About Time: UKGC Approved Gamstop SystemBy Angelica Malin

Many gamblers have found themselves in situations where they can’t do without betting. Such people tend to spend large amounts of money gambling, and at times, they end up losing. But their urge to stop seems not to work.

In some cases, it has taken the intervention of family members and rehabilitation teams to help individuals with such an addiction. The good news is that gamblers in the UK can now decide to stop gambling for a while with the help of the Self-exclusion facility.

Therefore, if you think that you have been spending a lot of money and time on gambling premises or online, then you can decide to exclude yourself for a while. Also discover casinomir. 

Gamstop is one of the systems that will be used by casinos in the UK to allow gamblers to self-exclude themselves from betting. The system will provide new responsibilities for gambling operators, and so far, it’s proving to be effective. However, it has some flaws, which make it a less effective way of curbing gambling among addicts.

New Responsibilities for Gambling Operators

Gamstop was developed by a body for bookmakers and online casinos to regulate gambling habits among gamblers.

The entity requires operators to sign up with Gamstop so that their clients can bar themselves whenever they wish to stop gambling.

Note that, now, all casinos are required to register with them to operate in Great Britain but there are still some gambling companies not blocked by Gamstop in the United Kingdom licensed by Curacao eGaming or MGA. For this reason, they’ll conform to the regulations set by the Gamstop.

How does it work? Once a gambler has made a self-exclusion request, the betting company is entitled to remit all their money and close their respective accounts. The gambling operators should also remove the gambler’s name and details from any of their databases.

Even so, Gamstop is still developing, and it’s the role of the gambling operators to ensure that they follow all the set regulations. Failure to which, they could have their licenses revoked.

Scheme Effectiveness

The scheme is useful in the sense that it will allow gamblers to self-block themselves whenever they feel it’s necessary. As a result, gamblers won’t necessarily need to worry about money already in their accounts, as the betting company will offer a full refund.

After the block period is over, the gambler can get back to betting if they so wish. However, the scheme is not responsible for obtaining a refund of the money that a player has already spent gambling.

Besides, Gamstop doesn’t solve disputes, but rather it’s dedicated to helping gamblers who have a betting addiction and would wish to stop. It will offer a practical solution and will prove useful since all betting sites will be required to register their operations with them.

As a gambler, you won’t need to worry much about your choice of a gambling site as you will self-exclude yourself from any of them whenever you feel the need.

Scheme Flaws

The main flaw of the scheme is that it provides problem gamblers to bypass all the self-imposed blocks hence, giving them way back into the gambling industry in the UK.

The Remote Gambling Association warned the gambling industry about the flaws that constitute the Gamstop scheme following its launch in May last year. Some of the concerns raised included that Gamstop hasn’t synchronized the list of all the registered users with the company’s promotional messages.

As a result of the above, direct marketing messages from gambling companies could still lure the gamblers who are trying to quit their problematic gambling tendencies back into the market.

Gamstop is made to completely block an individual from accessing gambling sites in the UK, but then, it turns out to be a failure if an individual can still receive gambling information while under the scheme.

The promotional emails turn out to be a standard feature for most betting companies. So, Gamstop needs to come up with ways of synchronizing its registered users with promotional messages from the betting companies. In the end, its functions will be satisfactory to gamblers determined to end their urge for wagering.