Self Exclusions in 2022 and 2023
Request
In relation to the (a) 2022 and (b) 2023 calendar years 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?
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?
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 can confirm as follows:
In relation to the (a) 2022 and (b) 2023 calendar years 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?
| Year | Total number of self-exclusions |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,594,031 |
| 2023 | 2,549,445 |
*Self-exclusions refer to the number (not individuals) submitted within the reporting period on return(s) with an end date within that calendar year. An individual could have self-excluded from multiple operators (or the same operator twice).
- 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 organisations that issued the most self-exclusions in 2023:
| Name | Number of self-exclusions |
|---|---|
| PPB Entertainment Limited | 256,694 |
| Gamesys Operations Limited | 191,789 |
| Broadway Gaming Ireland DF Limited | 177,630 |
| Bonne Terre Limited | 164,013 |
| PPB GE Limited | 138,292 |
| WHG (International) Limited | 128,212 |
| Betfair Casino Limited | 118,402 |
| Stars Interactive Limited | 96,313 |
| Rank Interactive (Gibraltar) Limited | 89,012 |
| AG Communications Limited | 86,432 |
Top 10 organisations that issued the most self-exclusions in 2022:
| Name | Number of self-exclusions |
|---|---|
| PPB Entertainment Limited | 353,069 |
| Bonne Terre Limited | 225,354 |
| Gamesys Operations Limited | 198,563 |
| PPB GE Limited | 194,101 |
| Betfair Casino Limited | 150,999 |
| Broadway Gaming Ireland DF Limited | 114,658 |
| Genesis Global Limited | 77,881 |
| Stars Interactive Limited | 67,895 |
| LC International Limited | 57,967 |
| AG Communications Limited | 57,947 |
**Some operators are part of a larger parent company. Where this is the case it cannot be determined whether the figures reported are for the individual operator or the parent company as a whole. Every effort has been made to remove any duplication.
- How many attempts were made by people who were self-excluded to try to bet again?***
| Year | Total known breaches of self-exclusions |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 519,500 |
| 2023 | 635,055 |
***These figures relate to incidences rather than individuals e.g. if one person breached ten times it would add ten to the total. These figures should not be directly compared to the figures in Q1 as operators will be administering more self-exclusions than those made in the year.
- How many self-exclusion bans were lifted by the gambling organisation at the request of the person who had been self-excluded?
| Year | Total SE individuals opting to return to gambling |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 368,720 |
| 2023 | 332,767 |
Self-excluded customers can choose to return to gambling following the completion of their chosen length of self-exclusion. For the reporting period of the regulatory return, operators should record the number of individuals who have chosen to return to gambling once their self-exclusion period has ended. Please note that the opting to return to gambling has now been taken off the regulatory returns and therefore it will not be available moving forwards.
Further information on what we collect and how can be found here: Regulatory returns guidance (gamblingcommission.gov.uk).
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.
It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.
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