The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has disclosed information that as many as 1 million compulsive gamblers have requested to be banned from betting shops and online gambling websites as of 2016. The information was released amid the warnings of campaigners that gambling addiction has reached alarming levels in the past few years.
The self-exclusion tools at gambling websites enable compulsive players to forcibly prevent themselves from entering their casino accounts and processing payments for a set period of time, which normally ranges between half a year and a lifetime. The UKGC, the chief regulatory body in the country, released figures indicating that the number of self-exclusions has increased dramatically from 30,000 in 2013 to exceed a million as of 2016. As much as 95% of all self-exclusions have been from the online gambling sector, with each player opting out from two web-based casinos on average.
Campaigners like Gambling Watch UK argued that it is easier for players to self-exclude if they are betting online as opposed to opting out from landbased gambling venues and betting shops. This can be explained with the fact that when a given player has self-excluded from an online casino but still tries to process a deposit with their credit or debit card, their attempt would be thwarted as a breach.
The founder of the Rethink Gambling charity group Simon Perfitt explained this alarming phenomenon with conflict of interest. Since problem gamblers contribute with nearly one-half of the profits of landbased gambling operators, the latter practically have no interest in enforcing adequate measures for self-exclusion. Moreover, self-exclusion in betting shops is poorly executed because it is achieved through paperwork.
As of 2016, as many as 643 players have issued complaints regarding self-exclusion. Paddy Power, one of the biggest casino operators in the United Kingdom, reported 62,000 self-exclusions from its website and around 12,000 breaches for the same time period. Meanwhile, players in the UK have collectively lost the amount of £14 billion.
The news of the alarming figures follows the demand on behalf of problem gamblers in the UK for more serious measures as many people consider the current self-exclusion procedures ineffective. The increase in self-exclusions for 2016 has caused many players and charity groups to question the efficiency of the self-exclusion tools and policies of online and landbased gambling operators.
Some institutions like the Association of British Bookmakers argue that the alarming increase in the figures serves to indicate that the self-exclusion tools actually do work. Yet, certain players beg to differ, arguing that all it takes to circumvent self-exclusion in a brick-and-mortar betting shop is using a disguise, such as like sunglasses and baseball caps.
As Casino Guardian reported recently, many players who struggle with compulsive gambling find it difficult to self-exclude from websites offering them real-money casino products. Even more-so considering that a player is expected to fill in separate self-exclusion forms on each casino website they hold an account with. Some players have proposed that the UKGC should enforce more stringent measures to help compulsive gamblers, such as linking ID numbers and passwords to the personal details of each problem player to prevent them from relapsing by opening accounts at real-money gaming websites.
Organisations like the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) have already taken measures to increase the efficiency of the self-exclusion tools, used at online gambling websites. The UKGC has been working on a nationwide self-exclusion scheme, called GAMSTOP, since 2014. The programme will enable compulsive players to self-exclude with a single form from all online casino platforms that bear a license, issued by the UKGC. The GAMSTOP scheme of self-exclusion tools is expected to be officially available towards the end of this year.
- Author
Daniel Williams
