w project is to aid problem gambers who want to self-exclude from online gaming websites.

Trade group the Remote Gambling Association and problem gambling charities GamCare and the Gordon Moody Association have joined forces to launch a new initiative that lets their clients simultaneously self-exclude from all of the RGA members with whom they have accounts.

Clive Hawkswood, CEO of the RGA, said: "This is an example of how the remote gambling industry takes very seriously its responsibilities to people who experience problems with their gambling."

Hawkswood and Dirk Hansen, chief executive at GamCare, hope this “coordinated effort" will streamline the process for those most in need of assistance and improve the effectiveness of self-exclusion as a harm-minimisation measure.

Ruth Champion, director of therapy at the Gordon Moody Association, said: "Self-exclusion can be so problematic for people living within the chaos of a gambling addiction as it involves immersing themselves in the very thing they are trying to come away from."

"To have all this information in one place that is easily accessible, will potentially be so valuable and is a great start to creating an effective preventative measure for people in need of help."

Emma Rumney