Mr Viral
GAMSTOP, the United Kingdom’s national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has published a new report on the people using its services. Concerningly, the service recorded a significant increase in young adults signing up for self-exclusion in H2 2024.
GAMSTOP Published H2 2024 Data
According to the platform, 2024 as a whole marked a record year, in part due to major sporting events, such as the UEFA European Football Championship, and the Olympics.
In H2 2024, the overall number of new registrants increased by 14% year-on-year. This contrasted with the usual trend of a higher number of registrations in the first half of the year.
The second half of 2024 also saw a staggering 31% year-on-year increase in the number of under-25s making GAMSTOP accounts. As a result, consumers aged 16 to 24 made up almost a quarter (24%) of all new GAMSTOP registrants.
GAMSTOP added that a total of 532,484 have signed up for its services between its launch in April 2018 and December 31, 2024. It noted that this is equivalent to more than 1% of the entire adult UK population.
Many Players Selected the Longest Self-Exclusion Period
Additionally, almost half of the new registrants (48%) selected the maximum self-exclusion period of five years. For reference, GAMSTOP also offers shorter periods, such as six months or a year.
Due to popular demand for longer self-exclusion periods, GAMSTOP recently introduced an auto-renewal option, allowing anxious players to have their self-exclusion period automatically extended.
The feature is currently live and can be turned on by registrants who have selected the 5-year self-exclusion period. Consumers can also opt out of the auto-renewal if they wish.
In addition to that, GAMSTOP said that it will send emails to players every 15 months, informing them about the state of their exclusion and upcoming renewal dates.
Targeted Education Is Needed
The silver lining is that more registrations mean that GAMSTOP services are more visible than ever. However, it also attests to a rising number of players experiencing problems with their gambling.
GAMSTOP CEO Fiona Palmer commented on the matter, saying that the trends show that the UK needs more targeted education and support. Because of that, her team will continue collaborating with charities Ygam and Gamcare, reaching out to younger gamblers and making sure that they are aware of the safer gambling tools at their disposal.
GAMSTOP allows vulnerable consumers to take a break from gambling and we want to raise awareness of the service amongst those who need it most.
Fiona Palmer, CEO, GAMSTOP
Palmer added that GAMSTOP data shows that some regions have higher concentrations of people seeking out its services. She hopes that this data will help governments and safer gambling bodies provide appropriate support to those in need.
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