Do VPNs Help You Get Around GamStop Casino Exclusions?

Casino

Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun

 

VPNs have multiple uses and many people understand what they bring to a browsing experience. There’s a newfound sense of protection from installing and activating a VPN as it protects your data and blurs your browsing activity from third parties. Alongside the obvious security benefits, lots of people use VPN software to get around geo-restrictions and access content that’s normally banned in their countries.

 

On that note, there’s been considerable talk in the online community about using VPNs to access online casinos while on GamStop in the UK. Is this possible – or are VPNs effectively pointless at getting around the national self-exclusion scheme? 

What Is The Point Of GamStop?

Let’s take you through a brief history of GamStop to set the scene and explain a little bit about what the scheme is and why it was set up. GamStop was initially proposed and established in 2017 with a board appointed in September of that year. It wasn’t until April 2018 that the scheme officially launched and people in the UK could use it. 

 

What’s the purpose of this scheme? 

It’s a national self-exclusion register that automatically bans anyone on the scheme from accessing hundreds of casinos in the United Kingdom. On the 31st March 2020, a new licence condition was brought in forcing all operators in Britain to register with GamStop. Therefore, anyone now on the scheme is blocked from joining or logging into every UK-licensed casino. 

People registered with GamStop can set a minimum exclusion length of 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. Once active, this exclusion will run until the minimum period ends and cannot be cancelled. It aims to force struggling punters to avoid betting at casinos or on sports , helping them get out of bad gambling habits and achieve a healthier relationship with this activity. 

Does GamStop work?

That depends on who you ask. Many ex-gamblers in the GamCare forums state that it saved their lives and helped them recover from serious gambling issues. Others believe it’s too strict and only encourages worse betting habits. 

Regardless, the scheme exists to stop people from using online casinos – and that’s why many punters are wondering if a VPN works to get around this. 

VPNs Aren’t Necessary To Get Around GamStop

The theory behind using a VPN is this: it lets you pretend you’re in a different location, therefore tricking gambling sites into thinking you’re a different person and letting you join their platforms. 

 

Unfortunately, this will not work with GamStop . 

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GamStop blocks you based on your personal information – you can pretend to be from anywhere you want, but you’ll need to prove your identity before joining any casinos in the UK, so a VPN is pointless. 

 

Instead, you can get around your self-exclusion by joining casinos that aren’t registered with the scheme. NonGamStopOdds has a list of non-GamStop casinos UK for anyone to check out and join. All of these sites are located outside the UK Gambling Commission’s jurisdiction, so they don’t adhere to the licensing rules and won’t need to be part of the GamStop programme. 

 

Better yet, the platforms accept UK patrons and aren’t geo-blocked, so you can access them and log in from your British PC or mobile devices. No VPN will be needed! 

Why You Might Use A VPN For Online Gambling

As we’ve established, downloading and installing a VPN isn’t needed when you’re gambling online – especially if your goal is to avoid GamStop restrictions. With that being said, you may wish to activate a VPN for either of the following reasons: 

• Access geo-blocked sites – While the majority of casinos not on GamStop are not blocked for UK punters, you will find hundreds of sites around the world that have restrictions in place. These casinos are technically not linked to the GamStop scheme either and may offer great bonuses or unique games you can’t find anywhere else. For that reason, it could be worth using a VPN to access these sites. Again, it’s by no means essential but some people may wish to do it just to check out a few new foreign websites. 

• Gain additional protection – A significant advantage of using VPNs is the additional security they provide. A product like NordVPN can use encryption technology to protect you from various cyberattacks. These are more common on gambling sites than normal sites because these platforms contain lots of personal and financial data. Having the protection of a VPN can make you feel more assured.

  Furthermore, some VPNs have more security layers and will scan websites before they load up. They’ll tell you if a site seems dangerous, which can be handy when you’re navigating platforms from around the world. 

 

One Final Word On VPNs & Online Gambling

We’re about to conclude this piece, but we’ll slip one final point in about VPNs and online casino gambling. Some casinos will NOT allow VPNs on their platforms. They detect when you’re using one and will block the site from loading up. Even if you’re not trying to pretend you’re in a different country, they just don’t seem to like VPNs that much. 

 

If you use a VPN and a site won’t load, try turning it off and see if that helps! 

 

To conclude, VPNs don’t technically help you get around GamStop self-exclusion restrictions. They’re unnecessary as this scheme bans you from UK-based websites and takes down your personal details. The only way around the scheme is by joining sites outside the UK – which can usually be done without relying on a VPN at all. Use one if you want, but it will not be a necessity!