National self-exclusion scheme Gamstop has announced a major milestone: over 500,000 consumers have now registered with the service since its launch in 2018.
The free service, which allows users to exclude themselves from all gambling websites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission for up to five years, has become an important tool for individuals looking to control their gambling habits.
Currently, more than 440,000 consumers are actively excluded, with many opting for the maximum five-year exclusion period.
April 2024 in particular marked a record-breaking month for Gamstop, with 8,686 new registrants – the highest monthly total since the service's inception.
This new milestone figure comes ahead of the third annual Self-Exclusion Day on 12 September – a key event where football clubs across all divisions in the UK will raise awareness about the service.
Additionally, Ipsos will soon release an independent evaluation of Gamstop, having recently surveyed more than 4,650 users. Preliminary findings show that 78% of respondents believe Gamstop met their expectations, and 75% reported feeling more in control of their gambling decisions.
Commenting on the recent registration milestone, Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer stated: “We have come a very long way since our launch in April 2018 and Gamstop is now widely recognised as an important tool to help vulnerable consumers take a break from their gambling.
“We are proud to have been able to help hundreds of thousands of people to take back control of their lives through self-exclusion and we hope to help many more in the years to come.
“It is right that we regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the service through independent research and we will shortly be announcing the results of a comprehensive listening exercise conducted by Ipsos, who have surveyed thousands of Gamstop’s users.”
