Self imposed bans grow in the UK

The number of people who stopped themselves from betting in the United Kingdom has risen dramatically in the last four years.

UK.- Self-exclusions in the United Kingdom have increased from 30k in 2013 to a million in 2016. The information was provided by the Gambling Commission, under a freedom of information request by The Times.

The local gambling commission said that on average each person banned themselves from two operators, as The Christian Institute cited the report. Spokesman for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, Matt Zarb-Cousin, said that self-exclusion is not the solution to problem gambling, but he insisted that the reduction in maximum stakes is a good first step. “The number of people that self-exclude are only a proportion of the total number of gambling addicts,” he added.

Moreover, Simon Perfitt, founder of Rething Gambling, said that 40 to 50 percent of the profits that gambling companies get come from addicts, so they don’t really want people to self-exclude. “They put all the onus on the individual to ban themselves and in shops it’s so badly enforced because it’s all done through paperwork,” he said. The government is set to review fixed-odds betting terminals by autumn.

Earlier this month it was announced that the UKGC urged organisers of betting tournaments to comply with current legislation on sports betting and iGaming sectors. The UKGC has warned operators to study rules of fantasy sports leagues, prizes and promotions in order to offer a legal service. Organisers would also have to ask for a pool license in case the significance of the tournament requires it. Furthermore, the UKGC has asked them to pay special attention on advertising regulations.