Apparently, the UKGC is not lenient in punishing gambling sites which haven’t integrated GamStop! In November 2022, the UKGC suspended Lebom's licence because it was known to the UKGC that the company had not yet integrated GamStop. Which means that self excluded players can use the products of the company and its apps without any barrier.
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Last updated: December 2024
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This is the first time a company's licence has been suspended due to its failure to adopt GamStop. However, Lebom acted quickly. In just five days, the company posted an apology for its delay in integrating GamStop. Announced that it was now part of Britain's national self exclusion scheme. And finally had the licence suspension lifted.
In fact, the company did it right and at the right time as a further slowdown in integrating GamStop. Would have resulted in the licence being permanently removed. The company's bank accounts frozen, no more players accepted, and its servers based in Britain being taken down!
Certainly, the series of these decisions would have caused the company to lose its presence in the British market and its reputation. However, Lebom's management acted swiftly in compliance with the rules a few days after its licence was suspended and is now able to resume its services to all British gamblers.
What is GamStop?
GamStop was created in 2016 by the Remote Trading Association (RGA) to help gambling addicts end their losses and control their behaviour by forcing them to stop playing.
Initially, joining this scheme was voluntary for gambling service providers. However, since it was “optional” very few gambling sites supported it so it was practically useless! For the purpose of GamStop to be fulfilled, it must be supported by all gambling sites. And therefore when a problematic gambler wants to resume playing during his self-exclusion period, he will not find any site that welcomes him. So, he ends up sticking to his decision.
To preserve GamStop's purpose, the UK gambling regulator has made GameStop integration mandatory for all licenced gambling platforms including online casinos, sports betting not on gamstop sites, bingo, poker and fantasy sports platforms. As of this writing, there are more than 140 companies involved in the GameStop scheme.
Why Was Lebom's Licence Suspended?
Lebom started its work on July 12, 2019, and is specialized in providing betting exchange services to users via smartphone apps. Throughout its existence, the company has not engaged in money laundering, defrauding players, or violating any other licensing rules. The only thing that caused Lebom's licence to be suspended was its delay in integrating GamStop after the British Gambling Commission decided that merging this scheme was mandatory for all operators in the UK market. However, the company's licence suspension only lasted five days as they quickly integrated GamStop.
The Role of the UKGC in protecting gamblers
The role of the British Gambling Commission is not limited to issuing gambling licences. And receiving fees only, as it has a supervisory role on the operators of gambling services to ensure that they provide fair and harmless services to their customers.
The UKGC can impose fines and revoke licences. In addition, this committee is charged with investigating forms of illegal gambling and prosecuting its organizers.
Over the past years, the gambling industry has grown exponentially with its market value tripling. And this exponential growth has come with many regulatory challenges. However, the UKGC has proven that it is not ready to make any compromises when it comes to enforcing the country's gambling legislation and protecting gamblers' rights.
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