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Problem gambling is a huge talking point in the iGaming industry, with many companies and organisations searching for ways to protect vulnerable players.GAMSTOP, run by the not for profit National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme, is a UK-focused service designed to enable players to exclude themselves at playing at all online gambling sites in the UK.
LeoSafePlay
LeoVegas, which has recently introduced LeoSafePlay, which offers session and wagering limits and the ability to pause accounts, are furthering their commitment to improving their services by signing up with GAMSTOP, as Chief Executive Gustaf Hagman explains:“In addition to LeoSafePlay, which is our overarching platform for responsible gaming, we are now taking yet another step to enhance player protection.“Adding GAMSTOP shows our high ambitions in responsible gaming.”
Fine
The GAMSTOP announcement comes in the wake of a fine LeoVegas received from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).The Commission found that the operator failed to return funds to over 11,000 customers who chose to self-exclude and close their account, while nearly 2,000 self-excluded players still received marketing material.Nearly 500 self-excluded players were also allowed to return to gambling without LeoVegas communicating with them or applying a cooling off period of 24 hours.
UKGC questions
Earlier this month, head of the UKGC, Tim Miller, sent a letter to the Remote Gaming Association (UKGC) which was acquired by The Guardian, and is reported to have spoke of “unacceptable faults” with GAMSTOP.Miller said that the lack of synchronisation between the marketing and promotional lists of operators created a situation where self-excluded players would still receive promotional materials.A GAMSTOP spokesman responded saying that GAMSTOP was a new service and tweaks were still being ironed out.With both LeoVegas and GAMSTOP having recently fallen foul of the UKGC, the hope is that a partnership will be a great assistance to both parties.