GamStop not ready for mandatory integration with UK operators, says Gambling Commission
Long-delayed self-exclusion scheme cannot become a licence condition until “necessary assurances” received
The UK’s national self-exclusion scheme GamStop is not ready for mandatory integration with operators despite media reports to the contrary, the Gambling Commission (UKGC) has said.
In a statement today, the UKGC said GamStop was still working to provide the “necessary assurances” to trigger the requirement for all operators to become members.
“We cannot bring the licence condition into force until that information had been received, considered and taken to our Board for a decision on commencement,” the UKGC said.
Under the UKGC’s licensing codes of conduct and practice, operator integration with the scheme must commence within one month after operators are told the scheme is ready.
The UKGC did not confirm the proposed length of the implementation period for operators but did said it would be at least four weeks between notification of licence commencement and the condition coming into force.
Condition 3.55 of the Licensing Codes of Conduct and Practice
However, the UKGC said most operators have already fully integrated with the GamStop scheme, adding that operators have had “sufficient notice” as the condition had been in the licensing conditions and codes of practice since 2015.
The formal rollout of the GamStop scheme was initially supposed to occur in 2017 but was later delayed in order to allow extra time to deal with technical issues.
Following the scheme’s informal launch in April 2018, over 50,000 individuals had registered to voluntarily self-exclude from UK gambling sites.
However, in January 2019 a BBC investigation revealed the possibility of circumventing the scheme merely by changing minor personal details during the registration process, leading to more delays in the schemes formal launch date.
I've met with GamStop staff. My main concern, which I passed on was that the database had primarily been designed to avoid false/positives, which was leading to many GamStop breaches. False/positives are a small price to pay for reducing breaches to as near nil as possible 1/2
— Jimmy Justice (@gondorffhenry) September 1, 2019
A spokesperson for GamStop said it is committed to working closely with the UKGC towards the scheme becoming a licence condition for UK operators.
“In the meantime, our priority is to provide the best possible service to the many thousands of individuals who are currently registered,” GamStop added.