Should You Gamble at a Non-GamStop Casino?

Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, June 21, 2022

If you’re an avid online gambler, you may well have heard of GamStop, which is an independent self-exclusion service that affords you greater control over your gambling activity. Nowadays, UKGC-licensed casinos are required to sign-up to list with the GamStop initiative, in order to help support the principle of responsible gambling.

However, the open nature of the UK marketplace (and the Internet as a whole) means that you can still access non-GamStop casinos in the UK. Often, these are operators who are licensed by jurisdictions such as Curacao, where there remains a much laxer regulatory framework.

But should you gamble at a non-GamStop casino? We’ll explore the potential pros and cons below, while recommending whether you should avoid operators that refuse to sign up for the GamStop initiative.

What is GamStop?

Let’s start by taking a brief look at the GamStop initiative, which has been around in one form or another since 2018. However, early iterations of the scheme were deeply flawed, due to the lack of mandatory participation from operators and the ease with which restrictions could be circumnavigated.

These issues have largely been tackled over time, with the UKGC regulatory body now mandating operators to register with GamStop as a key licensing criterion. So, if a betting brand wants to receive UKGC accreditation, it will have to register with GamStop and offer self-exclusion services to its customers.

But how exactly does GamStop work? Well, once you’ve registered as an individual player, it will prevent you from using any listed gambling website or app for a predetermined period of time that’s controlled by you. It will also prevent you from receiving affiliated marketing content, including promotional offers and welcome bonuses.

Here are three primary self-exclusive periods that you can opt into as a player. More specifically, you can self-exclude for a period of either six months, one year or five years, depending on the extent of any compulsive behaviour you’ve displayed or precisely how much you wager frequently online.

Ultimately, this is up to you, but there’s no doubt that mandating participation from UKGC-licensed betting brands makes the process of self-exclusion much easier from a player’s

perspective. This is good news for all parties involved, as it helps to incrementally reduce gambling-related harms in society.

The Advantages of Gambling at a Gam-Stop Casino

Clearly, there are advantages to wagering at a GamStop-registered casino or remote betting platform. However, it’s crucial that you understand these in detail before choosing where to wager your hard-earned cash, especially in a marketplace that’s so competitive and heavily populated. Here are some key benefits to keep in mind:

#1. The UKGC Cannot Intervene When Disputes Arise: While many non-GamStop casinos will be licensed by trusted authorities in Curacao or Malta, such bodies are limited in terms of their power and influence over UK players. For example, they cannot intervene in disputes between UK players and casino platforms that are based overseas, in instances where your winnings may have been held or unfairly restricted. Conversely, all UK-based and GamStop operators are subject to the UKGC’s rule, and face sanctions if they’re found to have broken rules and regulations.

#2. You May Not be Able to Wager in Pounds: Because non-GamStop operators are typically based outside of the UK and licensed by an overseas entity such as the Malta Gaming Authority, you may find an unusual array of currency options in place. This means that you may not be able to deposit or wager money in pound sterling, forcing you to convert cash at a nominal transfer fee whenever you intend to bet. This increases the cost of wagering and may prove increasingly untenable over time.

#3. You’ll Have Minimal Protection Against Problem Gambling: Any one of us can fall prey to problem gambling behaviour, and GamStop-registered casinos provide accessible and effective help whenever it’s required. The same simply isn’t true for non-GamStop casinos and betting brands, making it harder to tackle or correct compulsive behaviour before it turns into an addiction. Similarly, it’s known that regions like Malta and Curacao have particularly lax regulatory and tax frameworks, which means that casinos operating under their jurisdiction may not offer the type of expansive responsible gambling tools required in the digital age.

These are fairly significant advantages from any player’s perspective, and it’s important to keep them in mind as an online gambling enthusiast. Of course, you’re legally still permitted to wager at a non-GamStop casino according to UK legislation, but this brings a significant risk that must be factored into your decision.

The Bottom Line – Should You Ever Bet at a Non-GamStop Casino?

The question that remains, of course, is should you ever gamble at a non-GamStop casino? After all, such entities are able to lend themselves as trusted operators that are licensed by a recognisable overseas authority, while they also offer perceived advantages depending on your outlook as a player.

For example, they tend to compete by offering more expansive promotions and bonuses to players, while also lifting limits on deposits and betting amounts. They’re able to do this through the looser regulatory frameworks that exist in jurisdictions like Malta and Curacao, and this can be appealing to players at first glance.

They may also operate larger game libraries than GamStop-registered casinos, once again due to a lack of relevant restrictions pertaining to factors such as independent testing or RTP rates. This is also a unique selling point for some players, as is the fact that such casinos will typically require fewer personal datasets when you register for an account.

However, such benefits cannot compensate for the lack of UKGC protection, while having immediate access to independent initiatives like GamStop can prove crucial when gambling online. So, we’d recommend that you wager at GamStop-registered casinos wherever possible as a UK player, even if you think that problem gambling is an issue that will never affect you!