Search the web and you’ll find some damning statistics relating to problem gambling. Research from the World Health Organization suggests the prevalence of gambling disorders among adults is as high as 5.8% in some countries. Gambling problems are rife throughout societies and tend to lead to the same consequences:
- Running out of money/ending up in debt
- Developing serious and long-lasting mental health conditions
- Ruining personal relationships
- Ruining your professional life
As a consequence, some governments around the world are looking to take action through “self-exclusion schemes”. These schemes revolve around the concept of excluding players from as many gambling platforms as possible. Being unable to join or use these platforms means the players can’t be drawn back into gambling and get the time they desperately need to recover and move towards a more positive relationship with gambling.
Not every country will have a scheme like this – indeed, there are only two currently available in the UK and Australia. We’ll introduce you to both of them and explain how they work, what they do and what they don’t do for players.
GamStop – The UK’s Self-Exclusion Scheme
Also known as the “original” self-exclusion scheme, GamStop came to fruition in 2019 and currently serves hundreds of thousands of players. It’s a scheme with a simple mission: to protect the British public by offering a quick and easy exclusion method from online gambling.
GamStop is overseen by the UK Gambling Commission and it is illegal for any gambling site in the UK to NOT register with GamStop. If a platform has a UKGC licence, it must partake in the program. This adds it to the GamStop list, which is a list of sites and companies players will be barred from using if they sign up for a GamStop self-exclusion.
What are GamStop’s main capabilities?
Primarily, GamStop is only capable of blocking UK players from using UK-based online gambling platforms. It’s unable to do anything about in-person gambling institutions or gambling websites located away from the UKGC. For instance, players using the scheme will be able to join all of the UK gambling sites not on GamStop listed by CasinoGam without suffering any consequences. They accept UK players, but the websites themselves aren’t registered in the United Kingdom so will not be present on the GamStop list of excluded sites.
It’s also worth noting that GamStop can’t be cancelled or reversed at any time until your self-exclusion period ends. When you start your exclusion, you’ll have to set a time of 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. During this time, you can’t use any of the websites on the GamStop list – though you could still join online casinos in overseas territories.
BetStop – The National Self-Exclusion Register For Australia
The Australian government introduced BetStop in August 2023 as one of many new regulations aimed at controlling the gambling sector. Since then, over 20,000 Aussies have joined the scheme and it works similarly to GamStop but with a few little improvements.
As with the UK’s self-exclusion scheme, BetStop is only open to Australian residents. If you live outside the country, you can’t try to join this scheme as a way of self-excluding. Moreover, it will only block Aussies from viewing or using gambling operators licensed in Australia. The full list of operators can be found here.
The two key differences between GamStop and BetStop relate to the minimum self-exclusion periods and cancellation rules. With BetStop, you have the following:
- A minimum period of 3 months up to a lifetime
- The ability to cancel BetStop after at least 3 months of use
This seems a lot better than what the UKGC is implementing as 3 months is a much shorter minimum period. Being able to leave the scheme after only 16 weeks is highly beneficial and prevents instances when players may seek alternative ways of gambling – which normally results in joining dangerous platforms.
What are BetStop’s main capabilities?
BetStop’s main capabilities are fairly identical to GamStop’s – only the scheme blocks access to Australian gambling sites, rather than those in the UK. This also means there are many casinos not registered with BetStop from international territories you could join if they accept Australian players.
It also, ironically, means someone on BetStop could join a UK online casino without facing any problems – and vice versa. BetStop has one additional capability of note; a support system where all participants can register up to 5 people as their support partners. BetStop will be in contact with these people to ensure you’re still on the road to recovery.
Do Self-Exclusion Schemes Keep Gamblers Safe?
It’s a tricky one as both GamStop and BetStop aim to keep people safe by restricting their access to gambling. Having said that, self-exclusion schemes are never the only way to stay safe when gambling. All they do is give you some breathing room; you must actively address your gambling habits and learn how to bet responsibly.
Achieving the right mental frame of mind is the key to gambling safely and no self-exclusion scheme will do this on its own. You should seek additional support and completely change your approach to gambling – see it as a fun hobby you spend a bit of money on, like going to the cinema or buying video games. Don’t gamble to try and earn a living and be sure to take your emotions out of it. That’s how you stay safe while ensuring maximum entertainment from online gambling platforms.
