An increase in internet betting during the coronavirus pandemic is followed by an increase in the number of gamblers trying to stop themselves from using online casinos and professional bookmakers, it has emerged.
According to Guardian figures, Gamstop, the national self-exclusion scheme for people struggling with their gambling, recorded a 21% increase in February.
The number of people who signed up is on the verge of reaching 200,000, including 326 new registrations on February 22, a record for a single day since the service was launched in 2018.
Gamstop said the increase in efforts to avoid gambling appears to have been due to an increase in online betting volumes during November and December.
It said it indicated that ‘the trend towards more online gambling may lead to more vulnerable individuals choosing to exclude themselves from all sites’.
More people than ever may have signed up to the scheme, but Gamstop figures also show the difficulty many people have in staying away from gambling.
In January 2021, 49,328 people out of a possible 177,038 tried to gamble, and were prevented from doing so by their registration at Gamstop, which enables people to gamble off the internet for a certain period of time.
According to the organization, it appears that the blocking of software was not a ‘silver bullet’.
“With the increase in the number of registrants, I would like to call on someone who introduces self-exclusion of online gambling through Gamstop to seek treatment as well,” said the organization’s CEO Fiona Palmer.
“Awareness of self-exclusion and software blocking schemes has increased over the past year, and it’s important that we spread the word about the help available to those who need it most.”
Matt Blanks, a project manager at Peer Aid, a scheme that helps people addicted to gambling, started betting at 11 years old. He lost more than £ 700,000 and tried to take his own life.
He said he was a lifesaver to be able to refrain from all online operators at the same time. “It gives you a break at the moment, a little breathing space, to make sure that if you have an urge or impulse, you can’t place a bet at that moment,” he said. “The time to think can make the difference.”
People with a gambling disorder are excessively likely to be men, but Gamstop has recorded an increasing number of women registering during exclusion.
The number of women excluding themselves has recently reached 50,000 and the gender distribution is 71% male, 29% female. People between the ages of 18 and 34 make the most use of the service, which accounts for 59% of all registrants.
The figures come after the gathering of evidence for the government’s gambling review ended last week. According to Gamstopsa, Gamstopsa said that there was an increase in the number of websites publishing links to bets on the black market that were not reported to the blocking service.
Membership of the scheme is a condition of being licensed to legally host gambling in the UK.