Gambling self-exclusion provider GAMSTOP has reported a 25% rise in self-exclusions in the first six months of 2021.
The provider published its bi-annual review in which it revealed that the number of registrations in the first six months of 2021 rose by 40,000, bringing the total number of registrants to 218,000. GAMSTOP’s report also revealed that of the 40,000, 70% were male, and 58% chose the maximum exclusion period available.
Alongside the above, GAMSTOP also found that the number of young people using the service increased, with around 41% of registered users aged between 25 and 34 and 59% aged between 18 and 34.
The review was carried out by research agency Sonnet, which also found that the makeup sample of 3,300 registrants reflected the general UK population and that around 29% of users lived in households with a pre-tax income of over £48,000 per annum while another 48% lived in households that earned over £32,000. Sonnet’s review also found that over 75% of registrants were in full or part-time work, and 63% did not have children.
Fiona Palmer, the CEO for GAMSTOP, said in a statement to FocusGN: “While it is encouraging to see that consumers are continuing to find GAMSTOP and use it as a crucial safety net in their recovery, this review reinforces the importance of continuing to raise awareness of practical tools that are available to those struggling with gambling-related harm.
“Our evaluation results demonstrate that gambling-related harm is an issue that affects people from all walks of life, irrespective of income, location, or gender. It is imperative that we continue to reach people from across the UK, and to give them access to tools that can aid them in their recovery, or form an important preventative measure.”
Back in April, the self-exclusion provider reported a record number of sign-ups within the first two months of 2021. February 22nd broke the provider’s record for the number of sign-ups in a single day when 326 new users registered.
Last week, the UK Gambling Commission fined Lottoland and its operator a whopping £760,000 over social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.
The Gambling Commission issued a warning to the gambling website and operator EU lotto for failing to follow its licensing conditions between October 2019 and November 2020. During that time, the Commission found that Lottoland failed to consider customers frequently changing their deposit limits as a sign of gambling harm.
The Commission also found that Lottoland had failed to implement suitable financial and affordability assessments to check whether a customer was being harmed or at risk of harm, and that all customer interactions conducted by the website consisted of emails informing customers of the responsible gambling tools without requiring a response from them.
Regarding anti-money laundering measures, the Commission found that Lottoland failed to review or analyse bank statements provided by customers to prove their address, failed to restrict customer accounts after source of funds requests, and allowed customers to register third-party debut cards such s those under different names.
The Commission also found that the website relied too much on ineffective threshold triggers and lacked information on how much customers should be allowed to spend based on their income, wealth or other risk factors.
As a result of the above failings, the UK Gambling Commission has fined EU Lotto and Lottoland £76,000, has ordered the operator to undergo independent auditing, and has issued a formal warning.
Helen Venn, the Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission, said in a statement: “This case, like other recent enforcement action, was the result of planned compliance activity. All operators should be very aware that we will not hesitate to take firm action against those who fail to meet the high standards we expect for consumers in Britain.”
The above news comes after the Parliamentary All Party Betting and Gaming Group (APBGG) launched an inquiry into the effectiveness and competence of the UK Gambling Commission after receiving several criticisms of the regulator, and after the regulator faced criticism over its handling of Football Index’s collapse.
Meanwhile, gambling operator Betfred Sports has reportedly signed a sponsorship agreement with digital sports company The Game Day.
Under the agreement, Betfred Sports will sponsor the company’s flagship NFL shows Take The Points and Ride With throughout the 2021-2022 NFL Season. Take The Points is a weekly betting debate show hosted by sports gambling expert and analyst Jordan Schultz, while Ride With follows host Katie Mox as she places her best bets.
Matt Heiman, the Founder and CEO of The Game Day, said in a statement via SBCAmericas: “We’re thrilled to announce this sponsorship deal with Betfred Sports, which further strengthens our lineup of marquee brand partners.
“Over the past year, The Game Day has seen significant growth in what’s become a highly engaged sports fan base, as we continue to look to service everyone from casual bettors through to the most knowledgeable gamblers. We’re pleased that this, in turn, has driven demonstratable engagement and ROI for our affiliate partners.”
Bryan Bennett, the COO of Betfred Sports, added: “This is a great brand to partner with to build on our momentum in the US market. Acquisition marketing is critical to the success of this operating, and we are confident that The Game Day partnership can strengthen our efforts.”
Also in the United States, game developer Playtech has signed a multi-state agreement with Unibet Interactive.
Under the agreement, Playtech will provide Kindred Group’s Unibet website with its award-winning RNG casino software in New Jersey, with other US states to follow in the coming months.
As reported by Playtech, the new agreement is the next step in Playtech’s expansion across the US market. Unibet has already established a market-leading product offering to customers in New Jersey, which will be amplified by Playtech’s RNG casino content.
Shimon Akad, the Chief Operating Officer at Playtech, said in a statement: “We are delighted to announce this exciting step in Playtech’s US growth. Unibet delivers a fantastic entertainment experience to their US customers, and we are proud to partner with them to deliver Playtech’s casino software as part of their market-leading offering – starting in New Jersey.
“Playtech continues to partner with the leading operators in New Jersey to bring its industry-leading casino software to the US market, and we look forward to continuing to expand into new States.”
Manuel Stan, the SVP of Kindred Group US, added: “To add Playtech casino software to our portfolio in New Jersey is very exciting. Partnering with Playtech enables us to offer our online casino customers a selection of some of the best quality content, and we look forward to further collaboration with Playtech across more US states in the future.”
