Outgoing Gamstop Group Chair hails positive safeguarding impact of self-exclusion

• More than 1% of UK adults have self-excluded from licensed gambling sites
• Gamstop Group has become world-leading technology provider in sector

Gamstop Group’s outgoing Chair Jenny Watson CBE has paid tribute to the organisation’s “remarkable journey” since its inception as an industry scheme seven years ago, helping to safeguard hundreds of thousands of vulnerable consumers.

Writing in Gamstop Group’s annual report for the final time, Jenny Watson, who leaves her post as GAMSTOP’s first independent chair in September 2025, says more than 1% of UK adults have self-excluded from licensed gambling sites and there are no signs that the registration rate is slowing down.

“We have made significant progress in our mission to safeguard people from the harms of gambling addiction, positively impacting hundreds of thousands of lives,” she writes.

“Our success is measured not only by the numbers but by the stories of transformation and recovery. Over the years we have heard from many consumers who credit GAMSTOP with helping them regain control over their lives. These personal accounts are a powerful reminder of the importance of our work and the profound impact it has on individuals and their families”.

More than 560,000 people have registered with GAMSTOP since 2018, giving them a practical tool to manage their online gambling. The number of registrations has far outstripped original forecasts, which, she says, shows there is a critical need for effective self-exclusion mechanisms.

Jenny Watson, who was recently nominated for a prestigious Non-Executive Director of the Year award in the not-for-profit category, writes: “I am confident the organisation is well-positioned to achieve the important objective of making gambling safer for everyone”.

She has served as Chair since September 2018 and her replacement is currently being recruited and will be in place by the autumn.

The Gamstop Group now runs two self-exclusion schemes, GAMSTOP for online gambling, and MOSES for betting shops, and is the technology provider for GamProtect, the industry led single customer view project which has come out of its pilot phase with seven operators now integrated.

“We are firmly established as a world-leading technology provider in the gambling harm support sector,” she writes.

In her annual overview, CEO Fiona Palmer predicts that the recently announced changes in the funding mechanism for research, prevention and treatment in the UK will change the landscape for commissioners, national and locally. She says that GAMSTOP heatmap and demographic data can help commissioners navigate new challenges.

“We have made a commitment to them to do this going forward…our priority remains delivering a clear, technically robust exclusion solution to those who need it most,” she adds.

An independent evaluation of GAMSTOP, conducted by Ipsos in 2024, found that 75% of service users no longer gamble online and 78% said GAMSTOP had delivered the results they had hoped for.

The annual report includes case studies of users who credit GAMSTOP with protecting them from gambling harm. Hannah registered for GAMSTOP with her partner after he lost more than £100,000 so that he could not secretly gamble using her details and last year wrote a theatre show ‘Gamble’ detailing her family’s experiences.

“My partner is no longer ashamed of his experience, we talk about his gambling with friends and family, and he supports the show…(he) is in recovery, we have tools in place, and I control our finances” she says.