GAMSTOP has announced that 250,000 users have registered with its service from gambling, marking a significant landmark for the UK’s self-exclusion scheme.
2021 has signalled a peak in people registering with GAMSTOP, with over 67,000 people signing up this year compared to 51,000 in 2020.
In particular, March 2021 proved a successful month for the scheme with 7,047 registrations, making it the second most prolific month in its three-year history.
Of the 250,000 registrations, an overwhelming majority are self-excluded from gambling; 228,000 of those registered are currently self-excluding from gambling activities.
Now entering its fourth year of operations, GAMSTOP is securing new partnerships with companies and community services to spread awareness of its operations and aims to provide a safety net for those at risk of gambling-related harms.
The scheme currently works closely with financial service providers and treatment providers including Citizens Advice, Gamcare, the Northern Gambling Clinic, Gordon Moody, Peer Aid and Betknowmore.
Furthermore, it has gained support from several Premier League and EFL football clubs through official partnerships with Crystal Palace, Brentford, Luton, Middlesbrough, QPR, Morecambe, Preston North End’s Foundation, Bolton Wanderers, Milton Keynes Dons and Harrogate Town.
Fiona Palmer, CEO of GAMSTOP, commented: “The registration levels are higher than anticipated this year, though we cannot pinpoint one specific reason for this. We have developed the scheme to make it easier to register and have worked hard on raising our profile to make sure we are more visible to those who might need us. The effects of the pandemic might also have something to do with the rise.
“The independent evaluation which took place during the first three months of this year showed us how effective our consumers felt the scheme had been to their ongoing recovery. This was very reassuring to the GAMSTOP team, the wider stakeholders and hopefully anyone thinking about registering.
“We are fully committed to improving the GAMSTOP service to make it even better next year.”