Increases Across The Board
Gamstop, the UK’s leading online gambling self-exclusion program, has released its report for the first half of 2023, with a 30% increase in 16-24-year-olds signing up being one of several major talking points.
The organisation reported a 12% year-on-year increase in overall users signing up. The report revealed that there had been 48,000 users signing up in the first six months of 2023, a record high for the first half.
Gamstop saw a record-breaking number of sign-ups in March, which was then followed by another record-breaking amount in May. There were 8,504 registrations made in March, with the organisation highlighting that most sign-ups come following the big days at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
The 30% increase in people aged 16-24 was one of the most significant figures, with the report showing that 21% of all people signing up were in this age category. This comes months after studies from Gamstop and YGAM showed that one in four students is likely to experience gambling-related harm.
The report showed that 50% of the new people registered were opting to self-exclude for five years, which is the maximum amount of time the service offers. There was a 79/21% split between males and females registered with Gamstop.
Data Highlights Big Issues
The data highlights the increase in gambling-related harm in the UK, though the fact more people are signing up to tackle these problems is widely seen as a positive. Fiona Palmer, the organisation's CEO, talked about its positive impact on people’s lives.
She said that the data shows the continued importance of the service in changing people’s lives and gambling habits. Palmer also spoke of the stories she had heard at the organisation’s fifth anniversary celebrations in June.
Palmer finished by saying that the numbers put users' stories and lived experiences into a wider context, and shows how important self-exclusions are. Over 390,000 people have registered to use Gamstop’s self-exclusion service since its creation in 2018.
Gambling In The Spotlight
These figures come out as the societal impacts of gambling are put under the spotlight in the UK. The British government released its long-awaited White Paper earlier in the year, with several divisive measures being put forward.
Gamstop has been widely praised across the industry, with the positive impact of its self-exclusion service being widely felt by both players and operators. The service allows users to self-exclude for a period of six months, one year, or five years.
