The rise and convenience that comes with online gambling have led to an increase in gambling addiction. This has made the self exclusion tool a necessity to help gamblers curb their addiction. What is a self-exclusion tool?
This is a tool that lets you voluntarily request that gambling companies exclude you from their services. As such you will not have access to any form of casino game or sports betting. In countries such as the UK, Gamstop a self-exclusion tool is mandatory for the gambling company to acquire a UKGC licence.
How does self exclusion work?
For starters, self-exclusion services are free on sites such as GamStop. Players who want to opt into the program will need to log in to the official site and register. Registration is straightforward requiring you to fill out details such;
- Current email address and any other previous emails
- Current phone numbers and past numbers used
- Date of birth
- Address
- Postal codes
Once you have filled this, then opt for the exclusion period you want. This can range from 6 months to 5 years. It can take up to 24 hours for your self-exclusion to be effective.
Can you cancel self-exclusion?
This will depend on the program you have used to exclude yourself. On sites such as GamStop, players are not removed from the program on request. They will need to complete the minimum period they had requested. Even so, when they have completed the period they will need to send a request to GamStop to have their names removed lest it remains there.
For players who feel they are better gamblers there is always many options. These are casinos that hold licences from other jurisdictions such as MGA and Curacao.
Gamstop alternatives
When it comes to self-exclusion, GamStop is the most popular option. However, GamStop is only available to people living in the UK. In addition, Gamstop is not a mobile app or software, but a platform made available for residents within the UK only.
Alternatives to Gamstop include;
- GamBan
- NetNanny
- BetBlocker
These are mobile apps and software that are getting more advanced by the day. Most of these sites use artificial intelligence and can ban most gambling sites. While GamStop is free, some of these sites will require you to pay for services rendered.
Is self-exclusion effective?
There is still a lot of research being done on the effectiveness of self exclusion. For the program to work, players with problem gambling need to have no access to any kind of casino sites, gambling sites and even crypto betting sites, lest they revert to their ways. However, this is often not the case even in countries such as the UK where offshore sites are not banned.
Additionally, to completely help problem gamblers other forms of support such as help from GamCare are needed. The players can also seek help from a residential facility that deals with the same. Either way self-exclusion is always the first step when players want to start the recovery journey.
