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Understanding GamStop and why it’s important

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One of the most important factors to remember when playing at an online casino is to keep yourself safe.

While playing online casino games is just another form of entertainment, it, unfortunately, holds the ability to affect those who fall victim to gambling problems. While this is nothing to be ashamed of, playing responsibly is key.

GamStop is an organisation that puts the control of your gambling activities back in your hands.

How GamStop works and why

The ability to restrict your gambling activities and whether or not casinos can contact you is at the core of what GamStop does.

This free service allows casino customers that reside within the United Kingdom (including Great Britain and Northern Ireland only), to sign up and restrict gambling activities.

What does that mean for problem gamblers? Signing up for this service means you'll be excluded from playing at UK online gambling sites which are a part of the service.

How to sign up for the GamStop service

Registering is simple. All you need to do is visit the GamStop website and sign up by providing the following:

  • Your postal code;
  • Your date of birth;
  • Your email address.

You must also choose whether you would like to be excluded from 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. The choice is yours to make, depending on your circumstances.

It's important to provide the correct details as this will ensure that the service works as it's supposed to.

Once you've signed up for the exclusion program, it can take up to 24 hours before the service kicks in. You should receive an email outlining the full self-exclusion agreement.

As soon as this period passes, you'll be excluded from playing at or receiving communication from GamStop registered UK online casinos.

Make the most of your self-exclusion

There are a few tips to keep in mind to make your self-exclusion a success.

  • Top tip 1 - Always keep your GamStop account details up to date to avoid receiving communication from an online casino.
  • Top tip 2 - Remember to unfollow social media account and unsubscribe from as many accounts as possible to keep control of what may trigger your gambling issues.
  • Top tip 3 - When your self-exclusion period comes to an end, GamStop will not remove the block on your accounts until you contact them directly and make any changes you require.
  • Top tip 4 - Once you've self-excluded, you will not automatically receive a return of the funds you deposited. You will need to contact the casinos directly for more information on whether or not you can receive a refund.

Which online casinos are registered with GamStop?

Currently, there are a huge number of UK online casinos that are already a part of the GamStop system.

You can find the full list in the footer of the GamStop website. By playing at these online casinos, you can rest assured that should you need to self-exclude, you can do so easily and that any of these companies will not contact you.

As of the 31st of March 2020, all casinos in the UK will be required to sign up as part of the self-exclusion scheme according to the Gambling Commission.

"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 UKGC license.

You might be interested if there are any UK casino sites not on GamStop, but we suggest you prevent looking for these.

Published: February 23, 2020

Anything incorrect or missing?

Kally avatar image

Article by Kally

CasinoWow Contributor

Hi, I’m Kally and I am proud to be part of the CasinoWow family! The last few years have helped me enrich my insights on the gambling world online and now, I can say I recognise the best casino brands and operators. I am more than happy that I get the chance of helping the players make the right choice when it comes to online casinos.

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