All Gambling Sites Must Sign Up To Self-Exclusion System Gamstop
All gambling websites must sign up with self-exclusion system Gamstop.
A new report from the Guardian has revealed that all online casinos and bookmakers will now be required to sign up with Gamstop, an online system that allows vulnerable gamers to block themselves from all gambling websites, as a condition of their UK gambling license.
The UK Gambling Commission is expected to formally announce the news this week after finally approving the online service 18 months after it launched. Reports suggest the Commission shared concerns regarding Gamstop’s effectiveness but now believes the service is sufficient after ironing out several issues.
Last year, the UK Gambling Commission warned the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) of failings in the system and investigations led by the Guardian found that flaws allowed gamblers to bypass self-imposed blocks.
The Commission earlier said it was concerned that the service didn’t synchronise its list of registered users with companies’ promotional mailing lists which meant users signed up to the service could still receive direct marketing emails. Now the service has ironed out its issues, gambling operators will be required to sign up to Gamstop as a requirement of their UK license.
Currently, around 99% of gambling operators in the nation have signed up with the service but those that do not risk losing their license to operate in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the number of gamblers using the service is thought to be in the tens of thousands, according to the Guardian.
However, a spokesperson for the Commission refused to tell the Guardian whether or not it was approving the service, saying: “We have nothing further to announce on this at the moment.”
Gambling Regulation in the UK
The news comes as the UK Gambling Commission continues to tighten its regulation on gambling in the nation. Last month, the Commission launched its 12-week consultation on the use of credit cards at online casinos, with an aim at banning the payment method from being used completely.
The Commission also announced new rule changes to better protect customers. The new rules change how gambling operators interact with customers, particularly those at risk, and the changes also improve the transparency regarding the funding and needs of addicts and the prevention and treatment of gambling addictions.
It was also suggested that recent rule changes from the Commission now requires gambling operators to regulate player spending by establishing how much they can afford to gamble and setting limits on spending until users have completed affordability checks.