In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of rugby bettors excluding themselves from British sports betting sites either through the internal self-exclusion tools or using the National Self-Exclusion Programme, GamStop! This means that many bettors seek urgent help to stop gambling and can’t control their slipping willpower.
According to data from the UKGC, the number of people who requested the closure of their betting accounts last year is double the previous year! These percentages confirm the view of the UKGC, which believes that the growth in popularity of online gambling poses new challenges.
Nowadays, there are more options available to rugby players than ever before . Players can bet on the British Championships or anywhere globally using only an internet-enabled smartphone, and they can also bet on virtual rugby tournaments. Moreover, they will get hefty bonuses even if they lose, which leads them to deposit more money even if they can’t afford to lose it!
In this article, we will discuss why rugby gamblers are excluding themselves from British gambling sites and what mechanisms are being put in place to protect these players from gambling addiction.
Why Do Rugby Gamblers Exclude Themselves From UKGC Gambling Sites?
The online gambling industry is growing exponentially. According to Statista, the size of the online gambling industry was $58.9 billion in 2019, and the gambling industry market size reached 66.7 in 2020. It is expected to reach $92.9 billion in 2023. In particular, 2020 was a challenging year for the UKGC and other regulators around the world As the traffic to gambling sites has increased exponentially, so has the number of virtual gamblers significantly.
In fact, the UKGC quickly decided to introduce the national exclusion scheme, GamStop. The main advantage of this programme is that it allows gamblers to withdraw from all gambling sites for a period of their choice to avoid all forms of betting for a period ranging from 6 months to five years. During this period, all player accounts on British gambling sites will be frozen. Furthermore, the player will be prohibited from playing at new gambling sites licensed in the UK. This way the player will have nothing to do but submit to his own decision and avoid the unhealthy gambling urges.
The Dutch Gambling Commission has also taken a similar step by creating the Crucks system with many similar features to GamStop, but differs in some respects. For example, Crucks’ self-exclusion plan offers an option to permanently self-exclude without leaving any chance to return. However, national self-exclusion programmes effectively prevent gamblers from accessing sites licensed by national regulators and do not include offshore gambling sites that hold the licenses of overseas gambling agencies. Thus, self-excluded players can sign up and play on any of the external sites freely!
In fact, all the tools that enhance the will of gamblers to get off the addiction have some downsides, so it is important that you participate in all the self-exclusion programs available if you want to avoid gambling as much as possible.
Is the Problem of Gambling Addiction So Serious?
In 2016-17 the UKGC revealed that gamblers played £4.7 billion in this year alone. As this value increased significantly in the following years, the UKGC not only issued warnings but also took several measures to protect players who are prone to gambling addiction and to exclude underage players, namely:
- Banning online bookmakers from sponsoring sports teams. As sponsorships and stadiums’ advertising encourages sports fans and spectators to place more bets during the event.
- Force all gambling companies to integrate with GamStop and prevent players who subscribe to this service from playing at licensed sites.
- Remove VIP programmes and all practices that encourage players to deposit more money for additional features such as top tier customer service.
- Setting reasonable limits for deposits and withdrawals.
Certainly, the growth of online gambling activities brings great responsibility to both the regulators and the gambling companies as well. Since the UKGC forced all gambling operators to integrate GamStop, the latter announced that it had received more than two million requests from gamblers who wanted to stop gambling, yet at least 25% of these players had tried, at least once, to participate in offshore gambling sites.
How Many Rugby Bettors Suffer From Problem Gambling in the UK?
According to official stats, the UKGC estimates that there are about 2 million bettors in the UK who suffer from the problem of gambling addiction! The problem is not here, but that this rate is not declining. This means that 2% of all gamblers actually have a problem with gambling. Since rugby gambling is done via smartphones or tablets anytime and anywhere, virtual gamblers have the advantage of easy access that gives them the ability to play anytime and anywhere, which further complicates their problem!
What Are the Most Harmful Gambling Activities for British Gamblers?
Many may think that betting on rugby or slots is the most addictive gambling kind. However, this is not true! According to surveys conducted by the British Gambling Commission and GamStop, the first three activities with the highest percentages of problem gamblers are:
- Playing poker in land-based casinos contributes9%.
- Betting on sports at bookmakers (not online) 15.5%.
- Playing slots at conventional casinos 11.5%.
Are Self-exclusion Schemes an Effective Solution?
The short answer is of course no! This is because self-exclusion schemes contain many loopholes that undermine or defeat their goal. Perhaps the most significant drawback of these programmes is that players can subscribe to any of the offshore bookmakers without any hindrances.
Tony Franklin, a recovering compulsive gambling addict, believes that regulators should crack down on the harm caused by gambling. He believes that new measures will not be enough to help people who are prone to problem gambling! The real problem facing all parties, regulators, victims and operators, is that there are no specific patterns that indicate a player is addicted to gambling and there are no symptoms that appear on the sufferer and therefore family or friends will not be able to provide appropriate assistance.
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