[LONDON, JANUARY 23, 2024] 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 2018 to the end of December 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 16-24. The 16-24 age group made up around 21% of the registrants between July and December 2023, up from 17% during the same period in 2022. GAMSTOP has conducted a successful tour of university campuses around the UK, 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.

Responding to these latest findings, GAMSTOP CEO, Fiona Palmer said:

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. 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 10 years, starting from the age of 23. He has been working with the gambling charity Red Card for 2 years as a Non-Executive Director and is registered with GAMSTOP.

Harj said:

“As the prevalence of online gambling has continued to grow in the UK, schemes such as GAMSTOP have become a necessary lifeline for thousands of vulnerable people. 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.”