The number of betting sites not on Gamstop, and the amount of UK players gambling there, continues to rise. But how has this situation come about?

The process of regulating and licensing gambling and betting sites around the world is well underway, with the United Kingdom now over a decade into fully licensed operation. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) was created to issue licences and regulate the online UK gambling industry, with the aim of creating a safe and secure space online for UK citizens to gamble responsibly, while filling the Treasury’s coffers due to the increased tax income from successful gambling operators. And that’s not to mention the high cost of the licences each UK operator is required to hold.

So, with the UKGC’s stated aim “to keep crime out of gambling, to ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people”, how are we faring as we approach 15 years of regulated online gambling?

While the numbers of UK gamblers, and the UK spend on gambling, continues to rise, it’s fair to say that the UKGC is facing something of a growing crisis. The reason for this is the prevalence of casinos and betting sites not on Gamstop, not licensed by the UKGC, not paying taxes to the UK government, yet fully available to UK punters.

UK Betting and Gambling Legislation

The UKGC’s mission to protect the UK’s bettors is fundamentally centred around a culture where British gamblers bet at UK online bookmakers. As a benefit of being fully licensed, these sites are able to advertise and market their services to UK punters, from TV commercials to football shirt sponsorships, so it’s fair to assume they will take the lion’s share of the country’s gambling spend.

But this prohibition has an easily circumvented loophole, as betting sites not on Gamstop are easily available to anyone searching online. One problem the UKGC points to with regards to these non Gamstop betting sites is, as you might infer, the fact that these sites are not signed up to the Gamstop scheme.

Gamstop is a scheme where bettors may self-exclude themselves from all UKGC-licensed sites at a single stroke. This can be beneficial for those at risk of gambling addiction, as it allows for a quick and across-the-board exclusion for a pre-determined period of time. And yet, once again, there is a loophole which is most likely to be exploited by those it was designed to most protect.

This is because international sites not regulated by the UKGC are unable to sign on to the Gamstop scheme. UK bookies share player data in order to ensure self-exclusions are upheld, while non-UK bookmakers do not have access to the same information. As a result, UK gamblers are able to open accounts and place bets with betting sites not on Gamstop, even if they have a current Gamstop ban.

Non Gamstop Betting Sites vs. Licensed UK Betting

Aside from the details of their licensing arrangements, what is the actual difference between betting sites licensed by the UKGC and those online betting sites not on Gamstop?

As any UK punter will likely tell you, most of the big name bookies available online, whether via web or mobile app, offer a very similar user experience. From the page layout, the betting forms, the sports, markets and features, there’s usually little to tell between them (aside from some expensive branding).

The truth is, it’s simply a format that works, which is why all the various operators follow the trend. And betting sites not on Gamstop tend to do likewise, using a format and layout that feels familiar and is easy to use. The end result is that using a bookmaker not on Gamstop feels almost indistinguishable from using a licensed UKGC bookie.

Differences between the offerings tend to centre around payments, bonuses and other details, often due to the UKGC imposing restrictions on their licensees. Betting sites not on Gamstop are more likely to offer more interesting and less common payment methods, such as cryptocurrencies, for example, or larger deposit bonuses which are not limited by the UKGC. On the flip side, a site which accepts PayPal is hard to find, and it’s extremely rare – at the moment, at least – for non UK betting sites to offer a dedicated iOS mobile app.

Non Gamstop Bookmakers Trending in Pandemic Times

With betting sites booming in general, and non Gamstop betting sites also thriving, the arrival of the global pandemic in early 2020 saw the industry receive yet a further boost.

Digital and for-home-consumption products and services cleaned up during lockdown, and once organised sport was able to resume it stood to reason that bookmakers would do very well out of the situation. And they did. The amount of GBP spent in the UK on non-UKGC betting and gambling sites doubled in two years, to stand at £2.8bn in 2020.

Whether this trend will continue as the world gradually emerges from the pandemic-informed landscape remains to be seen, but there have been few new measures taken so far to try to arrest this trend.

Are Betting Sites not on Gamstop accepting UK Players legal?

It may surprise you to read that, even given the lack of a UKGC licence, betting sites not on Gamstop can be enjoyed by UK players completely legally. Restricting British internet users from viewing certain sites is difficult, legally, technologically and morally, with prohibition not the preferred route for the UK regulators at this time.

As mentioned above, non-UK betting sites are not permitted to advertise or market to UK punters, so any advertising you come across for such a site is highly likely to be illegal (we would advise against using any site which flagrantly breaches regulations in this way). However, by using any search engine, UK bettors are easily able to find a huge range of betting sites not on Gamstop, and signing up is completely legal (you should always read the fine print, though).

What Can Be Done – Should We Censor the Internet?

So where does this leave us? In essence, stuck between a rock and a hard place!

For the UK government to ban non-UK betting sites or criminalise their use runs contrary to the ethos of the country’s digital approach, as well as the justice system in general. Betting sites not on Gamstop cannot be simply removed, just as an international jurisdiction cannot remove UKGC-licensed sites from the internet. So if these internationally-licensed betting sites are here to stay, how is the UKGC going to police their use?

Prohibiting advertising goes some way towards pushing them out of public view, but as we have seen it is all too easy to find them if one only looks. The UKGC’s approach of (arguably) over-regulating betting sites in the UK, through restrictions on deposits, bonuses and aspects of gameplay, is only pushing punters further from the licensed sites where the UKGC’s intentions can be acted upon.

So is it better to roll back some of the restrictions and limits UK operators must live with, as part of their UKGC licence? Or would it be preferable to more aggressively police international sites, and those who access them from the UK? Neither route looks easy, and neither is guaranteed to have a positive effect. It’s a difficult decision and a fine balance which must be struck. So, where’s the smart money? Probably sitting this one out.