New Study Challenges Effectiveness of Self-Exclusion Tools, Calls for Industry-Wide Data Sharing

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Gambling Studies has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of voluntary self-exclusion (VSE) programs operated by individual online gambling platforms. The research, conducted by the University of Bristol's Gambling Research team, analyzed outcomes for 14,000 self-excluded customers across five European jurisdictions.

Key findings included that 43% of participants gambled at a competing platform within 30 days of self-excluding from their primary site, and that without cross-platform data sharing, exclusion programs function as displacement mechanisms rather than harm reduction tools.

The researchers are calling for regulatory mandates requiring operators to integrate with centralized exclusion registers — a system already operating in the UK (GAMSTOP) and Sweden (Spelpaus), but absent in most other jurisdictions.

"Individual operator VSE tools are not the solution," said Dr. Anna Griffiths, lead researcher. "The evidence points clearly to centralized, cross-operator exclusion as the only system that actually prevents access rather than just redirecting it."

The study has been submitted to the European Commission as supporting evidence for proposed gambling harm reduction regulations.