Non-Gamstop casino ads appear on Brexit Party domain

A web domain formerly belonging to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is being used to promote non-Gamstop casinos in the UK.

The development is the latest in a string of promotions for online casinos that bypass UKGC requirements. Since March 2020, UK-licensed online casinos must enroll in the Gamstop self-exclusion program, aimed at combating problem gambling in bettors.

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The Brexit Party was founded in 2018 by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock. The party supported a no-deal Brexit. After the UK left the EU in January 2020, the Brexit Party changed its name to Reform UK and, under the leadership of Farage, it won five seats at the 2024 general election and is considered a major contender to the Conservative and Labour parties.

Although the Brexit Party no longer exists, having been replaced by Reform, its website remained active. It included details of the party’s manifesto and charter. However, in the past day or so, the domain has been promoting non-Gamstop casinos. The home page has displayed affiliate content promoting 11 such casinos, with a prominent link at the top of the header.

Gamstop launched in 2018 with a remit from the UKGC to run a national self-exclusion system. Since March 2020, any online casino with a licence from the UKGC must enroll in the service. At the time, then-culture minister Helen Whately said: “By making it a regulatory requirement for all online gambling websites licensed in Great Britain to sign up to Gamstop. I am confident that people who have taken the significant step to opt out of gambling will be well supported, alongside a range of other tools.”

Using Gamstop, players can exclude themselves from all registered gambling platforms for between 6 months and 5 years, enabling them to take a break from gambling. Once registered, players cannot remove themselves from the program, which has led some players to look for alternative casinos – non-Gamstop casinos.

Non-Gamstop casinos are offshore casinos that are not licensed with the UKGC and are not enrolled in the Gamstop scheme. Excluded players can join the casinos, typically providing minimal user details.

It isn’t unusual for third parties to buy expired domains and benefit from existing traffic and external links. Of particular note, in this instance, is the fact that Betfair and Betfred are both included in the list of non-Gamstop casinos. The UKGC has said that it had already identified the sites and taken action. Further, they have said that the only links on the site are to Gamstop-registered sites and the body has informed the betting companies of their inclusion. 

Earlier this month, there was further concern surrounding the rise of these casinos when one, MyStake, distributed a press release via GlobeNewswire. The move was considered controversial because GlobeNewswire users can sign up to receive targeted press releases on chosen topics. Such recipients could have included players who had registered with the Gamstop service, but they would have still received the market material, which would be considered a breach of UKGC requirements.