Gamestop – the National Self Exclusion Programs
What do you do when online gambling becomes an addiction? You try to stop yourself from indulging in it! The question is – how? How do you stop yourself from gambling away your hard-earned money? How do you tame the urge to chase losses even if you know you’ll end up spending more money than you could probably win?
Enter Gamestop – the way to suspend yourself from all gambling activities in a single click.
What is Gamestop Online Self-Exclusion?
It is exactly what it sounds. Gamestop restricts your entry into online casinos and betting sites via a self-exclusion policy, which, of course, is optional. Such voluntary exclusion is a government’s or casino operator’s way to curb problem gambling.
Players can willingly request the regulatory authorities or operators to add them to their self-exclusion lists so they can be barred from partaking in any sort of online gambling or betting activity within the jurisdiction, whatsoever.
By doing so, players also permit the government or regulatory authority to arrest or charge them with trespassing if they are found attempting to re-enter gambling portals licensed within the concerned jurisdiction.
Additionally, all winnings, chips and tokens can be confiscated and rendered null and void if a self-excluded player tries to gamble online in such licensed sites. Online casinos that must oblige to the national self-exclusion programs are prohibited from targeting excluded players via advertisements.
How Does it Apply?
In the Nordics, most self-exclusion programs are country-specific and applicable nationwide. The best examples are Denmark’s ROFUS and The United Kingdoms GAMSTOP. If you reside in any of these countries and sign up for the respective programs, you will be suspended from all online gambling portals that hold a license from the concerned regulatory authorities.
For instance, registering with ROFUS in Denmark will ban you from participating in all online casinos that hold a license from the Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden.
By that token, the UK’s GAMSTOP will keep you away from all the casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Other major gambling regulators such as the Malta Gambling Authority (MGA) and Curacao e-Gaming are yet to place similar national schemes. For this reason, self-exclusion at an MGA or Curacao casino is operator-specific and not nation wide.
It means, the program has been put in place by an individual casino operator and is applicable only on that website. Operator-specific programs are usually not subject to national self-exclusion policies but work more or less the same. When you feel you are gambling too much at a specific casino, you can register yourself with its self-exclusion program and stay away from playing further.
Can you Revert, Terminate or Bypass a Self-Exclusion Program?
Please note that a self-exclusion program, once activated, cannot be reverted or prematurely terminated even if you did it accidentally. Each program usually continues for pre-defined periods of time (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or indefinitely). You will be able to play again only when the period you chose is over
If you are wondering whether you can bypass the shutdown via a duplicate identity, it is next to impossible because such programs warrant unique citizen identification such as NemID in Denmark for registration.
The National Self-Exclusion Programs at a Glance
ROFUS
ROFUS is the Danish national self-exclusion program. It has been placed by Spillemyndigheden to keep a check on problem gambling. Players can voluntarily exclude themselves from online as well as physical casinos in Denmark.
ROFUS also allows players to shutdown gambling activities for pre-determined time periods of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or indefinitely. However, this Danish national self-exclusion program also makes provision for a 24-hours shutdown. To register, players must use their NemID.
The scheme is 100% confidential, which means the Danish Gambling Authority will not give out the information about a player’s registration provided the latter doesn’t make an attempt to gamble during the exclusion period. Needless to say, there is no regretting ROFUS.
GAMSTOP
Like the Nordics have ROFUS, the UK has GAMSTOP. This national gambling self-exclusion scheme has been put in place by the UKGC to restrict willing players from playing at online casinos run by operators licensed in Great Britain.
To register with GAMSTOP, you have to confirm your identity using your postcode, date of birth and email address. Of course, you cannot sign up on behalf of another person. Once you register and create an account you must update your email address, postal address, phone number and contact consent.
The self-exclusion becomes active within 24 hours from request. Depending on the period you choose, you will be suspended for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. There is no way to terminate the period before it the defined time. Also, at duration has elapsed, you must request GAMSTOP to be removed. Otherwise, the suspension will continue
How National Self-Exclusion Differs from Casino-Specific Programs
National self-exclusion programs, as the name suggests, are applicable nationwide. On the other hand, casino-specific programs are limited only to the operators that put them in place. When you exclude yourself via a national self-exclusion scheme, you will not be able to access any casino licensed under the jurisdiction of that particular country.
However, casinos that are licensed elsewhere will be open for registration. For instance, even if you’ve shut yourself down using ROFUS, you will be able to access real money games at casinos licensed by the MGA, the UKGC or Curacao e-Gaming. Furthermore, even if you exclude yourself from playing at a certain casino licensed either by the MGA or Curacao e-Gaming, you can still access other casinos with the same license(s).
