Consumer protection is the main pillar for the iGaming market players: the increased accessibility of online casinos makes more users engage in the sector. In line with the growing popularity of digital gambling in the UK, the number of users negatively affected by this risky entertainment is also rising. This creates concerns among regulatory authorities globally, and they constantly search for ways to address the challenge. Self-exclusion tools first launched nationwide in the UK have become a viable solution for this problem, so let’s explore how they affect the market and the benefits they bring.

Rise of Self-Exclusion Tools in the 2024 iGaming Market

The British gambling regulations are the strictest globally: UKGC, the central regulatory authority, thoroughly controls the sector and regularly updates legislation to make the market more transparent and safer for all parties. The country has become the first to launch GamStop, a self-exclusion tool covering all online casinos and bookmaker sites registered in the jurisdiction.

The authority encourages users to consider this program when experiencing the first symptoms of compulsive disorders and request timely support. At the same time, CasinoGap sites not registered with GamStop are still in demand in the state: they are not covered by the blocking tool, provide players with more flexibility, and lack limitations.

Effectiveness of GamStop Self-Exclusion

Currently, GamStop is the only nationwide tool covering all in-country platforms. The self-exclusion was launched in 2018, and over half a million British players joined it during the following six years. The program bans problem gamblers for a chosen period from six months to five years and provides compulsive users with comprehensive support and guidance on further actions. GamStop offers everything necessary for recovery from gambling addiction and developing a healthy approach to this entertainment.

Reducing Gambling-Related Harm

Experts in the iGaming sector highlight the importance of maintaining a responsible approach to this pastime and learning the basics of bankroll and time management. Regulatory authorities globally focus on informing customers about the possible negative consequences of uncontrolled behaviours in online casinos. However, sometimes, educating users is not enough – the tempting gambling world makes players completely forget about safer gaming principles.

Stricter measures are necessary in this case, so GamStop and alternative blockers are a perfect solution. Users signing up for the program are immediately banned from all online casinos and sportsbooks under the UKGC control.

Despite numerous guides on cancelling GamStop, the self-exclusion cannot be removed or suspended, so participants must finish the chosen term before returning to online gambling. In this case, they don’t have a single chance to access potentially dangerous content. Casino advertisements are also blocked, reducing users’ temptation to gamble again.

Preventing Overspending and Debt

Exceeding the initial budget limits and the inability to stop depositing in UK casinos not on GamStop is the primary cause of gambling addiction. GamStop is a helpful tool here – players cannot reach gaming sites, so they don’t risk spending money on this entertainment. Preventing negative financial consequences is also a benefit of self-exclusion, which is another reason why problem players should consider this opportunity to recover from their harmful habits.

Promoting Responsible Gaming Practices

Besides restricting access to gambling and betting sites, GamStop educates customers on responsible approaches to this entertainment and provides the necessary treatment. Therefore, its participants can take advantage of helplines and support groups. Coping with the disorder independently is complicated, and problem users often need additional assistance. Joining support groups and passing the necessary therapies is a path to developing healthy habits.

Players can return to online casinos after they finish their self-exclusion term. Still, the program continues monitoring their activities on risky websites and providing recommendations on taking a break or being more responsible when gambling.

Further Improvements & Prioritising Consumer Safety

GamStop has already shown efficiency in the British market, as approximately 80% of its users mentioned improved conditions. However, the tool is still imperfect. Gamblers find ways to get around the ban and continue playing in online casinos not covered by self-exclusion. Besides, they play completely anonymously, since such casinos take cryptocurrency to provide privacy. Therefore, the problem requires a complex approach. The UKGC regularly initiates regulatory updates to make the industry safer for customers, and consumer protection is the main priority for the controlling authority.

More responsible gambling initiatives are anticipated to be launched in the following years. Moreover, the government aims to promote self-exclusion as a solution for eliminating harmful habits and living addiction-free lives. A comprehensive consumer protection strategy, complemented by the blocking tool, is projected to increase user awareness about the possible harms of industry harms and encourage everyone engaged to remain responsible.

The Final Word

Online casinos are among the most popular digital entertainment options – and using them wisely can bring numerous benefits. However, users often dip into the process and completely forget about being responsible, which results in overspending and gambling-related disorders. Self-exclusion is a working tool for eliminating compulsive habits and developing a healthy approach to this risky pastime. Complemented by informational campaigns on safer gaming, GamStop is projected to become even more efficient in the following years.

