Gamstop reveals jump in under-25s self-excluding from online gambling in H2

Consumers aged between 16 and 24 accounted for 24% of all new Gamstop registrants in the six months to 31 December. Overall registrations were 14% higher and at a record high for the second half of the year.

This, Gamstop said, bucks the usual trend of registrations being higher in the first half of the year. The second half of 2024 included several major sports events such as the 2024 Olympic Games and the latter stages of football’s Euro 2024.

The latest data means that some 532,484 people have registered with Gamstop since it launched in April 2018. This accounts for more than 1% of the entire adult population in the UK. Gamstop passed the 500,000-registration milestone in September last year.

Hull tops local registrations for Gamstop

In addition to the usual round-up, Gamstop has for the first time posted details about which areas of the UK saw the highest number of registrations during the six-month period.

The postcode area with the highest proportion of registrants was Hull, equating to 1.5% of the region’s total population. Teesside and Sunderland were joint second on 1.4%, with Doncaster and Blackpool also in the top five.

As for how long consumers are self-excluding for, 48% of registrants opted for five years in H2 2024. This is the longest timeframe available on Gamstop, with users also able to select six months or one year as options for self-exclusion from all licensed operators in the UK.

Gamstop last month also introduced a ‘five years with auto-renewal’ exclusion option.

Lasting concerns over young people gambling

Commenting on the data, Gamstop CEO Fiona Palmer said the increase in younger people signing up is an ongoing concern for the sector. The rise in H2 follows a trend as sign-ups for the age bracket increased 12% in the first half of the year

“There is a clear need for targeted education and support aimed at this group which is why we continue to put so much emphasis on collaborating with the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust and GamCare reaching out to students,” Palmer said.

“We go to where they are to ensure they are aware of tools, such as self-exclusion, which can help to prevent gambling harm.”