How GamStop Users Can Spend Their Time During Self-exclusion

By: Will Wood

Published on:

Woman in Blue Jacket Holding Black Tablet Computer

After gambling online more than you maybe should have, making the decision to suddenly cut back or stop your online gambling will be a tough decision to make. However, you might not have a choice if you and or your loved ones feel your gambling is turning into gambling addiction. 

Since you are reading this information, we feel safe in presuming you might be in that exact situation. Furthermore, we feel safe in assuming you have either registered or are contemplating registering to become part of the GameStop Registry database. If that is the case, you likely realize that your online gambling days in the UK would be over until your voluntary self-exclusion period ends.

Assuming you are willing to accept your fate and not go looking for casinos, not on GamStop which you can easily find on Casino Wise, you are going to have a lot of extra time on your hands. Have you thought about what you are going to do while enduring your GamStop self-exclusion period? 

If not, we would like to offer you some suggestions. These are things other people in your shoes have done to fill the time.

Seek Therapy

If there is evidence that your gambling problems have risen to the point of gambling addiction, you might need to address the source or sources of your addiction. You can do that with therapy and counseling. 

You would need to do this because there is no cure for any addiction. It’s a disease. The best you can hope for is to recognize the depth of your addiction and to develop the coping skills you will need in the future to avoid further problem gambling issues. Most likely, you would never be able to gamble again without reigniting the addiction.

Address Family Issues

During all of the time you have been devoted to your gambling, you have probably been neglecting the people in your life. If that were the case, relationships have probably become strained. 

While enduring your self-exclusion, you have the time you need to reconnect with your loved ones and friends. If there are fences that need mending, you should start working on mending those fences. You can do this by being open, honest, and spending quality time with the people that matter the most.

You will likely find your loved ones are forgiving of your gambling transgressions. Renewed relationships can bring joy and excitement into your life.

Rediscover the Enjoyment Life Has to Offer

When you were gambling, you probably put your life on hold. You might have set aside hobbies and activities you enjoy, avoided taking vacations, and left yourself very little time to just smile, laugh, and enjoy life.

Guess what? You will find you have lots of time available while GamStop keeps you from gambling online. You can use that time to reignite the fires you used to have for life. If you want to take a vacation and go see the sights, you should do that. If you want to play sports and get back into shape, this would be the time to do it. You can also invest time in activities like reading, starting a new business, going back to school, or meeting a new love interest. All of these things are good substitutes for gambling while self-excluded.

Seek Other Gambling Alternatives

There is a chance you don’t really have a gambling problem. Maybe you panicked or were pushed and decided to register with GamStop. If you have had a change of heart and truly believe you can gamble responsibly, you have the right to do that. The problem is you won’t be able to gamble online with GamStop member operators. 

All is not lost. If you want to resume your gambling activities while still under GamStop’s self-exclusion program, you have options. Here are a few for your consideration:

  • Find UK gambling sites that aren’t connected to the GamStop database
  • Take your gambling activities to other online gambling jurisdictions
  • Use Bitcoin as a funding option to avoid disclosing your personal information
  • Open a shared gambling account with a trusted friend or relative
  • Visit your local casinos and sportsbooks for some old fashioned gambling

When your GamStop exclusion expires, you can decide how you want to go forward as an online gambler.