Registrations for the national self-exclusion program in the United Kingdom, GAMSTOP, continue to set new records throughout 2025, as the numbers have been increasing exponentially every month.
GAMSTOP sees a huge increase in young gamblers’ registrations
GAMSTOP remarked that the bulk of these new registrations have been driven by consumers aged 16-24 – the self-exclusions in that target group have increased 44% year-over-year, the program said in the first six months of 2025 alone.
GAMSTOP also provided further information on what these self-exclusions were like. According to the program, four out of ten would be excluded for at least six months. The total number of people to have been excluded from gambling in the United Kingdom numbers some 600,000 people, which GAMSTOP has referred to as vulnerable consumers.
In April 2025 alone, 10,281 consumers registered with the program, which marks the first time that the program has received more than 10,000 registrations in a single month, indicative of the soaring interest.
GAMSTOP CEO Fiona Palmer has commented on the latest data and results, saying, "Our data shows a significant spike in the number of younger consumers who are GAMstopping to manage their gambling, and this has driven the record registrations in 2025. They are increasingly choosing six-month exclusions, which suggests thatGAMSTOPis being used as a tool to allow them a break from gambling."
However, part of the increase in registrations among young consumers comes from GAMSTOP’s dedicated efforts to reach this consumer group specifically and offer them a chance to self-exclude. GAMSTOP, however, is just one tool to be used alongside others to prevent gambling-related harm, argues Palmer.
Despite progress, issues continue to persist
In the meantime, GAMSTOP has introduced a new 5-year self-exclusion option that also comes with an auto-renewal option and places the onus on people who self-exclude to remove themselves from the list once the period is over.
This is celebrated as a far more efficient and reliable way to prevent harm than letting people’s exclusion lapses. While GAMSTOP has been intensifying its efforts, there have been instances of websites that operate offshore and that specifically target people who are registered with GAMSTOP through "websites not on GAMSTOP" search engine optimization.
Ultimately, however, the self-exclusion program has been able to reach an increasing number of people and has made forays with young people who are the most at-risk of developing addictive behavior or suffering from gambling-related harm.
