VPN Use and Self-Exclusion Systems Face Stronger Scrutiny Under New Rules

July 10, 2025 By Johan Curtis No Comments 5 minutes

The surge in online gambling activity, paired with regulators ramping up their oversight, has put the link between VPN use and self-exclusion efforts front and center.

Market analysts at Grand View Research now forecast that the global online gambling sector could surpass $153 billion by 2030. That projected boom has led authorities to deepen their examinations of responsible-gaming tools, with self-exclusion programs drawing special attention because they let users block their own access to casinos for defined periods.

Simultaneously, virtual-private-network services have moved from niche tech to household staple. A 2024 survey claims roughly 1.6 billion adults worldwide now turn to a VPN, often so they can bypass regional limits and reach overseas gambling sites. 

With Malta and other major hubs tightening entry rules, officials are starting to ask how easily players can sidestep self-exclusion by simply routing their traffic through another country. The following article looks at how these rules are changing, what role VPNs play, and the practical hurdles that still confront regulators charged with making sure treatment promises are kept.

How self-exclusion systems are evolving under new regulations

Self-exclusion programmes let people who recognise they gamble too much temporarily lock themselves out of betting sites. In Malta, every operator holding a Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) licence must run that scheme both on its own site and through the national database. Even so, rules that came into force in early 2024 aim to make these safeguards work even better.

The revised framework demands tougher checks on a customer’s identity, smoother sharing of data between rival brands, and a legal duty to report anytime staff suspect someone is dodging the ban. Officials say the updates were shaped by cases where excluded players opened new accounts using small tweaks to their details or moved from one site to another.

Under the new regime, every transaction is pushed to the nationwide register in real time, so no application gets lost between systems. In addition, companies must watch for betting patterns that look like those of a banned user and log a flag before approving the account. Taken together, these moves signal a clear industry shift toward sharper, mostly automated oversight.

The role of VPNs in bypassing regional restrictions

VPNs let people hide their true IP address and show one from another country, making it look like they are surfing from somewhere else. Because of this ability, gambling watchdogs worry that users can sidestep local rules or reopen banned accounts even after promising to stay away.

Stories first reported by OnlineCasinos.mt show players who turned on self-exclusion in Malta but then logged back in using a VPN to play at Maltese sites. Those reports have reignited demands for better tech, stronger data sharing between countries, and tools that spot and stop this behavior before it begins. Although most nations judge VPN use as legal, the practice muddles the work of regulators who want to keep banned gamblers from betting again.

Some online casinos have started to run VPN-detection programs that refuse entry to suspected users, yet such systems are still far from foolproof. Premium VPN services defeat even the newest filters by renting everyday residential addresses or switching servers in seconds. Until these gaps are closed, good-faith systems meant to protect players can be bypassed with surprising ease.

Challenges regulators face in enforcing self-exclusion

Effective enforcement of self-exclusion relies on operators and authorities being able to spot and follow the same account across different platforms. In practice, though, that job is anything but straightforward. 

A major problem is that much of the identifying information people provide can be tweaked or outright faked. A player who wants to slip through might set up a fresh email, change a letter in their last name, or switch to a seldom-used payment card.

Virtual private networks make matters worse by masking a device’s true location, so regulators cannot easily tell if someone is logging in from a banned region or breaking their own exclusion promise. Authorities now call for steps like biometric checks and device fingerprinting, yet those tools raise their own worries about privacy, consent, and long-term data storage.

On top of everything else, there is no single, global rulebook that governs self-exclusion. Malta has some of the strongest measures in Europe, but its authority stops at the island’s border. A player who bars themself from Maltese sites can still reach offshore casinos operating well outside the European sphere. Without shared standards, cross-border treaties, and a way to punish repeated violations, every country’s good intentions end up working in isolation.

Why does stronger scrutiny impact both users and operators?

Heightened oversight now touches both sides of the gambling ecosystem. For players, especially those trying to curb their spending, the extra safeguards should feel comforting, yet they also spark fresh worries about who sees their data. Mandatory identity checks and constant tracking may push away customers who want to stay anonymous online-even when they gamble legally.

Operators, on the other hand, stare at bigger bills and a heavier tech workload. Every site has to fold in sophisticated verification, keep data flowing in real time, and hire outside monitors to double-check the work. Miss any of those steps and the firm could face steep fines or even lose its licence, as recent MGA warnings have shown.

Conclusion

Nobody wants to swap self-restricted players on their site, even accidentally, because the public shaming will linger long after a fine has been paid. With scrutiny mounting, the spotlight is moving from regulators alone to the platforms that must prove they are fixing problems before they grow.

VPNs keep improving, and rules will keep bending, so the push-and-pull between privacy shortcuts and compliance shows no sign of settling soon. For users and operators alike, these tougher standards will keep rewriting the playbook of self-exclusion tools-and, hopefully, how well they actually work.