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Record sign-ups in 2021 push GAMSTOP registrants beyond 200,000

Published

5 years ago

April 6, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

GAMSTOP recorded its highest ever day for registrations in February 2021
An average of 5,500 people per month have registered since launch in April 2018
96% keep self-exclusion in place once the initial exclusion period has expired

More than 200,000 people are now registered with GAMSTOP, the free, independent national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, after a spike in numbers during lockdown.

Registrations in February 2021 increased 21% year-on-year, with nearly 6,500 people choosing to exclude themselves from all UK-licensed sites, which followed a 14% year-on-year increase in January when more than 7,000 people registered. There were 326 registrations on February 22^nd, the highest daily figure recorded in GAMSTOP’s history.

The 200,000 landmark, which was not expected to be reached until later in the year, coincides with the first anniversary of a shake-up in the self-exclusion system. From March 31^st last year it became a licensing requirement for all online operators to be registered with GAMSTOP.

According to the Gambling Commission, the total number of online bets rose by 12% from November to December 2020, and the trend towards more online gambling may be leading to more vulnerable individuals choosing to exclude themselves from all sites.

In January 2021, 49,328 GAMSTOP-excluded individuals out of a possible 177,038 attempted to gamble and were successfully blocked by the scheme. While this demonstrates the effectiveness of GAMSTOP, it also highlights that self-exclusion is not a silver bullet for those with a gambling addiction, who should always seek treatment alongside blocks they have in place.

GAMSTOP advocates a layered approach to tackling problem gambling and is collaborating with GamCare and Gamban on the TalkBanStop campaign, which promotes the use of a range of practical tools and support via The National Gambling Helpline.

Registration with GAMSTOP is free, with people asked to fill in personal details and select an exclusion period of six months, one year or five years. More than 120,000 of those who have registered chose to put in place a five-year exclusion, the longest term possible.

GAMSTOP was launched in April 2018 and, of those who chose shorter self-exclusion periods, and therefore became eligible to remove themselves from the scheme from October 2018 onwards, 96% left the exclusion in place. Since that date, 15,400 have removed their exclusion only to reinstate it.

Recently, the number of women registered with GAMSTOP surpassed 50,000, and the gender split on the scheme is 71% male, 29% female. 18-34 year-olds are the most prolific age group using GAMSTOP, accounting for 59% of all registrants.

Fiona Palmer, CEO of GAMSTOP, said: “We’re pleased that GAMSTOP is serving as an effective safety net, providing crucial breathing space to those who are struggling with their gambling. With the rate of registrants continuing to rise, I would urge anybody putting self-exclusion from online gambling in place through GAMSTOP to also seek treatment. Awareness around self-exclusion schemes and blocking software has been increasing throughout the last year, and it is important that we continue to spread the message about what help is available to those who need it most.”

Matt Blanks, 35, is a recovering gambling addict who registered with GAMSTOP after his addiction led to him trying to take his own life. He now uses his experience to help other suffering with the addiction.

He said: “Signing up to GAMSTOP was a massive relief to me. I had previously had to self-exclude with each individual operator, and would simply move onto the next site who I hadn’t self-excluded from. It was like a game of whack-a-mole, and I kept relapsing. GAMSTOP helped me self-exclude from all online gambling sites in one go, giving me space to clear my head, seek support and kickstart my recovery journey.”

Danny Gordon Head of Studio at DEGEN Studios

DEGEN Studios unleashes the Plague City chase

Published

22 minutes ago

July 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

degen-studios-unleashes-the-plague-city-chase

DEGEN Studios has launched Plague City, a Scatter Pays slot built around visible progression, escalating features and a 10,000x max win chase. Every winning combination spreads infection across the reels, creating bigger setups as players build towards Plague Wave Respins, Plague Breakout Free Spins and Super Free Spins.

During the base game, any position that forms part of a winning combination becomes infected, and as wins and cascades continue, the outbreak can spread across more of the reels.

A Med Kit should stop the outbreak. In Plague City, it starts the next stage. Landing a Med Kit while infected positions are active triggers Plague Wave Respins, where infected positions remain active, Wilds become sticky with multipliers, and Respins continue until every infected position has been healed or no further wins occur.

Every Sticky Wild begins with three lives. Each winning cascade reduces a Wild’s life by one, while every newly landed Wild increases the multiplier value of all active Wilds, allowing multiplier chains to continue growing throughout the feature.

The chase escalates further in Plague Breakout Free Spins. Triggered by four, five or six Scatters, every Free Spins feature begins with eight Free Spins. Scatter symbols are replaced by Vaccines, which award retriggers and upgrade the Starting Wild Multiplier, allowing future Wilds to land with increasingly higher multiplier values.

