Why are twice as many men signing up to Gamstop compared to women?
Gamstop is the UK’s most successful self-exclusion program. And with almost 200,000 players signing up since the organisation was established in 2018, the popularity of this program is on the up.
But what exactly is Gamstop? And why are twice as many men signing up to the program as women? Finally, what is a non Gamstop casino? And why are they so popular?
Join us today, as take a good look at the Gamstop program. And discover why Gamstop is so dominant among male gamblers.
What is Gamstop?
Gamstop is a self-exclusion program that was set up by an NGO in the UK in 2018. And its primary focus is helping gamblers to manage their habits, by letting them self-exclude from all real-money sites in the UK for a predetermined period of time.
One of the reasons Gamstop is so successful is because it’s a legal requirement for all UK-licensed gambling sites to be part of the Gamstop program. That means, when you sign up to self exclude, you are effectively banning yourself from accessing any real-money site in the UK; bar none.
Furthermore, Gamstop is completely free to use and 100% confidential. Plus, players are free to choose their own self-exclusion period, depending on what works best for them.
For example, players who need a small break from gambling often choose the 6 month self-exclusion period. Whereas, people with more serious gambling problems often opt for a longer period, in order to completely quit. Therefore, they will choose the 1 or 5 year option.
Finally, Gamstop takes out the element of willpower. As a Gamstop subscription cannot be cancelled. So players must wait until their self-exclusion period has ended before they can play at UK sites again. Therefore, even if players are tempted to gamble again, they can’t! As all UK sites will be completely off-limits, until their subscription has finished.
That said, there are still plenty of casinos not on Gamstop, for players who are willing to take their business overseas.
All in all, Gamstop offers a great service to gamblers who need to reshape and reform their habits.
Who uses Gamstop?
The Gamstop program is exclusively for UK residents. That means, you can subscribe to the program if you’re a resident of England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. But, unfortunately, if you are based overseas, then you can’t access the Gamstop program.
Generally speaking, gamblers turn to Gamstop when they develop unhealthy habits. So this applies to people who either need a break, or need to quit gambling completely. Hence, the 3 options for self-exclusion range between 6 months and 5 years. Furthermore, UK residents can sign up and use this confidential program for free. Meaning it’s popular with players from all walks of life.
Plus, with the rise in popularity of online gaming over the last couple of years, this has naturally led more people signing up to self-exclusion programs.
However, Gamstop has fallen out of favour with some players, who find the program’s approach too restrictive.
Often, players want to return to their favourite hobby before their self-exclusion period has come to an end. In which case, these players seek out casinos not on Gamstop.
What are casinos not on Gamstop?
In short, a casino not on Gamstop is any gambling site that isn’t based in the UK. And, because these sites are based overseas, they don’t have to be part of the Gamstop program, like UK operators.
Therefore, players who want to start playing real-money games again, before their Gamstop subscription has finished, must play at these non Gamstop casinos.
Nowadays, there are plenty of international casinos not registered with Gamstop. And a lot of these gambling sites not on Gamstop welcome UK players. So there’s always an option to play at these incredible offshore sites, if you can’t access your favourite UK casinos.
Why do more men sign up for Gamstop than women?
In short, the reason why there are more men signing up to the Gamstop program than women is because, generally speaking, men gamble more than women do.
So, it makes sense that there are more male subscriptions to Gamstop, and other self-exclusion programs, simply because there are more male gamblers.
However, more recently, female subscriptions are on the rise, too. And this could be due to more and more women taking up real-money gaming as a hobby.
Plus, female players statistically favour games like bingo and slots. As women tend to prefer games based on luck. Whereas men like games where they feel in control, and can outwit other players. Meaning, men play card games like poker and blackjack more than women.
So, as more women sign up to bingo and slot sites, we see a natural upward trend of more women enjoying gambling. Therefore, subscriptions to self-exclusion programs are also going up, too.