All online casinos required to participate in GAMSTOP’s self-exclusion

Responsible gambling is a hot topic in the iGaming industry right now – and rightfully so. 

While online gambling is designed to be a form of entertainment, the reality is that there are many people who fall into unhealthy habits when frequenting casinos. 

Land-based casinos and online casinos alike are subject to those have issues with problem gambling, but online casinos are better equipped to tackle these issues. 

GAMSTOP’s Self-Exclusion Scheme

Many online casinos who care about their players offer responsible gambling features. 

These features can range from setting deposit and withdrawal limits to having the ability to “take a break”. The ultimate responsible gambling feature is the self-exclusion option. 

Self-exclusion means breaking away completely from the online casino in question and no longer receiving communication of any sort. 

GAMSTOP is a service that allows players to self-exclude from their online casino of choice and that will ensure that players are not put at risk. 

Currently, players have to self-exclude from each online separately. This makes the process tedious and dangerous as players could fall back into bad habits too easily. 

The Gambling Commission’s Call to Action

In a recent announcement, the Gambling Commission called upon all online casinos to join GAMSTOP’s self-exclusion scheme. 

This means that by the 31st of March 2020, all online casinos will be a part of the scheme which will also casino customers to self-exclude from all casino sites at once. 

“Operators must do everything they can to minimise the risk of gambling related harm.  That is why we expect the industry to create safe products, know their customers, understand what they can afford to gamble with and identify when they are experiencing harm and step in,” said Neil McArthur from the Gambling Commission. 

“It is also vital that people experiencing gambling harm are able to access the support or treatment they need. This forms part of our ongoing work with our partners to implement the National Strategy for Reducing Gambling Harms.” 

No longer will players need to go through the tedious task of shutting down accounts and unsubscribing from the newsletters – instead it will all be done for them. This small change keeps players safer and allows for those who need help to get it.