Fact Check: Player Bans in a Global Comparison

Self-exclusion register as a last resort

The Gross gaming revenue in the regulated online gambling market in India amounted to EUR 1.2 billion in 2024. This amount is primarily made up of sports betting, lotteries and virtual slot games. The sum shows that gambling is a billion-dollar sector.

The statistics shows show the enormous amounts of money being spent in the regulated gambling market in India. © Statista

But what happens when players can no longer control their gaming behavior at some point? When gaming takes over? In India and many other countries, those affected in such situations have the opportunity to register in so-called self-blocking registers.

With an entry in the database, it is no longer possible to take part in any form of gambling, because the bans apply to both online and stationary gambling. In recent years, self-exclusion registers have been successfully introduced not only in India, but also in Great Britain and Australia.

To take a global look at blocking registers and their effectiveness, we spoke to the authorities in the respective countries. They have provided us with exclusive data from the past few years. On this basis, we will make a global comparison in order to examine self-exclusion registers from all sides.

India: OASIS player ban since 2021

As part of the Gambling State Treaty The player blocking system OASIS (online query of player status) was introduced in India in 2021. All gambling providers with a German license are connected to the blocking file.

If a player wants to play in an online casino or at a bookmaker, the provider first carries out an OASIS query. Players with an entry in the database will then automatically be denied access to gambling. This applies not only to online casinos, but also to stationary casinos and betting offices.

Since its introduction, OASIS has been the state of Hesse, represented by the Darmstadt regional council, responsible. The authority sent us various statistics and data about OASIS, which we evaluated.

Number of total blocks steigt: More than 330,000 entries

The figures provided to us by the Darmstadt regional council show that the number of people in the restricted register is constantly increasingigt. As of November 2025, there were 332,570 people in the OASIS exclusion file. The number of entries has doubled since November 2023.

This graphic shows how the number of total bans has developed:

Since November 2025, more than 300,000 people have been entered in the register for the first time. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

The blocking rate per 100,000 inhabitants in India is 397.81

The total lockdowns should always be viewed in relation to the population of a country in order to be able to better assess them. That's why we calculated the blocking rate per 100,000 inhabitants in India.

There are currently 332,570 people enrolled in the OASIS registry. At a Total population of 83.6 million people This results in a blocking rate of 397.81 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The majority of entries are self-blocking

In the case of problem gambling, players have the opportunity to register themselves in the OASIS ban register. The minimum duration is three months: Players also have the option of being entered in the ban file for longer or even forever.

At the same time, OASIS also offers the possibility of a third-party lock. Concerned relatives can have players entered in the register. The minimum duration is one year.

Figures from 2024 show that the majority of all bans in India are self-bans. At this point in time, 271,400 player bans were active, of which 9,600 were third-party bans:

Around 96% of all OASIS entries are self-blocking. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

People between 18 and 25 are particularly at risk

Figures from 2023 show that people between the ages of 18 and 25 in India are particularly at risk when it comes to problem gambling. In Statista's survey, 4.9% of respondents in this age group said they had a gambling disorder. 2.1% even have a severe gambling disorder.

In comparison, fewer people seem to be affected by problem gambling, especially in older age groups:

Gambling disorders are particularly widespread among younger respondents. © Statista

Another Statistics from 2023 provides information about the gambling behavior of men and women in direct comparison. It found that around 6.1% of male respondents took part in risky forms of gambling in the past 12 months. For women it was 2.3%.

The figures show that gambling seems to be more common among men than among women.

More than 40,000 affiliated locations

According to official figures from the authorities, 40,170 operating sites are currently connected to the OASIS barrier (as of July 4, 2025). These are of various types:

The businesses connected to OASIS include arcades, bookmakers, exhibitors and many others. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

The majority of the connected providers are exhibitors in accordance with Section 33c Paragraph 1 GewO. They are responsible for setting up slot machines . But numerous arcades and bookmakers are also connected to the blocking system.

Interim conclusion on the OASIS blocked register in India

Entries: in India, a total of 332,570 people have an OASIS entry in November 2025. The trend is increasing.
Blocking rate per 100,000 inhabitants: The blocking rate is currently 397,811 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Self-blocking and third-party blocking: 96% of all entries are self-blocking – merely 4% are third-party blocking.
Gender distribution: Young men appear to be at highest risk for problem gambling.
Connected companies: 40,170 business locations in India are connected to OASIS.

Interview: Those affected report success with OASIS

The number of entries in the OASIS lock file is steadily increasing. In order to get an even better picture of the system, we contacted those affected and asked about their experiences with the block. To do this, we turned to various self-help groups in India.

