Did you have a gambling problem in the past? If so, you may have self-excluded using GamStop to prevent yourself from falling back into bad habits. But maybe now you have better impulse control and more balance to your life. You feel ready to return to gambling, but your self-exclusion period is not over. In this article, we will introduce you to a few ways to get around GamStop.
Here are a Few Ways to Bypass GamStop
1. Sign up at an offshore casino.
As you are probably aware, the UK Gambling Commission requires that if a casino has a license from the UKGC, it must participate in GamStop. This has been the law since 2020. Thankfully, casinos that are not on GamStop available in the UK do exist. In fact, quite a few offshore options are out there, many of which offer large selections of games and exciting bonuses. So, there are many attractive opportunities to gamble with real money even after GamStop self-excluding.
2. Play at a crypto casino.
Another option for playing with real money following self-exclusion is to sign up at a crypto casino. You might even be able to find one that does not require identify verification.
3. Play free casino games.
If it is just the experience of the games themselves that you miss rather than the opportunity to gain or lose money from them, you could switch for a while to playing free casino games. You could even play games in demo mode on your favourite UK casino site. In fact, you might not even need to make an account to get started.
4. Try social casino games.
Another option that is also free is to play social casino games. You can find these on social networks. They do not let you play for real money, and technically, they do not work like real casino games either (they are programmed differently). But for many people, they offer a fun way to imitate the casino experience and pass some time.
5. Play casino games in video games.
Do you enjoy playing video games? These days, the worlds of casino games and video games are overlapping more than ever. So, you might want to think about trying to play casino games in video games instead of in traditional real world casinos.
In most cases, you will not be playing with or for real money. The Red Dead Redemption games, for example, let you play for in-game money. But there are some exceptions. For instance, take the Diamond Casino in GTA Online. You can use your real cash to buy in-game chips to play with. But you can only win in-game currency (you cannot exchange it for real life money).
6. Gamble offline.
Above, we have focused on recommending online or virtual options for playing casino games when you are looking for ways to get around GamStop. But do not forget that you have another option as well, which is simply to gamble offline. You can either play at offline casinos or you can look for slots at local pubs.
What You Shouldn’t Do: Break the Rules
Now you have some ideas that can help you to gamble even when you are still in your GamStop self-exclusion period. But let’s talk momentarily about what you don’t want to do to get around self-exclusion.
Some sites recommend that you do things that break the terms and conditions at UK casino sites. For instance, they might suggest you open a second account, but under the name of somebody else. Other recommendations might involve the use of VPNs.
We suggest that you steer clear of these suggestions. If you break the term and conditions of an online casino, they eventually will catch onto what you are doing. When they do, they will probably give you a permanent ban. You do not want to burn bridges like this. Eventually your self-exclusion will expire. When it does, you want your favourite UK casinos to be waiting to welcome you back.
As one more aside regarding things to avoid, you should not return to gambling just yet if you still are engaging in unhealthy behaviours. Make sure your problem is truly behind you before you play again.
Summary
Self-exclusion can be very helpful when you are struggling to overcome problem gambling. But if you are now at the point where you feel you can gamble in a healthy and responsible way again, it can be tedious knowing you have months or years of self-exclusion ahead of you.
Thankfully, you can see that a number of workarounds are available. Some involve gambling with real money while others do not. But all can provide you with a rewarding way to spend your time doing what you enjoy the most. So, consider gambling in video games, playing social casino games, or opening an account at an offshore real casino that accepts UK customers.