With the growing popularity of online casinos and bookies, it becomes a more and more hard-to-achieve goal to keep players safe from problem gambling. What seems like a fun and simple pastime at first sight can become an addiction, similar to alcohol and drugs, if used continuously without breaks.
According to the National Council on Problem Gaming, over 2 million people in the U.S. experience severe problems with excessive gaming. Another 4-6 million people have moderate or mild problems. Almost 34% of adults who struggle with gaming disorder also suffer from PTSD and other mental health issues such as depression, low self-esteem, stress and anxiety. These, in turn, may lead to weight loss and sleep deprivation.
This is why so many responsible gaming resources and programmes started appearing in the gaming community. GamStop is one of them. It is a responsible gaming scheme that helps players block access to UK-licensed casino sites to fight problem gambling and reduce its impact on mental health.
A Quick Look at GamStop
Before going down to the topic of how GamStop helps protect gamblers’ mental health, let's first understand what it is and how it operates. In brief, GamStop is a UK-based national self-exclusion system that works under the supervision of the UK Gambling Commission. After you join the scheme, you will lose access to all online gambling platforms licensed in the UK. In addition, all of your gaming accounts will be suspended. Players can't gamble until it ends. They can choose to exclude themselves from gambling for different periods, like six months, one year, or five years.
GamStop works very simply. The system registers and stores your data. Whenever you attempt to sign up or log in with these details, it will be checked against the GamStop database. If there is a match, you will fail to access any gambling sites that are part of the system. Even though it's still easy to find a casino with a non-GamStop policy that would not be a part of the programme, GamStop has proved extremely effective nonetheless.
How GamStop Helps Punters to Keep Their Mental Health
Problem gambling primarily impacts a person's finances, making them lose even the tiniest savings they may have had. What's worse, in most cases, people who have lost control of their gambling habits can borrow money from others and sink into debt. The financial crisis, in turn, can smoothly turn a materialistic problem into a mental health one, causing such consequences as stress, suicidal thoughts, depression and anger.
To protect gamblers’ mental health and prevent this scenario from becoming a reality, GamStop provides many useful tools and resources to all players. Here are the key ways this responsible gaming programme assists users.
- Protecting Players from Problem Gaming Habits: After joining GamStop, you will be removed from all licensed gambling platforms, and all your attempts to cancel the Gamstop scheme will be declined. As such, you will just be away from gambling activities, which will bring your life track in order and save you from excessive gaming troubles.
- Spreading Awareness About the Negative Effects of Continuous Gaming: Knowing the psychology of problem gambling and the ill effects gambling can bring to us, we will automatically think twice before starting to play, right? So, GamStop helps spread awareness and deliver the risks of reckless gaming among as many people as possible. This greatly helps to reduce the number of individuals who may become dependent on casino games or suffer from mental health problems.
- Providing Mental Support: Besides self-exclusion, many players can receive confidential mental support through GamStop. The platform provides various helpful links and resources for timely professional assistance. Some resources for emotional support recommended on the site include GamCare, National Problem Gambling Clinic, Gambling Therapy, Peer Aid, Anonymind, and Gamblers Anonymous.
GamStop also has a special Spotlight section with different pages offering personalised support depending on your situation. Some options you can choose from include support specifically for women, sports fans and men. Another benefit of GamStop is its free-of-use nature. Most players who are already struggling with problem gambling typically face financial problems. Having a free programme like GamStop that can help them overcome the existing problems without spending extra is just a perfect finding for them.
Final Notes
The importance of the subject of gambling mental health issues cannot be underestimated. The number of global and local events happening all the time is proof of this thesis. At the same time, a lot can be done every day to protect the minds of certain groups of people, such as gamblers.
GamStop can work wonders for betting and gambling fans who would like to take control of their activities and finances. It helps a lot of people to halt the addiction early on and not let the problem escalate. After registering with GamStop, you can successfully avoid or overcome issues such as mental health problems, gambling debts, family conflicts, and even life-altering situations like suicide attempts.
This article is part of the HealthManagement.org Point-of-View Programme.