In order to protect the privacy of those affected, we report their answers anonymously.

“OASIS entry as home the big bang came”

When did you start playing and why? I started playing when I was 16 years old. I was/am a football fanatic and several of my friends played without any financial motive. The competition between each other was more interesting.

When did you realize you were an addict? 2021, when the big bang came at home and the sums lost were shown to me.

How long were you banned for? I was banned for life.

Did you register yourself or was it blocked by someone else? I took it into my own hands to get myself banned.

How did self-lockdown help you? At first, when the thoughts of the game were still there, I quickly realized that I couldn't use the option and the thoughts disappeared again in no time.

What do you want regarding OASIS self-locking? That the block cannot be removed so “easily” and that the block option or OASIS is more widely publicized.

“OASIS is not helpful for online gambling”

When did you start playing and why? 2005 as part of professional activity in another city; Went to the casino in the evening out of boredom with little money and left the casino with more money. This is often the start of gambling addiction.

When did you realize you were an addict? Only when your own capital was lost, loans were taken out and this money was also lost.

How did you find out about the self-exclusion? 2021 via media and via group exchange.

How long were you banned for? I have been banned indefinitely.

Did you register yourself or was it blocked by someone else? I initiated the blocking myself.

How did self-lockdown help you? The lockdown was very helpful for stationary offerings.

What do you want regarding OASIS self-locking? OASIS is not at all helpful for people who also play online or have played online. Hundreds of illegal offers available online in German are not connected here and therefore always provide an alternative if you are under pressure. The gaming authority would have to exert much more influence here and start blocking such sites from access.

Great Britain: GAMSTOP since 2018

The self-exclusion register GAMSTOP has been in place in Great Britain since April 1, 2018. All gambling operators with a valid UK license are connected to the registry. So, like OASIS, it applies to online gambling and stationary offers.

GAMSTOP [Link to English] is administered by the UK Gambling Commission. Those responsible have sent us a lot of interesting information, which we will now evaluate.

Number of entries is increasing rapidly

Since GAMSTOP came into force, the blocking register has received a lot of support in Great Britain. At the end of 2024, 530,000 people were entered in the register. This equates to around 1% of the UK adult population. According to a recent study sent to us, almost 600,000 people will have signed up for the registry by mid-2025.

An overview of the past few years shows how rapidly the number of entries has increased:

In 2025, more than 600,000 people will have entered the GAMSTOP register for the first time. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

GAMSTOP has set a new record for 2025. Overall, the number of new registrations increased by 19%. There is a 44% increase in new registrations among 16 to 24 year olds.

April 7, 2025, two days after the Grand National, is said to have been the day with the most registrations. 437 people are said to have registered in the GAMSTOP register that day.

Lockdown rate per 100,000 residents is 862.68

We also calculated the blocking rate per 100,000 inhabitants for Great Britain. A total of 600,000 people are currently registered in the self-exclusion register.

At a Total population of 69.55 million people in the clubIGTen Kingdom the odds are 862.68. The blocking rate in Great Britain is therefore significantly higher than in India.

No external locks possible

At GAMSTOP, players also determine the length of their ban themselves. The options are 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or 5 years with automatic extension. Lifelong bans like in India are therefore not possible. However, a report we have received indicates that lifetime bans are planned.

There are also no external bans: those affected can only have themselves blocked. We do not know whether these will be offered in the future.

What is interesting, however, is the duration of the bans chosen. We also have current figures for the various age groups:

Older people in particular seem to prefer the long lockdowns. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

It turns out that older people seem to prefer the longest ban of 5 years. When it comes to younger players, however, 33% opt for the shortest ban period of just 6 months.

66% of those registered are men

All age groups are roughly equally represented in the GAMSTOP entries. GAMSTOP is used by both young people and older people. However, the percentage distribution could change in the future, as new registrations mainly include younger people under the age of 24.

The GAMSTOP studies also contain detailed information on the demographic characteristics of the people enrolled. In Great Britain, 66% of those registered identify as male and 34% as female.

Official figures show that more men are on the GAMSTOP register. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

Other demographic insights include:

21% of those registered have an annual income between £55,000 and £99,000 (3000 ₹and 10000 ₹).
61% live in households without children.
32% have physical or mental impairments or a disability.
90% of those registered are white. 2% are from Asia, 2% are of mixed ethnicity, and 1% are of African American background.

