New data from GamStop, the UK’s national self-exclusion scheme, shows a 16 percent rise in sign-ups during the first half of the year, with more people turning to the self-exclusion tool to help manage their problem gambling.
The sharpest growth came from the under 25 cohort, who registered at a rate 26 percent higher than the same period last year.
Under 25s now represent the single largest group of new sign-ups.
GamStop describes this as a mixed signal. Whilst awareness of problem gambling is clearly spreading, so is the number of people who need help.
Harm Management
Younger users tend to favour shorter breaks from gambling, with 38 percent choosing the minimum six-month exclusion option.
Across the wider user base, though, longer-term exclusion remains the norm.
Half of all registered users, 614,738 people, have opted for the maximum five-year exclusion period.
Men made up seven-in-10 new registrations, according to GamStop’s latest figures.
May was a particularly active month, with 12,236 new sign-ups – a record for the scheme.
Invaluable
GamStop Group CEO Fiona Palmer said the year-on-year growth reflects how central self-exclusion has become to gambling harm management:
“The fact that self-exclusion has again increased significantly year-on-year shows that users are continuing to find it an invaluable and flexible tool to manage their gambling, particularly younger consumers,” said Palmer.
“Whilst the landscape has changed significantly in recent months, our approach remains the same, which is to work collaboratively across the sector, emphasising the importance of layering tools and support, to enhance recovery for those experiencing harm.”
Building Trend
This rise in youth registrations is not a new development.
In the second half of 2025, sign-ups for GamStop among 16–24 year-olds jumped 40 percent, year-on-year. And this age group already accounted for 29 percent of all new registrations at the time.
This is a clear sign that young people are engaging with self-exclusion tools earlier than in the past.
But also a clear indication that gambling is rapidly increasing amongst this group.
Equally of concern is the growth of child gambling in the UK.
The Young People and Gambling Report of 2025 published by the UK Gambling Commission found that of the 3,666 11 to 17 year-olds they interviewed, 30 percent had used their own money in order to gamble.
A further 49 percent had experienced gambling in some way in the previous past twelve months.
“World Cup Effect”
GamStop’s Head of External Affairs, Matt Burgiss, flagged a specific risk: the World Cup.
Major tournaments tend to drive spikes in gambling activity, and Burgiss warned that some fans could find it hard to stop once betting becomes habitual, potentially drifting into higher-risk products like online casino games.
Self-exclusion, he said, offers a safeguard against that slide:
“Self-exclusion gives them the opportunity to take a break from gambling and prevent it from getting out of hand,” said Burgiss.
“From personal experience, I know how easy it is to overlook when gambling becomes more frequent and how quickly it can start to negatively impact you and those around you.”
