GamStop launched in 2018 as an independent organization designed to help reduce problem gambling in the UK. It’s a self-exclusion program, meaning you need to volunteer your personal information to the website.
Next, you decide how long you want to stay away from gambling sites. It could be six months, two years, or five years. GamStop forwards your information to all its partner casinos. And henceforth, you can’t join any of these casinos.
GamStop sounds like a helpful program. So, why are UK gamblers constantly looking for non-GamStop casinos?
GamStop Excludes You from All Casinos
With nearly every casino joining the GamStop program, self-excluding means a total ban from all your favourite casinos in the UK. On paper, this sounds like a good thing if you have a betting problem.
But let’s say you sign up for self-exclusion after a bet goes wrong. You may have wagered more money than you should. And in the heat of the moment, you sign up for GamStop.
Then you cool down and realize you still want to play casino games again. Unfortunately, you can’t cancel your registration on GamStop easily. If you signed up to self-exclude for one year, you can’t join any UK casinos for a year.
That’s where casinos not on GamStop come in. They give you access to online casino games at your convenience. Most of these sites are safe and loaded with games, meaning they’re just as good as those on the self-exclusion program.
You Can Get Registered on GamStop Unknowingly
So, you have family members who think you should stop betting on football? Guess what? They can use your details to register you on GamStop. And once the organization approves the registration, there’s little you can do about it.
Online casino forums are packed with stories of people who discovered they were on GamStop despite not registering their details on the site. It’s a frustrating experience, especially because you can’t reverse the decision.
Worse, you can’t change casinos. Once GamStop blacklists your information, you basically have no way to gamble again online. Luckily, if this has already happened to you, there’s a solution. Find a non-GamStop casino.
No one can register you on an exclusion program if there’s none. Of course, if you ever want to take a break from iGaming you can do so on your own time.
Post-Self Exclusion Problems
Getting out of GamStop’s self-exclusion program is like getting out of jail for a serious crime. Sure, you’re free. But no one wants to employ you. You see, casinos don’t want to get into problems for serving someone with problem gambling issues.
If a casino knows you’ve self-excluded from gambling in the past, they may not want to approve your account. So, what can you do? According to people who’ve self-excluded in the past, the only solution is to ask GamStop to delete your data from its database.
It’s a long and tedious process. For starters, you must answer a barrage of questions designed to find out if you still have a betting issue. Secondly, the organization may still keep your self-exclusion status active until you visit their offices in person.
No one really wants to undergo such a strenuous process to access online casinos. That’s why joining non-GamStop casinos makes sense to a lot of players in the UK.
GamStop isn’t Always Effective
Imagine signing up on GamStop because you lost some money over the weekend. Your details have been forwarded to almost every betting site in the country. Yet, you can access another casino by using a friend’s personal information.
The BBC did an article on the flaws of GamStop. The organization’s CEO, Fiona Palmer, even admitted the program wasn’t wholly effective. Although Fiona said she making efforts to improve the program, it means all GamStop is good at is blacklisting your personal information.
Owing to that backdrop, some people aren’t convinced they should play at GamStop casinos. They may get tempted to join the program. They will be blacklisted. And yet, they could still bet by altering their data.
Safe Non-GamStop Casinos
Although many non-GamStop casinos are located offshore, it doesn’t mean they’re unsafe. Most of them have licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority. They’ve secured their websites using SSL and follow strict EU rules to keep your personal information safe.
Additionally, casino review sites make it easy to discover safe casinos. Let’s say you like to play slots. You can read tons of reviews until you find the best slot site for you.
Reviews explain everything you should know about a casino—payment options, games, software providers, bonuses, and withdrawal speeds. In many cases, you can find better casinos by choosing the non-GamStop route.
Bigger and Better Bonuses
If you like casino bonuses, you will find bigger bonuses by choosing non-GamStop casinos in the UK. Forget about bet €10, get €30 bonuses. Foreign operators tend to match your deposit amount for a maximum of €1000 or more.
And that’s just the welcome bonus. You could sign up for reload promotions, VIP rewards, and so much more. Although these bonuses can be generous in size, don’t get too excited.
Check the bonus policies before you claim any promotion. Look at the wager requirements. If they exceed 40x your bonus amount, find a better deal. Look at the withdrawal limit. It should be huge enough to make the bonus worth it.
Smooth, Reliable Payments
For many UK casino players, the biggest risk of joining non-GamStop casinos is that they could lose their money. The fear comes from knowing foreign websites are not licensed by the UKGC.
That doesn’t mean the casinos are unsafe, though. These sites use the same payment companies GamStop casinos support. So, if you like PayPal in the UK, you can use the same e-wallet at a non-GamStop site.
Of course, you should exercise due diligence while finding casinos. If you want a fast-payout platform, shop around for the best quick-payout casinos. If you’re more interested in bonuses, find sites with the best bonuses.
DISCLAIMER
There are huge risks associated with online gambling, so it should be used for entertainment only. It may seem like you’re winning at the moment, but keep in mind that the edge is always in favor of the house. Therefore, always practice responsible online gambling at real money casino sites.
Are you or someone you know addicted to gambling? The National Gambling Helpline is available to help you overcome your addiction to gambling. Contact them at 1-800-522-4700. Unless otherwise stated, all gambling sites and articles are only for those who are 18 or older.
Some of the casinos on our list might not be accessible in your area. To see whether online gambling is legal in your area, familiarize yourself with the local laws.
Our online casino reviews are completely independent and unbiased. Even though we may receive commissions for our recommendations, it does not influence our rankings. We only recommend casinos that offer the best gaming experience.
For free gambling addiction resources, visit the following organizations: