Gambling provides comfort and safety as a player gets the opportunity to win cash. It is entertaining and a favorite pastime of many people around the world. The sector of online gambling has received an impetus after a surge in the number of players due to the lockdown situation during the COVID 19 pandemic. The online gambling industry amounted to $72.3 billion in the year 2021 and the expected growth is $525 billion by 2023. The popularity of gambling has enhanced due to the legalization of gambling in different countries of the world.
The gambling industry is an ever-burgeoning scene that is expanding at a very fast rate. The gambling industry can be in offline, or online modes, or can be on virtual reality platforms. Technology has played an important role in the development and expansion of the online gambling sector. The online gambling sector can be classified according to the type of the game, like casino games, lottery games, sports betting and bingo. Gambling might be thrilling and might create an adrenaline rush amongst the players, but compulsive gambling or excessive gambling is a bane.
This affects the mental health of the players, who spend most of their time gambling. They can even lose their money by overspending and this situation is problematic not only for the gamblers but also for their friends and family and society at large. These issues can be dealt with by introducing a gambling blocking website where the player can register themselves and self-restraint themselves from gambling.
GamStop: A Safety Kit Against Compulsive Gambling
GamStop is basically a self-exclusion system, absolutely free of cost, for resolving the problems of excessive gambling by gamblers, regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), licensed in the United Kingdom (UK), and operating in countries like England, Scotland and Wales. It was developed by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited (NOSES) and GamStop became fully functional in March 2020. Almost all of the online casinos in the UK are linked with the GamStop except some of the CasinoGap sites not with GamStop that are still available in the United Kingdom. The main objectives of GamStop are:
Protection of punters from excessive gambling habits
The gamblers who overindulge in gambling and overspend their money, become bankrupt. They don’t have a social life as they are immersed in gambling round the clock. By registering on GamStop, players are protected from excessive gambling, by removing themselves for a certain period of time.
Spreading awareness about the ill effects of gambling
GamStop can be a tool in spreading awareness about the problems of compulsive gambling. The risks of reckless gambling are discussed by the GamStop authority for mass awareness. Moreover, GamStop has linked with different Football clubs to inform their fans about the pros and cons of unsafe gambling.
Providing mental support to the punters
The consequences of financial crisis due to unplanned gambling by the obsessive gamblers are faced not only by the punters but also by their families. Registration on GamStop provides mental support to the punters by going through the self-exclusion period and refraining from gambling.
How GamStop Functions
For the process of self-exclusion, the player is needed to enter numerous personal details like residential address, date of birth, contact number, email address, etc. An email is sent to the GamStop user upon filling in the details and the self-exclusion period is activated within the next 24 hours.
The player will then be excluded from the online gambling portals for the chosen time period, also known as the Minimum Exclusion Period. This duration can be of 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Once the process of registration is over, the restriction cannot be changed until the end of the self-exclusion period. The player registered on the GamStop has to wait for the Self-Exclusion period to be over to enter the online gambling sites for placing bets.
After the self-exclusion period is activated, whenever a player tries to enter an online UKGC licensed gambling site, a thorough check-up is performed by the system by scanning through the database. If the player is found to be registered on GamStop, immediate blocking of the player will be done and the player will not be allowed to approach the gambling site further. The data is stored for seven years, then for an additional archive period of seven years even after the self-exclusion period is complete, according to the privacy policy of GamStop.
Conclusion
GamStop seems to be an effective tool for exercising restraint in the excessive gambling habits of the gamblers and is crucial in maintaining a responsible gambling environment, in controlling the adverse effects of compulsive gambling amongst the gamblers. Hence, every punter who is involved in gambling should be aware of GamStop.