Swedish Spelpaus
Today, many online casinos and regulators actively support responsible gambling and provide self-exclusion opportunities to players in case they want. In the past few years, the online gambling market of Sweden has been through some significant changes. As per the latest regulations over gambling in Sweden, consumer protection is one of the most crucial elements.
In case you do not know, Sweden’s online gambling industry is divided between licensed casino businesses and unlicensed casino businesses. Swedish players refer to casinos licensed outside the country as unlicensed online casinos. The online casinos licensed under the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) support responsible gambling and prevent problem gambling.
Swedish National Self-exclusion Tool
The Swedish Gambling Authority has taken various steps to regulate gambling in the country. The government only allows state-owned online casinos to operate in Sweden. This is one of the reasons why many Swedish gambling enthusiasts have switched to unlicensed casino sites.
To prevent the repercussions of gambling, the Swedish Gambling Authority has designed a self-exclusion scheme called Spelpaus. This self-exclusion scheme allows gamblers to self-exclude themselves for a particular period of time. The casino operators with Swedish licenses are obligated to obey this self-exclusion scheme and avoid player exploitation.
This feature is beneficial for players as they can prevent themselves from getting addicted to gambling. Today, gambling addiction is common among players, and this move by the Swedish Gambling Authority is quite impressive. Due to their addiction, gamblers sometimes spend much more money than they have planned.
Most Swedish online casinos offer this feature, so if you ever feel the need for self-control, you can stop yourself from gambling with the Spelpaus self-exclusion tool.
Moderation of Gambling Advertisements in Sweden
Aside from helping gamblers with self-exclusion, Swedish Gambling Authority also moderates the gambling advertisements in the country. This act ensures the prevention of gambling addiction in the country. The Swedish government strictly prohibits casino operators from influencing people under 18 years.
It is prohibited to convey any gambling-related content to the age-restricted demographic in Sweden. Aside from this, the gambling authority in Sweden constantly looks after gambling advertisements to exclude such activities in the country.
Moreover, the Swedish Gambling Authority had also launched various marketing campaigns so that more people could know about the Spelpaus scheme. These marketing campaigns featured issues regarding responsible gambling and were broadcast across multiple channels.
Aside from the self-exclusion scheme and marketing campaigns, the gambling authority in Sweden has also put restrictions on many gambling-related services, such as limiting the bonus offers, prohibiting match-fixing, and blocking some payment options.
All these efforts are made to ensure the safety of gamblers and their families as gambling addiction adversely affects the whole society.
German OASIS
The gambling authority in Germany has established a German self-exclusion system to promote responsible gambling in the country. Oasis is the German self-exclusion that was recently launched under the German Interstate Treaty for Gambling. This tool protects gamblers and combats gambling addiction.
The new German Interstate Treaty for Gambling has set some conditions that casino operators must follow. Online casinos in Germany have to implement strict age verification on their platform to prevent underage gambling. With the Oasis self-exclusion scheme, gambling enthusiasts can exclude themselves from visiting online gambling sites for a certain period of time.
Self-exclusion Tool in Germany
The core objectives of the latest gambling law in Germany include players protection, prevention of problem gambling, prevention of fraud, and combating underage gambling. Aside from these, the online casinos in Germany cannot offer unauthorized games of chance to players.
Players who have excluded themselves from visiting casino sites through Oasis self-exclusion tool are referred to as barred players. Moreover, the online casino operators train their staff to monitor the gambling behavior of players. It is their job to make players aware of the risks in gambling.
Top 5 Casinos without a National Self-Exclusion Program
- Tsars: Curacao-licensed Tsars offers its own self-exclusion program using which players can set their own online gambling limits for each day, each week, each month or in different other combinations.
- Rant: This MGA-licensed casino is free from national self-exclusion programs such as ROFUS and GAMSTOP. However, it has its own self-exclusion program using which you can freeze all your activities for a period of 24 hours (1 day), 7 days (1 week) or 1 month.
- Casoo: Yet another Curacao licensed online casino, Casoo has a self-exclusion program for compulsive gamblers who are willing to stop the activity. However, its lockout period is for a month only, which can be extended via an email request.
- Spin Million: Spin Million casino has a Curacao license, too. However, the terms and conditions of its self-exclusion program are not clearly stated on its website. You have to send the casino an email at support@spinmillion.com.
- Betmaster: Curacao-licensed Betmaster takes responsible gambling seriously and hence, has a total self-exclusion program in place.
