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The world we live in is ever-changing. There have been a lot of challenges that people all across the world have faced during the course of the pandemic. One of the big trends seen in the UK has been the rise in people engaging in gambling online. This is especially the case for older people, with a huge number of extra people who are at least 65 years old starting to engage in the likes of online gambling.
There are many reasons for this uptick. Naturally, people were spending more time at home during the pandemic and often did not have access to the likes of land-based casinos and bookie shops. They were also often spending more time watching television and browsing the internet, getting exposed to gambling-related advertisements.
Finally, people often did not have too many other entertainment options. Therefore, a lot of people turned to online gambling sites, whether they were online casinos, poker sites, bingo platforms, or sportsbooks.
As a result of the increasing activity on these types of platforms, the UK authorities have been trying to make sure that people are engaging in online gambling in as safe a manner as is absolutely possible. This article will look at what the likes of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) are doing in an attempt to keep gamblers safe and to stop them from going over to gambling sites that are outside of their jurisdiction.
What is the UKGC
The UKGC is the group that is in charge of handing out gambling licenses to operators across the UK. It has been around for a number of years and it keeps a close eye on licensees to ensure that they are always operating in an above-board manner.
If there are any infractions, the UKGC will often take heavy action, issuing fines worth millions of pounds in a lot of cases. If the issue is serious enough, it will even suspend or revoke the operator’s license entirely.
Two of the big area of focus when it comes to operators is making sure that their anti-money laundering and social responsibility systems are satisfactory, which is not always the case. The UKGC wants to create a gambling atmosphere that is positive and does not encourage irresponsible forms of gambling.
How does GamStop Work?
GamStop is a body that helps the UKGC when it comes to protecting gamblers. While GamStop does not get involved directly with bringing in new curtailments in the gambling sector, it does help to promote safe gambling. This is because GamStop provides a service that sees every single person being able to exclude themselves from all of the UKGC-licensed gambling sites in one go.
This is a free service and the block can be put into effect for a number of months or even years. However, once a person is excluded, there is no going back and reversing this block. Therefore, it is a powerful tool when it comes to responsible gambling.
Other Resources to Aid in Problem Gambling
It is not just the job of authorities like the UKGC and GamStop to protect gamblers as much as possible. There are many great support and treatment bodies that will provide a huge amount of help to people who might have struggles relating to gambling. This includes the likes of GambleAware and GamCare. If you are having some struggles, it is a good idea to reach out to one of these organizations in order to get some help that is relevant for your situation and from professionals.
There are also many other tools that a gambler will be able to access if necessary to curtail gambling. There are different forms of software that allow you to block yourself from accessing any gambling-related website on your computer and mobile devices. This is usually a service that you will have to pay for but stops you from accessing these types of sites, even those non-UK casinos.
There are also adblocking tools which mean that you can stop yourself from viewing pro-gambling ads across online mediums, which can stop the urge to gamble. Finally, a lot of leading banking institutions these days will allow account holders to put a block on their account which means that the bank will not process any of your payments that are related to gambling sites. This cuts the issue at source in a lot of cases.
GamStop Sites vs Non-UK Casinos
The UKGC as you can see does a lot to protect gamblers with the help of GamStop. However, there are people in certain quarters who do not enjoy the restrictions that have been implemented into gambling sites over recent times. According to non-gamstop-casinos.com, this is why a lot of people have been moving over to non-UK casinos. These platforms do not hold a UKGC license and therefore do not have to follow the rules and regulations of the regulatory body.
This means that players will often be able to access more expansive offerings. This includes getting to play a wider range of games without curtailments on game features. Bet limits will often be wider and you can use payment methods that are restricted on UKGC platforms. The UK authorities worry that people are using these non-UK casino sites to avoid their GamStop self-exclusion.
Best interests at heart
There is a lot that the UK authorities do in order to protect gamblers in the region. While some people believe that the UKGC goes too far at times in this regard, it has their best interests at heart. People in the UK still have access to a great range of gambling platforms that cater to their every need.
