Ipsos report says GAMSTOP is a trusted and effective tool

Market research firm Ipsos has published a new report in which it addressed the public perception of GAMSTOP, the UK’s national self-exclusion program designed to protect problem gamblers from excessive and reckless spending with life-altering consequences.

GAMSTOP is praised as an effective and reliable tool for tackling gambling harm

According to the report conducted by the company, around 78% of its users have said that it was an effective way to prevent further sliding into gambling addiction, and 80% said they would consider recommending it to others.

Ipsos interviewed more than 4,650 people for its survey, seeking to better understand public perception of GAMSTOP and whether it proved an efficient tool in stopping problem gambling.

This comes shortly after GAMSTOP announced its record-breaking number of signees with the database surpassing 500,000 registrations since it was introduced in 2018, making it one of the most successful in the world.

According to the Ipsos survey, 73% of users said that they were happy with the service, but the number of people who claimed so was even higher among those who had used GAMSTOP to stop gambling altogether – 85%. GAMSTOP CEO Fiona Palmer had this to say when commenting on these results:

"We regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the service through comprehensive independent research, and it is gratifying to know that most of our users feel GAMSTOP has helped them significantly reduce gambling-related harm."

Ipsos found other interesting points about the program’s efficacy, including that out of those registered, 75% were no longer part of the online gambling landscape. Another 48% have stopped gambling at all – meaning that they refrain from any and all forms of wagering, be that the lottery, in-person, or on the Internet.

However, the survey also offered a better understanding of what a program such as GAMSTOP can achieve. Many of the interviewees said that GAMSTOP did not in fact help them quench the "urge to gamble," but rather introduced a reliable way to stop themselves from gambling.

GAMSTOP users feel protected from the harms of gambling

Asked if they felt safer, 72% of interviewees responded in the affirmative. According to Ipsos, there are areas for improvement in the way GAMSTOP runs things, to further enhance its effectiveness.

For one, GAMSTOP might benefit from staying in touch with people on the exclusion list, and once they get off it, along with offering lifetime or longer exclusions from gambling. GAMSTOP could also tap into social media and leverage advertisement to make its product better known to people.

All in all, Ipsos finds GAMSTOP to be an effective tool. "The evaluation has established that GAMSTOP is an effective tool for reducing gambling-related harm for individuals seeking to exclude themselves from online gambling operators," the report concluded.

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