Gambling, both online and offline can become addictive to the extent that it can not only bankrupt you but also take a toll on your physical and mental health. This is where the facility of âself-exclusionâ steps in. The various schemes and tools that have cropped up recently will help you control your gambling activity simply by barring you from entering any licensed poker sites for a minimum of 6 months time period.
Some of these self-exclusion tools are free while others have to be paid for. If you are aware of your rising gambling problem and want to voluntarily minimize it, all you have to do is register with the respective self-exclusion gambling site and enter the time period. After confirmation, you will be blocked from engaging in betting activities at the sites listed under the scheme concerned.
Introducing GamStop
GAMSTOP is operated by a powerful, not for profit organization called The National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Limited. It was launched in April 2018 and has grown to become one of the most established voluntary-exclusion schemes in the United Kingdom as it is mandatory for each and every UKGC licensed operator stationed there. With the outburst in online betting activities, GamStop has taken it upon itself to promote responsible gambling.
The registration process will require you to put in your postcode, email id, and date of birth. You can choose to ban yourself from the UK licensed betting sites for a period of 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Once the time limit expires, you have to reach out to GamStop to ask for the cancellation of self-prohibition upon the approval of which you will be granted access to these sites once again.
Once you have registered and received confirmation from GamStop, all British players will be blocked from all gambling websites including poker rooms. You will be unable to participate in regulated UK brands. However, punters would have the option to play GamStop-free poker or sign up at casino sites blocked by GamStop operating under offshore licenses such as Curacao Gambling Commission, since these are beyond the purview of Gamstop and UKGC.
Internal âCooling Offâ Periods
Another system that will help compulsive gamblers control their gambling desires is internal self-exclusion or Internal âCooling Offâ periods. This scheme is especially applied to poker sites due to their recent ever-increasing popularity. It provides a safer gambling environment by significantly reducing the negative effect on punters with gambling associated problems.
This program asks for the players to ban themselves from poker sites depending upon the extent of their gambling problem for a set period of time. To have a self-exclusion program has become the foremost condition for the poker sites registered in the United Kingdom. Customers with problems have the liberty to choose from other internal self-exclusion solutions besides GamStop.co.uk. This helps them to easily mass self-prohibit. The app functions equivalently on both desktops and mobile phones.
Self-Exclusion Alternatives
BetBlocker
BetBlocker was founded in 2017. This service is responsible for managing complaints between players and online gambling operators on behalf of a number of regulatory agencies.
BetBlocker was thought of as a medium of helping those players that came to the service with a responsible gambling based complaint. It is available for free. With an anonymous service, no personal information is asked of you.
Gamban
Gamban has set the standards high for gambling blocking software since its launch in 2015. Gamban comes for free through all Gamcare support networks in the UK. It supports multiple platforms like Android, macOS, iOS, and Windows. Its features make it all the way more convenient and appealing to customers:
- Blocks access to numerous gambling websites with easy and quick installation.
- Provides access to useful Gamban resources
- Offers live technical support on demand.
- Offers access advice and support on Gamban distribution with ease.
- Creates custom promotional codes
- Whitelist email addresses for faster on-boarding
BetFilter
The BetFilter software program is owned by a Hong-Kong based company GPHP Group Limited. Specially designed to stop gambling, BetFilter is developed in close cooperation with the Center for Ludomani in Denmark.With a decade of experience, it has focused on promising features like easy installation, relevant blocking, no unauthorized installation, No Simple 3rd-Party âDNS-Blockingâ and 100% discretion.
A Concluding Thought
Online poker and gambling is a source of easy money that gets customers hooked with the hope of gaining stacks in the future which is highly unlikely. For many, before the realization hits them, they are already trapped in the problem of addiction. The very first step to recovery would be to snap out of denial and approach one of these self-exclusion sites for assistance.