A notable 12% rise in younger players (16-24 years) self-excluded via the UK's national scheme in H1, igniting concerns around underage gamblers.
Gamstop’s latest data revealed one in two sign ups were between 16 and 35 in age in the six-month period, causing the average age of those joining the scheme to fall.
Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer said the data indicated the urgent need for targeted support and preventative education for younger age groups.
In total, 49,494 new registrants signed up to the programme in H1, reflecting a rise of 3% year-on-year. This takes the total number of people signed up for the self-exclusion scheme to 482,815.
Some 1,904 consumers signed up to the service in an average week during H1. Gamstop also reported a record 8,686 people registered in April, the highest monthly total since its launch in April 2018.
Almost half (49%) of the new users opted to exclude for the maximum period of five years and, in terms of gender, the majority of new sign-ups in H1 (71%) identified as male.
“The increasing number of registrations we have seen in the first half of 2024 could reflect a growing awareness and proactive approach among individuals to tackle gambling-related issues,” Palmer said.
Euro 2024 drives new sign-ups in July
As for how H2 has started, Gamstop noted the impact of the Euro 2024 football tournament, which kicked off in mid-June and ran through to the middle of July.
New sign-ups at the beginning of July were 8% higher than the previous year. Unusually high volumes of registrations were noted after England’s first group game against Serbia, following England’s extra time last 16 victory over Slovakia and the day after England lost in the final to Spain.
Incidentally, the rise in H1 registrants and a heightened start to H2 suggests Gamstop could be set for another record year. During 2023, more than 92,000 people signed up with the service, an all-time high for Gamstop and around 10% more than 2022.
Should the first-half numbers be repeated in H2, this could see almost 100,000 register with Gamstop in 2024.
According to UK Gambling Commission data also published this week, Britain had a record three months (April-June) for gambling activity, with up to 24.5 billion bets and spins placed across all online verticals.