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GamStop and How it Works
GamStop is an independent self-exclusion tool that allows people who have issues with online gambling and don’t trust themselves to regulate their impulses to be banned from placing wagers. After registering at GamStop, you will no longer be able to access any online casino accounts that you have or create new ones.
Keep in mind that the ban doesn’t necessarily need to be permanent – you’re free to select a period of time that you wish to be banned for, and after it expires you will be free to continue playing like before. The idea of GamStop isn’t to punish people with gambling addiction, but rather to provide them with help through an easy to use tool that works the way they want it to.
GamStop is not a fool-proof solution, as there are multiple ways to “cheat” the system and still gamble, circumventing your ban. One popular way to do that is to play at offshore casinos which aren’t affected by GamStop-issued bans, but that comes with its own set of disadvantages that make that option rather unappealing.
How to register at GamStop
Gamstop is available to all residents of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but it’s important to note that you can not register someone else in the program (like a family member) – it is the individual who needs help themselves that must complete their registration.
While registering, you would need to provide several personal details such as your name, postcode, date of birth and e-mail address. Upon confirming your account, you will be able to choose whether you want to be excluded for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years.
Offshore Casinos not on GamStop
In order to operate legally in the UK, a casino site needs to be licenced by the UK Gambling Commission, which in turn ensures that the games are fair and the winnings owed are paid out. But obtaining such a licence is very expensive – every form of licence requires a yearly fee and/or a percentage of profits. Some casinos don’t want to pay said fee and instead prefer to gain a different licence , one that will allow them to legally serve clients and can serve as a badge of honour that will earn the players’ trust.
Most of those casinos are not supported by GamStop , and there’s a very simple reason for that – GamStop is primarily aimed at the UK market and most casinos that lack a UK licence are not allowed to accept bets from Brits. That doesn’t mean they don’t, but they do so illegally, without permission from the UK government and no obligation to pay out any sort of wins to UK winners. It’s very unfair to categorize all unlicenced casinos as scams, but a considerable number of them are known to lack reputability.
Offshore Licences
The licence offered by the UK Gambling Commission isn’t the only one that casinos can receive in order to get certified. Granted, every casino looking to service players in the UK needs it – but many that don’t still quietly accept UK players anyway. Some alternative licences include:
This is one of the most lucrative licences a casino can have, as it’s given to every casino that pays the (relatively low) fee and hosts its servers in Curacao. Game fairness is not tested, and on top of that casinos don’t pay any tax to Curacao.
One of the very few foreign licences which allow a casino to service UK players. That’s no coincidence, as obtaining a Malta licence requires casinos to commit to fair payouts and properly handled customer data.
Much like the Curacao licence, the only requirement to obtain this one is to pay, and to be willing to accept deposits (and, conversely, pay out winnings) through Gibraltar banks. Beyond that, you have no obligation to protect players.
One of the cheaper options in terms of maintaining the licence, with a relatively low annual fee compared to the Gambling Commission. They take care to ensure that the casino software is functional and fair, but not much else.
Should you play at offshores casinos?
When you’re banned from UK casinos, we can certainly understand the temptation to register at one operating outside the country’s borders and thus unaffected by the GamStop ban. But is that really such a good idea?
The short answer is no. UK casinos are licensed by organizations which answer directly to the government, which in turn ensures that they’re fair and honest. And while certain off-shore licenses are as good as the UK ones, many have significantly looser regulations and some are entirely meaningless and given freely to anyone who pays.
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