Most of us would probably like to forget the COVID-19 pandemic. For many people, it was a pretty traumatic time, whether that was because people were unable to see family and friends, or prevented from going to school and work, or because we lost loved ones. For others, it was because they had to go to work and did not feel safe. Many found themselves trapped inside, isolated, and at a loss. While there were a few people whose lives carried on as usual, most of us, looking back at 2020 and 2021, find it hard to believe what happened. Even now, people still have questions, and closure is not something that has come easily.

Around the world, lockdowns saw businesses literally having to close their doors to the general public. Unable to trade in person, they had to adapt and do so at speed in order to survive. It was not only businesses that traded with the general public either; many organisations that supply customer-facing companies had to completely change their business model and go in a different direction.

One interesting example of this was in the food sector. While the supermarkets had already been offering home deliveries, they were in no way prepared for the demand for delivery slots and had to prioritise customers who were shielding due to medical conditions. They actually had to get letters from people’s doctors to prove that they needed their groceries delivered. While this was quite bizarre, it was not a total change of direction for them. However, food wholesalers had to have a total rethink.

For the companies that would usually deliver in bulk to restaurants, cafes, and corner shops, the pandemic meant nearly all of these outlets were closed. The wholesalers still had access to the supplies but had no one to sell them to. Many supermarket customers could not get delivery slots and were uncomfortable about going into a store to shop. Many wholesale companies saw the gap in the market and organized local weekly food box schemes. Most of them did not have ordering systems that could easily be adapted for business-to-customer rather than business-to-business transactions. They created simple order forms on social media or had pre-selected box schemes that were delivered to people’s doorsteps.

As the wholesale companies did not usually accept small transactions, many did not have debit or credit card facilities set up, so payments were mostly made by bank transfer. Many people relied on these schemes for the delivery of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other produce. However, anyone ordering store cupboard staples like rice, flour, or tinned tomatoes might have been somewhat taken aback by the pack sizes. It is not every day that the average consumer is confronted by a catering tin of tomato puree. What could anyone do with that many chickpeas in one go?

While the pandemic appeared to be an ideal opportunity for established retailers, they also struggled due to unprecedented demand. If the supermarkets found things difficult, imagine what it was like for independent online retailers. Many found their sites creaking under the weight of the volume of traffic and orders generated. What appeared to be a golden opportunity for e-commerce was incredibly difficult to manage. People stuck at home wanted everything immediately, but there were insufficient courier and parcel delivery services as well as trouble getting stock into and out of warehouses. Businesses had to adapt incredibly quickly and field enormous numbers of customer queries by phone and email. People wanted to know where their stuff was, and sometimes the answers were not available.

The gambling industry had a much better pandemic than might have been expected. While physical casinos and arcades had to close their doors, online casinos were perfectly positioned to capitalise on a captive audience looking for a distraction. Sports betting did not have things so easy, as most sporting events were cancelled, and even when they started up, they had to be played in empty stadiums. Gamblers in New Zealand had an easier time than other places, and the country’s elimination strategy was envied around the world. Being a remote island nation with the ability to close its border completely was incredibly helpful.

However, while New Zealanders had much more freedom within their country, they faced incredibly stringent international travel restrictions, which persisted. In addition, the physical casinos remained firmly closed after a Covid case was traced back to an Auckland venue in August 2021.

Whether people were looking for a casino where they could be a VIP or just place a small bet, online casinos were already established and fully functioning. Everyone knows that a high roller needs an appropriate casino, and fortunately there were plenty of online casino sites available to gamblers who could not get to a land-based site.

Many people tried out online gambling for the first time during the pandemic. People worldwide who would not have considered going to a brick-and-mortar casino found great entertainment on the internet’s enormous variety of gambling sites. Even people who find themselves totally isolated can play poker, blackjack, and other casino games in virtual casinos.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we live in so many ways. While most of us do not look back fondly on the pandemic, there is one small consolation. At least it happened at a time when we had superfast internet access and could access online services and interact with friends and colleagues over Zoom, Facetime, or Teams. However isolated we felt, imagine how much worse it could have been if it had happened before the days of cloud computing, streaming, and secure online transactions.