In 2023, a record-breaking number of 92,000 players in the UK signed up with Gamstop, a scheme that promotes social responsibility in gambling. This marked an increase from the previous record of 84,000 registrations in 2022.
Of those who registered, 55% opted for a five-year exclusion period, the longest duration available through Gamstop. Other options included six months and one year exclusions.
In May, Gamstop also achieved a new monthly high with 8,591 sign-ups.
There has been a growing trend of younger individuals joining Gamstop. In the second half of the year, registrations from people aged 16-24 increased by 31% compared to the previous year. This age group now represents 21% of new registrations, up from 17% in the previous year.
Since Gamstop’s launch in April 2018, a total of 433,357 consumers have registered with the scheme.
Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer emphasized the importance of self-exclusion and other support mechanisms for those struggling with gambling. She expressed the organization’s commitment to raising awareness of Gamstop to individuals who could benefit from self-exclusion, as well as their friends and families affected by gambling issues.
Palmer also highlighted the need to educate young adults and announced plans for continued outreach to the 16-24 age group in partnership with like-minded organizations and football clubs.
Despite the growing number of Gamstop users, there are challenges posed by illegal operators. These unlicensed sites actively promote their non-affiliation with Gamstop, enabling registered players to continue gambling. Yield Sec, a watchdog, discovered thousands of Google searches attempting to aid in the avoidance of self-exclusion. By January 2024, there were millions of search results related to being “not on Gamstop” or similar phrases. These findings indicate that at-risk players may be resorting to betting with illegal and potentially dangerous operators who are not monitored by tools like Yield Sec and Gamstop.
