A significant achievement has been reached by the national self-exclusion scheme Gamstop: over 500,000 consumers have now signed up since its inception in 2018. This free service, which enables users to exclude themselves from all UK Gambling Commission licensed gambling websites for up to five years, has proven to be a vital tool for those seeking to manage their gambling habits. Currently, more than 440,000 consumers are actively excluded, with many choosing the maximum five-year exclusion period.

April 2024 saw a record-breaking month for Gamstop, with 8,686 new registrants – the highest monthly total since the service started. This milestone comes just ahead of the third annual Self-Exclusion Day on 12 September, a key event where football clubs across the UK will raise awareness about the service.

In addition to this milestone, Ipsos will soon release an independent evaluation of Gamstop, based on a survey of over 4,650 users. Initial findings indicate that 78% of respondents found Gamstop to meet their expectations, and 75% reported feeling more in control of their gambling decisions as a result of using the service.

Fiona Palmer, CEO of Gamstop, commented on the recent achievement, saying: “We have made tremendous progress since our launch in April 2018, and Gamstop is now widely recognized as a crucial tool for helping vulnerable individuals take a break from gambling. We are proud to have assisted hundreds of thousands of people in regaining control of their lives through self-exclusion, and we aim to help many more in the years to come.

“It is important that we continuously assess the effectiveness of the service through independent research, and we will soon announce the results of a comprehensive study conducted by Ipsos, who have surveyed thousands of Gamstop users.”