The number of non-Gamstop casinos in the UK has rocketed. These are sites that have not partnered with Gamstop, which is a self-exclusion tool in Great Britain. PayPal also happens to be one of the most popular ways for British players to deposit and withdraw money. So naturally, people have started looking for a combination of both – a PayPal casino not on Gamstop.
The problem is that these sites don’t exist.
That’s because casinos that have not partnered with Gamstop are considered to be rogue by the UK authorities. And PayPal has made a point of staying clear of all gambling activity that is not straight down the line. Let’s explain the current situation.
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All online gambling in Great Britain is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Any site that does not have a license from the UKGC is not allowed to operate in Great Britain according to the commission.
In January 2020, the UKGC announced that all online operators were required to partner with Gamstop by the end of March 2020. Any operator that refused to comply would have their license revoked. Because of this ruling, the commission has decided that casinos not on Gamstop are not authorised to operate in Great Britain.
With regards to PayPal, they have a long history of being very careful about who they partner with in the online gambling industry. For starters, they only operate in markets that are legal and regulated. And PayPal only partners with sites that are considered to be legit and credible by the authorities.
So as the UKGC, which is heavily supported by the UK government, deems no Gamstop casinos to be unauthorised, PayPal has stayed away from partnering with any of them.
Does this include slot sites, bingo & other games?
Yes. The UKGC requires licensed online operators to be partnered with the self-exclusion tool. This applies to a variety of gambling, including:
- Casino
- Slots
- Bingo
- Sports betting
- Poker
- and more
The ban is simply against any sites that do not have a license from the UKGC – regardless of what entertainment they offer.
Why does the UKGC take this stance?
One of the main objectives of the UK Gambling Commission is responsible gaming. They want to make sure that betting is done safely at all times. That’s why it’s very important when picking an online gambling site that you choose one that’s properly licensed. This ensures that the site in question is legitimate.
As part of the UKGC’s commitment to responsible gaming, they want to make it as easy and watertight as possible for players to self-exclude if they want to.
When signing up with Gamstop, players are automatically self-excluded from playing at all online betting sites that are licensed by the UKGC. So it is a very effective tool in preventing people who have self-excluded from jumping to a different site to play. Casinos not on Gamstop clearly don’t fit within this category – so that’s why they have been outlawed.
Why does PayPal take this stance?
Mainly because of their reputation.
They have millions of users around the world and have been one of the leading payment providers online over the past 20+ years. And they don’t want to damage their image by partnering with sites that are not licensed.
They have a page explaining exactly what gambling activities are prohibited. Notably, they only work with gambling sites in jurisdictions that are legal.
However, what’s interesting is that even licensed online casinos are not guaranteed to make the cut. They have to be personally approved before they can use this payment service to accept deposits and process withdrawals. This is a great indication of how careful this company is when it comes to online betting.
Which licensed UK sites do have PayPal?
The only casinos that are eligible to offer this payment service in the UK are those that have a license from the UKGC. But as we just mentioned, there’s no guarantee that a site will be approved just because it has a license.
So instead, British players should look specifically for licensed UK casinos with PayPal. These sites have been approved, meaning players can deposit and withdraw using this popular e-wallet.
In truth, there are a lot more of these sites in the UK nowadays than in previous years. As it seems more sites have been able to gain approval. So players have a lot more to choose from.
Will Non-Gamstop casinos with PayPal be available in future?
It’s very unlikely. Because for that to happen, either PayPal or the UK Gambling Commission would have to change their stance considerably.
For the UKGC, they would have to start recognising casinos without Gamstop as being credible sites. As we mentioned above, responsible gaming is one of the pillars of their objectives, so this is almost certain not to happen.
So the onus would have to be on PayPal to start partnering with non-Gamstop casinos. And as we’ve just noted, they have a long history of doing everything by the book when it comes to online gambling. So it would take a major policy diversion for this to happen – which is very unlikely.
