Gambling is a comfortable and easy way of winning cash for a player. The thrill of gambling is hard to deny when the player starts winning bigger stakes. The sector of online gambling has started to expand due to a surge in the number of players due to the lockdown situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The popularity of gambling has also increased due to the legalization of gambling in different parts of the world.
The gambling industry is an ever-burgeoning scene that is expanding rapidly.
Gambling might be fun at first glance, but compulsive gambling or excessive gambling takes a toll on the lives of gamblers. To prevent addiction to gambling, several gambling-blocking software has been developed. GamStop is one such gambling-blocking software, operating in the countries of the UK, England, and Wales.
About GamStop
GamStop is a free-of-cost self-exclusion system, for resolving the issues of excessive gambling by gamblers, regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), and licensed in the United Kingdom. GamStop was created in the year 2020 and it became fully functional in March 2020.
How Does GamStop Function?
The gambler is first needed to enter numerous personal details like residential address, date of birth, contact number, email address, etc. for the process of registration on GamStop. An email is then sent to the GamStop user after the procedure of filling in the details is completed. The self-exclusion period is activated within the next 24 hours. The player will then be excluded from the online gambling sites for the selected time period, known as the Minimum Exclusion Period. The range of this duration can be of 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Once the process of registration is over the restriction cannot be removed until the termination of the self-exclusion period.
The registered player on the GamStop has to wait for the Self-Exclusion period to be over to enter the online gambling sites for placing bets. Only after your self-exclusion period ends, you are able to stop GamStop using Gap guide and continue playing. This might be effective for the player to get rid of gambling habits. Once the self-exclusion period is activated, now whenever a player tries to enter an online UKGC-licensed gambling site, thorough scanning is done by the system by searching through the database.
If the player is found to be registered on GamStop, immediate blocking of the player will be done and the player will not be allowed to access the gambling site further. The personal data is stored for seven years, then for an additional archive period of seven years even after the self-exclusion period gets over, according to the privacy policy of GamStop.
Is There A Rise In The Number Of Gamstop Registrants?
From the annual review of GamStop, it is found that there are about 257,000 newly registered participants by the end of the year 2021 and more than 235000 GamStop players amongst them are excluded from online gambling. There has been a rise of about 25% in new registration in 2021, in the first half of the year compared to 2020 and an increase of 32% can be seen in 2021, compared to 2020, in the second half of the year. 70% of the registrants are male, whereas 30% of them are female. 43% of the total registration falls in the bracket of 25-34. As you can see, the popularity of Gamstop is growing, it is seen from the annual review of GamStop that about 50% of the registered customers have chosen five years as the minimum exclusion period, about 24% of the registrants have selected one year and 26% of the registrants have chosen 6 months as the minimum exclusion period.
Does This Suggest Awareness Of Responsible Gambling?
A rise in the number of registrations on GamStop might suggest that there is an increase in awareness about the adverse effects of gambling in the masses and about the functioning of the GamStop scheme, by following the principle of self-exclusion. GamStop CEO Fiona Palmer has emphasized the importance of the self-exclusion scheme for eradicating the vices of online gambling.
In January 2022, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), has given Gamstop the opportunity to run a trial version of a single customer view, specifically for gaming operators. A single-customer view will be useful in sharing data, to take note of the activity of a player by a licensed operator with another licensee.
Conclusion
GamStop is an effective tool to protect gamblers and maintain a responsible gambling environment, in controlling the adverse effects of compulsive gambling amongst gamblers. A rise in the membership of GamStop seems to be a positive indicator of responsible gambling.
