Online casinos not on Gamstop - a conscious choice for experienced gamblers

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Many countries have now acknowledged at a national level that gambling addiction is a problem for many of their own citizens. Officials from several European governments have called for a crackdown on gambling addiction. One of the first to respond was the UK Remote Gambling Association (RGA), which announced the launch of a national Gamstop programme in the country, which saw the light of day in 2018.

Almost immediately after its launch, the programme found both ardent fans of the idea and hardliners, who refused to cooperate with online casinos that supported the introduction of the service. Not all gaming portals in the UK have agreed to join the Gamstop system. Many of these virtual gambling sites decided to give up their British gaming licenses in spite of accepting what they see as an illegal action by the state machine. https://www.nongamstopsites.co.uk, which has long been known among users as a decent gaming portal, is just one of those resources.

What is Gamstop?

GAMSTOP is a state of the art service, allowing people living in the UK with a gambling problem to voluntarily self-exclude themselves from most of the UK's existing online casinos.

Those who register with the service will have their access to most online casinos blocked for up to 5 years. The essence of the service is as follows. GAMSTOP registers and stores all the information about the client. Whereas every attempt to register or access one of the sites using their personal data is suppressed and blocked after being checked against the system's database.

People with gambling addiction problems in the UK have responded positively to the introduction of a national programme. In the first few months of operation alone over 50,000 people have signed up to the service.

What are the pros and cons of the service for gamers?

Looking at how the Gamstop service works, it's hard to decide whether it's more beneficial or detrimental for average gamblers.

Some see the introduction of the program as a panacea for addiction problems, while others consider it an attack on the foundations of a democratic society.

The upside of Gamstop is that it gets rid of problem categories of British citizens from "gambling fever". If we talk about the minuses, the main one is that the players have lost the ability to play online casinos without regard to any restrictions.

How to bypass the Gamstop system?

Getting around the effects of the Gamstop service is not difficult at all. As virtual gambling establishments that refuse to connect to the Gamstop system cannot rely on getting a British gaming license, they can acquire a license from another country (Gibraltar, Malta or Curacao) without any additional problems.

Under UK law, online casinos licensed in other countries have every right to be considered perfectly legal in the country. So, a British citizen is able to visit such virtual gambling establishments with complete peace of mind.

Why do seasoned gamblers choose to play online casinos other than Gamstop?

After the Gamstop service, British punters have faced a number of problems. Firstly, the gambling establishments operating on the Gamstop system now offer their own customers a significantly deteriorated bonus program that no longer includes the most attractive large bonuses.
In addition, experienced gamblers have been able to identify for themselves several other significant disadvantages that have emerged for gambling establishments on the Gamstop service. These include:

• imposing serious limitations on the amount of bets;

• introduction of significant monthly limits;

• probably reducing the size of winnings;

• disallowing automatic gambling.

Particularly affected by the introduction of the service are high rollers, who in the very conservative UK are used to playing at very high stakes.

Here experienced British gamblers were forced to stop visiting their favorite virtual gambling establishments, turning their attention to gambling portals not on Gamstop.

The introduction of a national Gamstop programme in the UK has found both ardent admirers and outright detractors. Some see the move as an act of serious help to people suffering from gaming addiction. Others see the new service as a real attack on the foundations of democracy and even authoritarianism on the part of the authorities. For example, in Germany, where just recently a new law on online gambling was passed, a relevant complaint has already been filed with the European Commission.

On how the Gamstop service will affect the British gambling industry we will see in a few years. We will draw conclusions then.