Land six Scatters and the outbreak reaches Super Free Spins, where every newly landed Wild increases the multiplier value of all active Wilds by +2x. From there, the max win chase becomes a race to collect Vaccines, extend the feature and continue landing new Wilds as multiplier chains grow towards 10,000x the bet.

For players looking to accelerate the chase, Buy Bonus and Activate options offer direct entry into Plague Breakout Free Spins, Mystery Buy, or boosted chances of triggering both Free Spins and Plague Wave Respins.

Danny Gordon, Head of Studio at DEGEN Studios, said: “At DEGEN, we’re obsessed with building gameplay that players can actually follow. In Plague City, every mechanic has a purpose. The infection spreads, Vaccines extend the feature, Wild multipliers continue growing and every step brings the max win chase closer.”

The post DEGEN Studios unleashes the Plague City chase appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AccaMAX

Hub88 adds AccaMAX slots and crash games to its aggregation platform

Published

22 minutes ago

July 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

hub88-adds-accamax-slots-and-crash-games-to-its-aggregation-platform

SlotsMAX and CrashMAX titles roll out via one-click access for Hub88’s operator partners, alongside tiered progressive jackpots.

Hub88 has signed a content distribution deal with AccaMAX to add the studio’s slots and crash portfolio to its aggregation platform, making the content available to Hub88’s operator partners via one-click access.

Under the agreement, AccaMAX’s catalogue will be delivered through Hub88, including the provider’s SlotsMAX and CrashMAX collections. The companies said the integration will also include AccaMAX’s four-tier progressive jackpot network.

Hub88 said AccaMAX’s titles are tested for “fairness, performance and regulatory compliance across all major jurisdictions,” positioning the content for multi-market operator rollouts.

Ollie Castleman, Managing Director at Hub88, said: “AccaMAX has been making waves over the last year, since the launch of its SlotsMAX library in 2025. With a broad range of themes and a highly motivating jackpot system, the supplier is a welcome addition to our platform. We are excited to deliver their portfolio and see what other surprises await in their roadmap this year.”

Christo Bezuidenhout, CPO at AccaMAX, said: “Partnering with Hub88 means operators can enable our entire product offering in a single step, with none of the usual integration overhead. Every title we ship is crafted for entertainment value and tested for compliance across major markets, and this partnership puts that quality in front of operators worldwide. We’d encourage anyone already on the Hub88 network to switch us on and see the difference for their players.”

The post Hub88 adds AccaMAX slots and crash games to its aggregation platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

Gaming Corps expands Entain deal with Ontario live and Alberta launch planned

Published

22 minutes ago

July 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

gaming-corps-expands-entain-deal-with-ontario-live-and-alberta-launch-planned

Supplier content is already live on BetMGM in Ontario, with Party Casino & Sports Interaction lined up ahead of Alberta’s July iGaming opening.

Gaming Corps has expanded its partnership with Entain, extending distribution of its casino content across more Entain brands and markets, with Canada positioned as a key near-term focus.

The supplier went live with Entain’s joint venture BetMGM in Ontario in December 2025, followed by a wider Entain rollout in the province in March 2026. Gaming Corps and Entain are also preparing for Alberta’s regulated iGaming market opening in July, with Gaming Corps content “ready to go live from day one with BetMGM” and Party Casino & Sports Interaction to follow.

Outside Canada, Gaming Corps said it completed a full content launch in Brazil with Sportingbet and Betboo in May, and launched 3 Pigs of Olympus exclusively across Entain’s UK-facing Ladbrokes, Coral Gala and Foxy brands in June. The company also said additional launches are being prepared for Portugal, Spain and New Zealand.

The latest phase includes football-themed titles such as Penalty Champion, Goals to Glory: Football Fever and Goals to Glory: Instant Blitz, alongside the supplier’s 3 Pigs IP. Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “For Gaming Corps, this is a huge milestone. Entain is one of the biggest names in global gaming, so to see our relationship grow in this way is a clear sign of the trust, performance and commercial value we have built together.

“What makes this particularly exciting is the scale of the opportunity. This is not a single-brand launch or a one-market rollout. Entain is continuing to take Gaming Corps content into more territories, across more of its brands, and that says a lot about where we are as a business.

“We have worked hard to build a portfolio that gives major operators real flexibility, from high-performing IP to timely, event-led content and new game formats. To see that strategy being recognised by a partner of Entain’s calibre is incredibly rewarding, and we are very excited about what comes next.”

Obdulio Bacarese, Global Gaming Director at Entain, added: “Gaming Corps has been a valuable partner over the last four years. The strength of the relationship lies in how easily the content can be activated around different commercial priorities, from supporting new market entries to adding timely releases around key calendar moments. The studio understands the need for content that is flexible, relevant and easy to position locally, and we are pleased to continue building on the partnership.”

The post Gaming Corps expands Entain deal with Ontario live and Alberta launch planned appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.