What Are Online Casinos Not On Gamstop?
Whether you enjoy the buzz of online bingo, the thrill of classic table games or the rush of rolling reels, online casinos are a great way to experience the fun and excitement of a real bricks and mortar venue from the comfort of your own home.
Offering a huge selection of games, promotions and tournaments to suit customers on all types of budget, if you’re a UK-based player, you’re really spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding on the best place for you to enjoy your online casino kicks.
However, with such easy access to instant-play games where money can be lost just as easily as it’s won, UK-licensed online casinos have a definite responsibility to protect their customers from the dangers of problem gambling – and that’s where the UK non-profit organisation, Gamstop, comes in.
About Gamstop
Originally launched as an optional scheme that enabled players with concerns about their online gambling to self-exclude from all UK-based casino sites, Gamstop has since become a cornerstone of the industry and is now a mandatory requirement for companies who wish to obtain a UKGC license.
How Gamstop Works:
- All UKGC-licensed online casinos are signed up to the Gamstop scheme
- Players register personal details such as name and email address with Gamstop
- If they grow concerned about their online gambling, players can opt to restrict their access
- Players choose to voluntarily self-exclude for a period between six months and five years
- Once self-exclusion is activated, players cannot access any casino signed up to Gamstop
As you can see, Gamstop offers comprehensive protection to players who wish to restrict their access to UK-based online casinos. Once activated, not only will they be blocked from participating sites for the duration of their self-exclusion, but they’ll also stop receiving all offers and promotions.
While this has rightfully been celebrated as a big step in the fight against problem gambling, the scheme is not without its critics. For one, the self-exclusion periods are overly long and do not guarantee re-activation of your account once they have expired. There’s also the fact that anyone with a few of your personal details can activate self-exclusion, taking the choice out of your hands.
What Are Online Casinos Not On Gamstop?
In response to these issues with the scheme, recently there has been a sharp rise in the number of casinos not on Gamstop that are offering their services to UK-based players. However, before we take a closer look at the sites not covered by Gamstop, we need to first understand what this means.
There is something of a misunderstanding that online casinos not under Gamstop are somehow unsafe, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Remember, being enrolled with Gamstop is a requirement of getting a UKGC-license, but it doesn’t prevent a site from being licensed elsewhere.
Indeed, any online casino without Gamstop is still required to hold a gambling license to ensure the safety and fairness of the service it provides. Typically, these licenses will be issued by overseas territories such as Curacao and Gibraltar, who also have strict rules that their casinos must follow.
With this in mind, as long as you do your research and stick to reputable, tried and tested non-Gamstop casinos like the ones recommended on this site, you can play safe in the knowledge that your funds and personal details are secure and that all games are independently tested for fairness.
Non-Gamstop Casinos At A Glance
- Are not licensed by the UKGC and therefore not required to participate in Gamstop
- Instead hold licenses issued by overseas territories such as Curacao, Malta or Gibraltar
- Not all non-Gamstop casinos offer their services to UK players, but the vast majority do
- Remain accessible to players who signed up to Gamstop, even if they are self-excluding
- Maintain high security standards by using SSL encryption and audit games for fairness
What Are The Main Differences Between Gamstop and non-Gamstop Casinos?
Now that you have a better understanding of what casinos not on Gamstop actually are, let’s take a look at how they compare to the average UKGC-licensed Gamstop casino. The following table will highlight some of the key differences that players looking to choose a casino site should be aware of:
Gamstop Casinos | Non-Gamstop Casinos | |
Licensing: | Hold a UKGC license issued by the British Gambling Commission. | Hold a license issued elsewhere, such as a Curacao Egaming license. |
Problem Gambling Protection: | Signed up to the Gamstop program and offer voluntary self-exclusion service lasting a minimum of six months. | Not signed up to the Gamstop program, but usually offer voluntary self-exclusion on request from the customer. |
Site Security: | Typically feature 128-bit SSL encryption to protect payment details and other sensitive information. All games are independently tested for fairness by a third-party auditor. | Feature the same security measures as a typical Gamstop casino, including 128-bit SSL encryption and independently audited games that have been verified fair and random. |
Games: | Offer slots, table games and live casino titles supplied by the industry’s biggest software providers. Some casinos may also offer bingo, poker and sports book. | Offer slots, table games, live casino titles and more from many of the industry’s biggest software providers, though brands like Microgaming do not feature. |
Payment Methods: | Accept major credit/debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, eWallets like PayPal, Neteller and Skrill, pay by phone service Boku and direct bank transfer. | Often accept American Express in addition to Visa and Mastercard, but do not offer PayPal payment. Many sites accept payment in cryptocurrency. |
As you can see, both Gamstop and non-Gamstop casinos have their advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to preventing problem gambling, there’s no doubt Gamstop casinos have the edge in the services they provide and they also feature games from a wider selection of software providers.
On the other hand, the UKGC regulations limit the size and type of bonuses that they can offer, meaning you’ll often find more bang for your buck at a non-Gamstop casino. On top of that, non-Gamstop casinos are generally newer and, as such, are more accepting of cryptocurrency payments.
When it comes to site security and the fairness of games on offer, Gamstop and non-Gamstop casinos are actually pretty comparable, meaning that as long as you’re playing at a non-Gamstop casino that’s licensed by a reputable jurisdiction like Curacao, there’s nothing you need worry about.
What Gambling Sites Are Not On Gamstop?
So, now that we know how sites not covered by Gamstop stack up against “regular” UKGC-licensed online casinos, let’s take a look at some of the best non-Gamstop casinos to play at and the types of game they offer, including some new online casinos not on Gamstop you might be unfamiliar with.
FAQs
Is it safe to play at online casinos?
Yes. Whether you’re playing at UKGC-licensed Gamstop casino or an off-shore licensed non-Gamstop casino, you can do so safe in the knowledge that in order to gain their respective certification, they will have had to pass numerous checks to prove the safety of their site and fairness of their games.
Are non-licensed casinos that accept UK players safe?
Playing at a non-licensed online casino is always a risk, no matter what country you’re accessing it from. Without a license, players have no assurances over the safety of their funds and personal details and you are therefore far better off sticking to the sites that have been tried and tested by us.
Can I win money playing casino games not on Gamstop?
While taxes on gambling winnings vary from country to country, in the UK online casino games are not considered to be games of skill and are therefore exempt from any form of tax. If you are accessing an off-shore non-Gamstop casino from the UK, you won’t be taxed on any profit you make.
Is Curacao a serious gambling jurisdiction?
Yes. Curacao is a long-standing and highly respected provider of igaming licenses and any casino displaying a Curacao Egaming license will have been subject to a number of strict security checks.
Hello, I’m Kit Brown, a seasoned online gambling expert with over a decade of experience in poker, casino and sports betting. With a 1st Class Honours degree in Sport Journalism from 2006, my work has been published in top industry publications such as Poker Player, Bluff Europe, Gambling Online Magazine and Gambling Insider.
I recently returned from a four-year stint as a Senior Copywriter and Copy Team Lead at Entain, where I led the production of written content for renowned brands like bwin, PartyCasino, and Sportingbet. My extensive experience writing for and about the biggest names in online gambling gives me a unique perspective on the industry. I look forward to sharing my insights with readers on NonStopCasinos.com.
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