Reasons for the GAMESTOP entry

The current report from GAMESTOP shows why people entered the blocked register. We have summarized the most important reasons in a graphic:

The reasons for entry in the blocked register appear to be varied. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

The majority of respondents appear to have signed up to stop online gambling and take back control of their lives. Other reasons include high financial losses, recommendations from therapists or relationships with family and friends.

GAMESTOP is primarily known from gambling sites

Another survey sheds light on how British players know about GAMSTOP. It seems like the registry is best known for gambling sites:

The reasons for entry in the blocked register appear to be varied. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

But GAMSTOP also seems to be a topic for those affected in search engines and on social media. Interestingly, only 2% of those registered stated that they were made aware of the self-exclusion register by a therapist or doctor.

Interim conclusion on GAMESTOP in Great Britain

Entries: Around 600,000 people have now registered with GAMESTOP.
Lockdown rate per 100,000 population: The lockdown rate per 100,000 population in the UK is 862.68.
Foreign locks are not yet possible in Great Britain.
Gender distribution: 66% of registered people are male and 34% female.
Reasons for entry: The most common reasons for GAMSTOP entry are regaining control over one's life and the desire to stop online gambling.

Australia: BetStop active since November 2023

The self-exclusion registry in Australia is called BetStop and was launched on August 21, 2023. Gambling addiction is a hotly debated topic in Australia, which is why numerous measures have been implemented in recent years to improve player protection.

Including self-locking BetStop [Link to English]. We take a look at the previous figures for the still young register.

Number of entries

The total number of entries in the BetStop register is 44,841 (as of December 31, 2024). Since the self-lockdown was introduced, the number of registered people has steadily increased:

The number of registrations continues to increase. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

What is particularly noteworthy is that 25,972 people registered immediately between August and November 2023. Since then, the number of new entries has been around 4,500 to 5,000 per quarter. This means that more than 50,000 people could be entered in the register for the first time in 2025.

Entries mainly in rural areas

The current figures from the Australian Communications and Media Authority show which Australian states those registered come from. We illustrate the numbers in a graphic:

The most populous states have the most registrations. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

Most registrations take place in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. These are the three states with the most inhabitants, which is why the high number of entries should come as no surprise.

The three states are primarily rural and many residents work in mining, agriculture or fishing.

Lockdown rate per 100,000 residents is 166.26

Australia currently counts one Population of 26.97 million people. 44,841 of them have a BetStop entry. This results in a blocking rate per 100,000 inhabitants of 166.26.

This value is significantly lower than in India or Great Britain. However, it should be taken into accountigt that BetStop was only introduced almost two years ago.

Big differences in the duration of the ban

At BetStop, problem players have the opportunity to be blocked for a certain period of time. This can range from three months to a lifetime. Current figures show how those registered decide:

Lifetime and 3 months to 2 years are particularly frequently chosen. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

The most common way for players in Australia to be banned from gambling is for life or for three months to two years. These figures are interesting in that they differ significantly from those from the UK.

Most of those registered are under 30 years old

The Australian authorities regularly collect figures on the age structure of the people in the BetStop register. These show that younger people in particular are excluded from gambling:

BetStop seems to be particularly helpful for younger players. © OnlineCasinosGermany/Office

It is therefore mainly young people under 30 who use BetStop. But 31 to 40 year olds also make up a large proportion of those registered.

Interim conclusion on BetStop from Australia

Entries: Since its launch two years ago, 44,841 people have signed up to the BetStop registry.
Lockdown rate per 100,000 population: The lockdown rate per 100,000 population in Australia is 166.26.
Foreign locks are not possible in Australia or Great Britain.
Age structure: People under 30 make up the majority of those registered.
Most registrants can be banned for life or for three months to two years.

Evaluation: Global comparison of self-exclusion registers

After looking at the details of the self-exclusion registers from India, the UK and Australia, we only make a global comparison. To do this, we compare the data obtained and evaluate it.

Blocking rate in Great Britain is particularly high

If we compare the data collected, we can see that the blocking register in Great Britain has by far the most registrations:

The lockdown rate per 100,000 inhabitants is also the highest in Great Britain:

These numbers are likely due to the fact that GAMSTOP has been available since 2018 and is therefore the oldest of the three blocking registers. The longer ban registers exist, the more well-known they seem to become and the more people are able to exclude themselves from gambling.

Foreign locks only in India possible

In this article we came across that the third-party lock is currently only offered in India. This possibility does not exist in Australia and England.

