) is planned and not in force. ## How we checked Sources: the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 (s.171 on closure; s.173(4) on account information), GRAI Protection Tools and Get Help pages as read on 6 November 2026. Operator help pages on closure: Not checked for any operator. ## What changed 7 November 2026: first version of this page. ## Caveats The s.171 wording and the 13-month rule are taken from our research summary and need a re-read of the Act text. We have no data on what an operator does with a balance after deletion. **18+ only.** Free 24/7 support: 1800 936 725 · gamblingcare.ie. More on [responsible gambling](https://beforeyouinstall.com/responsible-gambling/). ## Related questions - [What a betting history shows](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/betting-history-wins-losses-in-app/) - [Self-exclusion](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/self-exclusion-meaning/) - [Limits, breaks and blocks](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/limits/) - [Setting a deposit limit in a betting app](https://beforeyouinstall.com/guides/set-a-deposit-limit-in-a-betting-app/) ## FAQ **Does deleting the app close my account?** No. It removes the app from the phone. Closing the account is a request to the operator. **Can I close my account without writing?** Our sources name a written request (s.171). Whether an operator also accepts closure inside the app is Not checked. **Is closing an account the same as self-exclusion?** No. Closure ends the account. Self-exclusion blocks betting under the operator's terms. The national exclusion register (ss.44-49) is planned and not in force.