Self-exclusions
Request
In relation to each of the 2022 calendar year please answer the following questions:
- How many applications were made to gambling organisations by individuals to be “self-excluded”? How many distinct people does this represent?
- Fore each year please provide a top 10 showing the ten organisations that issued the most self-exclusions in that year? Please provide the name of the organisation and the number of self-exclusions in that year?
- How many attempts were made by people who were self-excluded to try to bet again?
- How many self-exclusion bans were lifted by the gambling organisation at the request of the person who had been self-excluded?
Response
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
The Gambling Commission responses to your enquiries are as follows:
- How many applications were made to gambling organisations by individuals to be “self-excluded”? How many distinct people does this represent?
We are unable to provide the number of distinct individuals who wanted to Self-Exclude from gambling organisations, due to the way in which operators submit this information to the Commission.
Operators are required to provide information regarding the total number of self-exclusions made during the regulatory return reporting period.
In 2022 the number was 3,419,784.
- For each year please provide a top 10 showing the ten organisations that issued the most self-exclusions in that year? Please provide the name of the organisation and the number of self-exclusions in that year?
Top 10 licensed entities by number of self-exclusions for 2022:
Operator Self-Exclusions 2022 PPB Counterparty Services Limited 361,423 PPB Entertainment Limited 353,069 PPB Games Limited 336,108 Bonne Terre Limited 225,354 Gamesys Operations Limited 198,563 PPB GE Limited 194,101 TSE Malta LP 162,188 Betfair Casino Limited 150,999 Grand Battery Holdings Limited 114,658 Genesis Global Limited 77,881
- How many attempts were made by people who were self-excluded to try to bet again?
There were 514,182 breaches of self-exclusion in 2022 recorded in regulatory returns. The definition of 'Known breaches of self-exclusion' that is collected through our regulatory returns is as follows: "Record the number of times you know a player has breached their self-exclusion agreement. A player breaches their self-exclusion when they attempt to gain access to your facilities, attempt to gamble (for example, attempt to use an internet betting account following self-exclusion), or actually gambles. It is not limited to an attempt to gamble, and includes attempts to enter premises or access online gambling facilities. This must not include restrictions made on individual products or timeouts. This should include any breaches of either your own self-exclusion scheme or a multi-operator scheme." Therefore, this figure would include any attempts to gamble or enter the premises as well as successfully gambling.
- How many self-exclusion bans were lifted by the gambling organisation at the request of the person who had been self-excluded?
There were 651,563 instances of opting to return following self-exclusion in 2022.
When reviewing this information, the following factors should be taken into consideration:
Self-exclusion data is provided to us by gambling operators via their Regulatory Returns. Some operators are part of a larger parent company and may submit self-exclusion figures for the whole parent company on their return, however we are unable to determine whether the figures reported are for the individual operator or for the parent company as a whole.
To align with previous reporting, we have removed the data where it appears to be duplicated.
Furthermore, where a single individual self-excludes from multiple operators they will be counted as an individual self-exclusion for each operator, therefore this data cannot be used to assimilate the total number of self-excluded individuals.
‘Breaches of Self-Exclusion’ and ‘Opting to return following Self-Exclusion' figures also relate to numbers of occasions and not individuals.
Review of the decision
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email.
Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.
If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission.
The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP