Gambling self-exclusion service Gamstop has announced that they've helped 300,000 self-exclude from gambling sites in the UK since forming in April of 2018.
The company said that for the first half of this year it had registered 43,500 for self-exclusion, up 9% from last year and averaging about 7,000 people per month. Gamstop also said that the first quarter bucked a trend by registering more people than the final quarter of 2021, which usually sees the higher number of exclusions.
Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer said that while they're working to keep players safe, the UK government can do more to help in regard to gambling-related harm.
"Our most recent data suggests gambling-related harm remains a serious problem and it is widely accepted that action is needed to protect those most at risk," Pamer said. "We are now recording an average of more than 7,000 new registrants each month, which is almost a double-digit increase year-on-year."
"Although we cannot be certain about the reasons for this, our internal analysis implies that higher volumes of self-exclusion are evidence of a sustained prevalence of gambling-related harm, as well as a greater awareness of Gamstop.
"We look forward to seeing the government's recommendations for reforming the gambling laws in the forthcoming white paper, now expected this autumn."