Gambling self-exclusion: Gamstop registrations surpass half a million in the UK

The gambling self-exclusion register launched in April 2018.

UK.- Gamstop, the British national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has surpassed 500,000 registrations since its launch in April 2018. Some of those registrations have lapsed, with 440,000 people on the register excluded as of the end of August.

Gamstop allows players to exclude themselves from all gambling sites licensed by the Gambling Commission. Players can choose an exclusion period from six months to five years.

April of this year remains the month with the highest number of registrations so far, with 8,686 new registrants. Last year, 92,000 people signed up, the highest full-year total to date.

Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer said: “We have come a very long way since our launch in April 2018. Gamstop is now widely recognised as an important tool to help vulnerable consumers take a break from their gambling. 

“We are proud to have been able to help hundreds of thousands of people to take back control of their lives though self-exclusion. We hope to help many more in the years to come.”

Earlier in the year, Gamstop reported a 12 per cent rise in players aged 16 to 24 using the scheme. Data showed that one in two people who registered in the last six months were aged between 16 and 35, leading to a drop in the average age of users and leading to concerns about underage gambling. 

Meanwhile, the Euro 2024 tournament appears to have triggered a rise in sign ups in the second quarter of the year. There were 49,494 new registrants in the first half, a rise of 3 per cent.

On September 12, football clubs in England and Scotland promoted Gamstop during National Self Exclusion Day. Self-exclusion messaging appeared at stadiums on the weekend of September 7 and 8 and digital assets appeared on partner clubs’ social channels.