GAMSTOP Records 9.5% Increase of Registrants as it Approaches Sixth Year

As of December, GAMSTOP registrants now top 433,000 with a record 92,086 registrations in 2023

GAMSTOP recorded a 31% year-on-year growth in the number of registrations from people aged 16 to 24 in the second half of the year, which may signal an increased awareness in younger eligible gamblers

GAMSTOP, the free, independent national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has today revealed a 9.5% increase in registrations year-on-year from 2022 to 2023.

More than 92,000 vulnerable consumers self-excluded from gambling sites in 2023, making it a record year, and May 2023 was a record month with 8,591 new registrations.

From its inception in April of 2018 to the end of December of 2023, 433,357 people have registered with GAMSTOP, which last year marked its fifth anniversary with an event at the House of Lords, hearing from those with lived experience.

The ongoing increase in registrations suggests that self-exclusion is an important tool for consumers facing challenges with their gambling, giving them a chance to pause and seek additional support.

According to data from the latter half of 2023, GAMSTOP is seeing a continuing increase in registrations from teenagers and young adults with a 31% year-on-year growth in the number of registrations from people aged 16 to 24. The 16 to 24 age group made up around 21% of the registrants between July and December of 2023, up from 17% during the same period in 2022.?GAMSTOP has conducted a successful tour of university campuses around the United Kingdom, educating students on the values of self-exclusion and will soon be revealing the results of its annual research into student gambling.

The majority of people registering with GAMSTOP (55%) sign up for a five-year exclusion; the longest timeframe currently available. Consumers can also choose to self-exclude for shorter periods of six months or one year.

“We are continuing to see a year-on-year increase in the number of registrants, which shows the importance of self-exclusion for anyone struggling with their gambling, alongside other blocking tools and support, the Chief Executive Officer for GAMSTOP, Fiona Palmer, said. “We want to continue raising awareness of GAMSTOP to anyone who might benefit from self-exclusion and to the friends and families of anyone affected by gambling.

“The prevalence of young adults among GAMSTOP’s registrants shows the importance of educating younger consumers and we will continue our outreach to this age group in 2024, working collaboratively with like-minded organisations and harnessing the support of our football club partners.”

Harj Gahley, 38, had a gambling addiction for over ten years starting from the age of 23. He has been working with the gambling charity Red Card for two years as a Non-Executive Director and is registered with GAMSTOP.

“As the prevalence of online gambling has continued to grow in the United Kingdom, schemes such as GAMSTOP have become a necessary lifeline for thousands of vulnerable people,” Gahley said. “For me, GAMSTOP has been a crucial part of my recovery knowing that I’m safely blocked from being able to gamble online.

“With the start of a new year comes the opportunity to implement changes in one’s life, I can’t recommend GAMSTOP highly enough for anyone, young or old, male or female, who might be suffering from gambling-related issues.”