Self-exclusion from gambling: can it be avoided?

There are repeated reports in the international press about problem gamblers who are said to have been able to play in online casinos despite self-exclusion from gambling. A report last week on Sky News deals with the topic. Problem gamblers are often excluded from gambling because they cannot control their gambling behavior.

How Does Self-exclusion From Gambling Work in the UK?

In the UK, problem gamblers who want to stop gambling can register with Gamstop, an industry-funded online self-exclusion program, and be banned from gambling at online casinos for at least six months. This ban cannot be lifted until the ban period has expired and players must contact Gamstop by telephone after the period has expired.

Gambling operators in the UK only receive an online license from the UK Gambling Commission if they agree to participate in the Gamstop self-exclusion system, like at betnuvo casino.

Played in the Online Casino Despite Self-ban by GamStop

Sky News spoke to a problem gambler who is said to have played at online casinos in the UK despite being banned.

According to Sky News, “Luis” (player’s fictitious name) registered for self-exclusion with Gamstop in 2019, but managed to reopen his dormant account with William Hill in 2022. This was not recognized by the Gamstop system, even though he had only changed his address. But his unusual last name remained the same.

After reopening his account, he lost £2,000 on William Hill within a few days.

Self-Exclusion in the UK

Problem gamblers in the UK can exclude themselves from gambling by submitting a blocking request to the GamStop blocking system. The minimum blocking period for self-blocking is three months.

The GamStop blocking system includes the following gambling areas:

• Online gambling games licensed in The UK (virtual slot games, online casino games and online poker).

However, a problem for problem gamblers based in The UK could be that the GamStop ban only applies to gambling providers licensed in The UK. Online gamblers have the opportunity to register at online casinos that do not have a British license, but where games can be played from The UK.

Nobody Seems to Feel Responsible

Brian Chappell, the founder of the consumer group Justice for Punters, contacted the British Gambling Commission about Luis ‘ case without success.

“Huge improvements are needed in all of their processes to protect people from harm caused by gambling and to prevent something like this from happening again… There is so much to be learned from this case because the current system allows people like Luis to play every day let us down, and that is simply not acceptable.”

– Brian Chappell, Justice for Punters, Sky News

William Hill also claimed that it was not responsible for Luis not being identified as someone who had excluded himself.

Gamblers’ advocates in the UK hope that the new White Paper , the government’s proposed law to overhaul gambling , will introduce tougher rules for the industry to adapt it to the digital age.

However, there is still a risk that problem gamblers could play with illegal non GamStop casinos which do not have a license from the British Gambling Authority.