The latest annual report released by the UK gambling self-regulation organization Gamstop shows that since the program started in 2018, about 560,000 UK adults (approximately 1% of the national population) have voluntarily registered for the gambling self-exclusion service.
This number far exceeds expectations, reflecting the increasing emphasis on responsible gambling in British society. The outgoing chair, Jenny Watson CBE, stated that this milestone data confirms the necessity of promoting self-exclusion mechanisms in the global gambling market.
The report specifically notes that 75% of registered users have successfully quit online gambling, demonstrating the actual effectiveness of the system. It is noteworthy that there is a significant growth trend among the younger demographic—data from 2024 shows a surge in registrants under the age of 25, with the highest participation rate in the Northeast of England. This phenomenon may be related to the UK's recent intensified efforts to publicize the dangers of gambling among teenagers.
Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer emphasized that the organization will continue to optimize technological solutions to provide better services for those in need. As a significant improvement, an automatic five-year renewal feature will be introduced in 2025 to prevent users whose exclusion period has expired from inadvertently falling back into gambling risks. The system is currently recognized as a technological benchmark in the global field of gambling harm prevention.
This report, which includes independent research data from Ipsos, not only showcases the UK's leading practices in gambling self-regulation but also provides important references for other countries to formulate similar protective measures. As the global scale of online gambling expands, how to balance industry development with consumer protection is becoming a key issue faced by regulatory authorities worldwide.
