What Is Gamstop?
Gamstop is a scheme operated by The National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Limited and was launched by the Remote Gambling Association in April 2018. It is a non-profit making policy that was developed keeping in mind the welfare of the people. It is a free self-exclusion service that aims at helping problem gamblers. All casinos that are licensed to offer online gambling services to citizens of Great Britain ( England, Wales, Scotland ) must put into effect the procedures for self-exclusion and prevent the punters from signing in. It works on the basis of the duration that a person chooses to remain excluded from gambling websites. The duration could range from 6 months, 1 year to 5 years. To activate the program, details such as date of birth, email address, and postcode are required to register on the platform.
Gamstop is only effective based on the information that is provided by the gambler. It does not stop a gambler from signing in using some other alternative account or demographic data. Thus, it all comes down to exercising a certain degree of honesty and sincerity in leveraging the GAMSTOP policies, where one will be prevented from using UK licensed websites and applications for a chosen time period in order to curb unnatural gambling tendencies.
What Are The Problems Of Gamstop?
Gamstop was launched as the first step towards helping gamblers come out of their addiction. It depends on personal will. However, there are many complaints about Gamstop as well :
- Too many gambling options: Gamstop can only ban a person from online gambling sites that are registered under the UK guidelines. This indicates that a gambler can still find independent online casinos, not on Gamstop. For punters who were forced into or were unwilling to sign up, other means of reliable gambling are always being featured. It is a scheme based on self-trust and reliability. Brick and mortar casinos are also other valid options for them.
- No backing out after the scheme is chosen:Gamstop offers a time span of 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years as an exclusion period. Once signed in, one cannot decrease or opt-out which seems to be an innovative solution but can be a problem for many punters due to a lack of motivation or enthusiasm.
- The promotional marketing doesn’t stop:The scheme does not stop promotional emails or advertisements even after a player enrolls for the Gamstop program. These might lure back gamblers and provoke them to resume playing on sites which do not cooperate with Gamstop. It is pretty easy to search for several top casino sites that are safe, popular, and do not operate under these restrictive guidelines.
- Chance of getting blacklisted: Even after completion of the term, there remains a possibility of permanently getting blacklisted from online casinos due to the historical records and demographic data associated with problem gamb Some punters find that embarrassing and humiliating.
- Resuming gambling after exclusion:After completion of the self-exclusion period, one needs to undergo the hassle of informing Gamstop about their willingness to get access to the online gambling sites. The Gamstop department, thereafter, exercises their sole discretion to make a decision.
To deal with these associated problems and find alternate solutions, read about the best ways around Gamstop on NonGamstopCasinos.org. It would give a detailed idea about how to go around this scheme, yet safeguard yourself from unnatural debts or addiction, even though you continue gambling on highly reputed sites.
How To Live With Gamstop?
Gambling tends to shift from a fun, harmless pastime to an unhealthy obsession over time. This can lead to pathological gambling and strain personal relationships, lead to financial disasters and majorly affect work. To avoid overspending, one must have a low deposit amount, withdrawal, and wagering limit, and must not chase losses. Self-exclusion is a realization worth appreciating. However, for a problem gambler, lucrative distractions will come across. Gamstop is not the only policy that can help these gamblers. A few good options include GamBan, Gamblock which are applications that block access to all gambling websites and platforms with their transaction functionality upon installation. Gambling content such as Skins, Esports, Cryptocurrencies, Trading sites, and Sportsbooks are all blocked. They are free of cost and operate for welfare.
However, players who are unwilling to subscribe to a period of forced exclusion could look for non-Gamstop sites that are equally reliable and practice responsible gambling. While players would be required to impose a certain degree of self-exclusion, these non-Gamstop breeds of casinos keep monitoring players who might showcase symptoms of problem gambling.