GamStop is the most trending topic in the UK gambling industry since it has become compulsory for all the licensed gambling operators. This self-exclusion programme is an immediate solution for the players who have decided to quit online gambling activities. As this non-profit organization experienced difficulty to start up, the platform has become an efficient option to help compulsive gamblers and raise awareness around the risks of gambling addiction.
GamStop Fiona Palmer
Fiona Palmer, GamStop’s CEO has made the following lucid explanations that people should know about this voluntary self-exclusion system. The past, present, and future of GamStop will be revealed by Fiona Palmer through this article.
Why Was GamStop Created?
Considered as very young compared to other blocking programmes, Gamstop was at last launched in 2018 although its release was scheduled for 2017 due to some issues. In the first year of its release, the platform had to face down critics after the BBC had tested this scheme and had concluded that there were issues with the technology used on the system. In fact, some excluded players were still able to gamble on the gambling websites.
GamStop was officially accepted by the UKGC and from March 1st April 2020; this gambling watchdog implemented a regulation to require all licensed operators to become part of this scheme. This has enhanced the platform's reputation and has boosted its reputation as a potential self-exclusion solution for the UK local players. Nonetheless, this free service process has remained the same in which the players are able to choose the duration of the prohibition period from 6 months to 5 years. After the confirmation; they will no longer access all the gambling websites until the period has expired.
Was GamStop’s Goal Achieved?
According to Fiona Palmer, GamStop has become a successful business as it is used by more than 160.000 addicted gamblers. As stated by the data from NatCen Social Research, around 340.000 gamblers develop a gambling addiction meaning that the scheme is an interesting achievement because nearly half of the addicted players have already used the tool. Although the programme is commonly used by the players, UK players can still join online casinos not on GamStop that are presented on the well-known platforms including NonStopCasino.org or NonGamStopBets.com.
The majority of the players choose the duration of 6 months and one of the interesting facts is that most of the users activate again their self-banned period of time. Only 10% of them return to gamble once their prohibition expires. It is worth mentioning that the users cannot remove the self-ban until their chosen period has elapsed.
What will be GamStop’s Future Plans?
GamStop has massive plans for the future and one of its overriding objectives is to force the companies to become partners of this self-exclusion scheme. As these operators not partnered with GamStop find the platform as a failing system, they prefer to not acquire this self-prohibition scheme. That is the reason why this free service will focus on imposing regulation on these non GamStop operators. With several popular online casinos and sports betting sites available in the UK, there was no considerable success to affect them, added Fiona Palmer.
Moreover, the organism is also concentrating on promoting the services across the UK. In spite of being recognized as an appealing option, many players are not familiar with GamStop. Helping these gamblers by promoting the scheme will solve this issue. In the future, we see that GamStop will become more common, prosperous, and even more advanced. Its rise and advancements of all aspects are certain, affirmed the CEO.
Conclusion
GamStop and the UK gambling industry cannot be separated since this self-prohibition system has become mandatory in this country. The programme is an effective solution to help people with gambling addiction as well as encourage responsible gambling. Though they have been faced with difficulties, their efforts paid off as the tool has become the most used within the British gambling sector.
This means that all the operators holding licences from the UK gambling watchdog must acquire GamStop to allow their players to use this tool. Fiona Palmer stated that the future of this self-exclusion scheme is bright as it will be being used by all the gambling operators in the country.