In India, however, the option of external blocking seems to be used very little: Merely 4% of the blocks are external blocking. Although this number may seem small, at least a small proportion of those registered were helped by the ban and it could have played an important part in combating addiction.

Accordingly, foreign bans could also be helpful options in other countries.

Clear trend in age and gender

This article has shown a clear trend in the age and gender of people using blocked registersigt. Younger people in particular appear to be at high risk for problematic gambling behavior.

Globally, it is primarily people under the age of 30 who enter blocked registers. This trend seems to be continuing, as in Great Britain, for example, the rate of young registrants is extremely high. The figures from other countries also confirm this trend.

Men in particular seem to be affected by problem gambling. Global figures show that more men take part in gambling and they are also significantly more likely to be entered into blocked registers than women.

Big differences in lockout duration

While the age and gender of those registered appear to be similar globally, there are large differences in the lockout duration chosen. In India, Great Britain and Australia, those affected can choose from different self-lockdown periods.

What is striking is that lifetime bans are often chosen in both the UK and Australia. Although this is a drastic step for players, many affected people seem to be taking it.

What's interesting is that younger people seem to tend to have shorter suspensions. However, since these are particularly at risk, this trend could pose a potential risk.

Familiarity varies across countries

We noticed another aspect in our global comparison: the places where the self-exclusion registers are advertised seem to differ.

In conversations with German victims, we learned that they mostly had knowledge of the blocked registers through self-help groups or their families. In England, an official report has shown that they are primarily promoted through gambling sites. Our interview partner from the USA, however, found out about the ban in the casino.

It turns out that blocking registers can be distributed via a wide variety of channels. This could be a crucial clue for operators because the more the registries are promoted, the better known they become and the more people can be helped.

From Romania to the USA: barrier systems can now be found worldwide

Self-exclusion registers have gained global importance in recent years. They can now be found in many countries on different continents.

In Sweden, players with Spelpaus can have themselves blocked by all licensed gambling providers. In Denmark the registry is called ROFUS and already has more than 60,000 registrations.

The BetBlocker registry was recently launched in Brazil and has now recorded more than 20,000 entries. A lockdown system was also introduced in Romania a few weeks ago.

In the USA and Canada, however, there are no central self-exclusion registers. Instead, blocking systems are offered by the individual states and only apply there.

Interview: Player from the USA describes his experiences to us

For this article, we managed to conduct an interview with a person who has entered the restricted register in the US state of Pennsylvania. To find out how effective the self-exclusion registry is in the US, we asked her a few questions on the topic.

To protect the privacy of our source, we report the answers anonymously.

When did you start gambling and why? When I was 18, I started playing scratch cards and Cherry Master games. It's the appeal of "free money" - income that I didn't actually have to work for.

When did you realize you were an addict? When I was $17,000 in debt, went back to zero, and then was even worse off. I knew it then.

How long were you banned for? I am currently on my fourth self-ban - the first lasted a year, each subsequent five years. I can't bring myself to a lifetime ban in case I ever become fully financially solvent and want to gamble again.

How did you know about the registry? Self-exclusion information was always available in our casinos.

Did you register yourself or was it blocked by someone else? You cannot add anyone else to our registry. You have to do this yourself - unless you have broken the law by gambling. In this case, there is a separate register for involuntary entries.

How did self-lockdown help you? It keeps me from spending thousands of dollars on bets just like that and I highly recommend it.

Criticism and suggestions for improvement: How can self-exclusion registers become even more effective?

Self-exclusion registers are intended to help problem gamblers stop gambling. They are based on the fact that those affected are deprived of any opportunity to continue playing. But is that really the case?

During our research, we discovered that there is basically only one criticism of blocking registers: They can be removed without much effort.

The trigger for this is that only licensed providers are connected to the registers. The blocks do not apply to gambling providers without a license or with a license from abroad. In theory, players with an OASIS entry can continue to play.

You would then play with an illegal provider, but the pressure of addiction is often greater than the awareness of legality. One of the interview partners from India also confirmed this to usigt. We also found similar reports on social media.

The authorities in the respective countries are therefore faced with a major challenge. On the one hand, they have already introduced effective blocking registers that are helping many people. On the other hand, players still seem to have the opportunity to play despite an entry.

Fixing this option seems like a mammoth task. Unlicensed providers are already illegal in many countries, but people still use them. The authorities are likely to be aware that this problem exists and that it poses a major threat to self-exclusion registers.

Time will tell whether and in what form the authorities will take action. We will continue to pursue the topic and inform our readers about it.

Fact check: self-protection or system failure? A global look at player bans