When you realize you spend the majority of your time gambling and decide to stop for a few months or so, you'll need a self-exclusion tool. You can these tools to urge gaming companies online to stop them from providing you with services. So, if you've ever played at an online casino or bet on a sporting event in the United Kingdom, you've probably heard of Gamstop.

But what is Gamstop? How to join them? And how do they work? We’re going to answer these questions today. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

GamStop

The Gamstop program is a self-exclusion mechanism that gamblers can use if they develop unhealthy gambling habits.

Gamstop was developed by a nonprofit organization with the support of the UK government. Furthermore, participation in the Gamstop program is required by law for all regulated bookmakers and casino operators in the UK. As a result, it is the main reason for Gamstop's success. By using their platform to self-exclude, you ensure that no gambling site in the UK can provide their services to you.

The program is completely private and voluntary. It is also absolutely free to use and includes additional self-help resources that users can access. Furthermore, because it is private, players who register with Gamstop do not have to worry about anyone discovering that they are part of the program.

How to join Gamstop?

If you want to join Gamstop, it is rather a simple process. Visit their website to get the process started. Read through all the available information on the website's front page. Furthermore, on their homepage, you'll find that Gamstop provides some useful information, along with a message that urges you to control your gambling behavior before it's too late.

Once you have browsed the homepage, click on "Get Started" to start the process. You will then be taken to a page that provides further details about what Gamstop is and does.

The website's registration page is comprehensive and offers a lot of details regarding Gamstop and the registration procedure. Click the "Start" button at the bottom of the registration page if you are certain that you wish to apply to the program and that you accept all of the conditions listed there. You will have to provide the following details to create your account:

Then, to complete the registration process, you'll have to respond to security questions. GamStop employs a third-party system for verification. By doing this, they can ensure you are not committing fraud and that you sign up for yourself and not for anyone else.

How does Gamstop work?

After you've registered your account with Gamstop, you can choose the time duration you want your self-exclusion to hold. Here, there are three time periods to choose from. The lowest amount of time that a user can exclude themselves is 6 months. The following term is one year, and the last option is five years of exclusion.

After selecting and activating one of the three time periods, you will be unable to play at any United Kingdom gambling site before the time period has expired. With this in mind, when choosing the self-exclusion period, you must be certain that the time period selected is correct.

After choosing your self-exclusion period, you'll be unable to access any online casinos in the UK. So, if you try to join a new casino site, the casino operator (if it is connected with Gamstop) will check the Gamstop registry to determine if you pass their security check. If you have self-excluded from gambling and the website finds you in the Gamstop registry, you will not be barred from joining the casino site.

Casinos not on GamStop

Those casinos that are not on Gamstop are ones outside of the United Kingdom. Any casino operator who wants to offer their services to customers in the United Kingdom must first receive a license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). However, the UKGC is not the only place in the world where casino operators can get a license from.

As a result, there are several casino sites (offshore sites) where you can play and bet on your favorite games. To learn more about casinos that are not on Gamstop, you can read about them on Casinomir.com.

But note that these gambling sites are not illegal in any way. They just hold licenses in other countries. As a result, many UK gamers who are members of Gamstop can continue to play on these gaming sites even after excluding themselves. So, this is the main flaw of Gamstop. But, it still remains a popular, free program that assists many players in overcoming their gambling addiction.

Image from: unsplash.com