United Kingdom experiences surge in sign-ups to Gamstop, the gambling ban service
Britain's Gamstop self-exclusion scheme experienced a record surge in 2023. Annual enrollments increased by 9.5%. It appears that this issue predominantly affects young individuals.
A staggering 92,000 individuals opted into the UK's Gamstop self-exclusion program in 2023, according to an iGaming Business report [English link provided]. This marks a significant 9.5% expansion over the previous year, reaching an all-time high in registrations.
May experienced a particularly high number of registrations, with 8,591 individuals joining the scheme during the month alone. Registrations have consistently risen year by year. In 2022, roughly 84,000 individuals enrolled.
The registered user base continues to grow, emphasizing the importance of self-exclusion for those grappling with gambling issues and the necessity of supporting other restriction measures. Our aim is to continue promoting Germstop to individuals who may benefit from self-exclusion, as well as to the friends and families of those impacted by gambling.– Fiona Palmer, Gamstop CEO, *Mirror
Over half (55%) of those who registered with Gamstop in 2023 opted for a 5-year exclusion period. This is the longest period users can self-exclude through Gamstop. Alternative options include one year and six months.
Gamstop's efficacy, seen through the eyes of a problem gambler
Introduced in April 2018, over 433,000 individuals have enrolled in Gamstop. Harj Gahley, a 38-year-old, is among them. He began gambling and betting on sports at age 23. Initially, he would visit casinos before transitioning to online gambling.
On certain days, he claimed to have lost thousands of pounds, resorting to borrowing and even theft to maintain his gambling habit. He attempted numerous times to seek help and quit gambling, but all efforts failed.
One fateful day, he reached out to Gamcare and received the help and encouragement he had been seeking for so long. This led to therapy and his registration with Gamstop.
Gamstop played a crucial role in his recovery, and he firmly believes it can benefit thousands of others. The knowledge that he was prohibited from participating in any online gambling within the UK served as a turning point for him. It has now been three years since his addiction was overcome.
He battled a gambling addiction for over a decade and has since worked for the gambling charity Red Card, helping others overcome their addictions.
A notable increase in young adult registrants
Gamstop shared statistics for the first half of 2023 in August. These trends continued into the second half of the year.
Between August and December, registrations among individuals aged 16 to 24 increased by 31%. This age group accounted for 21% of all new registrants in 2023, up from 17% in the previous year.
Gamstop aims to give more attention to younger problem gamblers.
Fiona Palmer, Gamstop's CEO, has already commented on the latest figures. According to her, Gamstop's responsible parties plan to focus more on younger players and raise awareness about Gamstop.
"The high proportion of young adults among Gamstop registrants underscores the importance of educating younger consumers, and we will intensify our public outreach efforts for this age group in 2024 by collaborating with like-minded organizations and leveraging the support of our football club partners." - Fiona Palmer, Gamstop CEO, iGaming Business
Gamstop has previously launched larger advertising campaigns to raise public awareness about the self-exclusion service in the UK. When the specific public outreach efforts for younger age groups will begin is not yet known.
Despite the record surge in Gamstop registrations in the UK, there's growing interest in similar self-exclusion services in other countries. For instance, online casinos in Germany are starting to implement similar measures. This development could potentially reduce gambling-related issues in Germany as well.
Recently, an online survey revealed that over 20% of German online casino users have considered or are already using self-exclusion tools. This trend suggests that German online casinos may need to enhance their self-exclusion services to better cater to their users' needs.
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