British online gambling self-exclusion platform GAMSTOP has appointed former Labour Party MP Chris Pond as its new chair.
Pond currently chairs the Money and Mental Health advisory board and the Financial Services Consumer Panel at the Financial Conduct Authority, and will begin his new role in September.
He will succeed Jenny Watson CBE, who has held the position since 2018.
Pond’s appointment comes as self-exclusion in the United Kingdom reaches an all-time high, with a 19 per cent increase in registrations at GAMSTOP in 2025, and monthly registrations breaking all previous records twice in successive months.
In April, a record 10,281 consumers registered with GAMSTOP, the first time the monthly figure had topped 10,000. This was eclipsed in May, with 10,344 new registrations.
“Our data shows a significant spike in the number of younger consumers who are GAMstopping to manage their gambling, and this has driven the record registrations in 2025,” said GAMSTOP CEO Fiona Palmer. “They are increasingly choosing six-month exclusions, which suggests that GAMSTOP is being used as a tool to allow them a break from gambling.
“We have worked very hard to increase awareness of GAMSTOP amongst younger consumers and to destigmatise the use of self-exclusion. We want them to realise that GAMSTOP can be used as a preventative tool alongside other solutions, giving them breathing space to take back control.”
Since GAMSTOP’S inception in April 2018, nearly 600,000 consumers have used the service.