NHS-Created Stroke App Website Found Promoting Offshore Casinos

A website originally created by an NHS trust to review health apps for stroke patients is actively promoting offshore online casinos that sit outside the UK’s GamStop self-exclusion scheme, a review of the live site on 4. September 2026 found. The my-therappy.co.uk domain, first launched by the neuro-rehabilitation team at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, now carries casino rankings, bonus offers and sign-up instructions aimed at British players.

What the Site Now Carries

The page at the centre of the incident is titled “Non UK Casinos 2026 – Best Foreign Casino Sites” and is attributed on the live page to an author named Daniel Reeves, with a listed last update of 30. April 2026. It presents a ranked list of roughly thirty casino brands, each given a score out of ten and a clickable bonus offer.

The promoted deals include a 400% bonus up to £12,750 plus 400 free spins from Lolajack, a 600% bonus up to £10,000 with 25% cashback from Smash, and a slots package advertised at 800% up to €10,000 from Gambiva. Other named brands on the list include Betninja, Westace, Lizaro, Vegas Hero, Madcasino, Tucan Casino, Crownz Casino and Rolletto.

The page’s introduction addresses UK readers directly. “There’s a quiet exodus happening,” it reads. “UK players are slipping past GamStop’s grip and into the arms of non UK casinos, where rules feel more like polite suggestions.”

Beyond the rankings, the page explains how to register at a non-UK casino, lists accepted payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller and PayPal, and describes licences issued in Curaçao, Malta and Gibraltar. A frequently-asked-questions section tells readers that non-UK casinos are “not banned; they’re just not policed by the UKGC.”

What UK Law Says

That framing sits at odds with the regulator’s published position. The Gambling Commission’s guidance on illegal gambling states that it is illegal to provide gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain without an operating licence from the Commission, regardless of where in the world the gambling is provided from, and that a gambling licence issued in another country does not permit an operator to provide gambling to British consumers. The Commission also states that, in the absence of a valid defence, it is a criminal offence to advertise unlawful gambling to consumers in Great Britain.

The same guidance notes that illegal operators undermine consumer protections, create unfair competition for the licensed industry, and do not contribute tax, levies or funding for sport. It says the regulator’s strategy is to make it difficult to provide illegal gambling at scale to consumers in Great Britain, including by acting against facilitators such as payment providers, search engines and technology providers.

The Self-Exclusion Gap

The promoted casinos are marketed explicitly on their exclusion from GamStop. GamStop’s official website describes the service as a free scheme that blocks users’ access to accounts on gambling websites and apps. The page promoting the casinos makes clear the sites it lists are not covered by that block, meaning people who have self-excluded from UK-licensed operators can still open accounts with the brands it ranks.

GamStop is operated by The National Online Self Exclusion Scheme Limited, a company registered in Harrogate. UK-licensed online gambling operators are required to participate in the scheme, which is why offshore sites outside the Commission’s remit are not bound by it.

The Site’s NHS Origins

The my-therappy platform was established in 2013 and described at launch as the world’s first health app review site for stroke patients, built by the neuro-rehabilitation team at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust to help clinicians and patients identify suitable apps. NHS England’s official trust record confirms that on 1. April 2022, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust was acquired by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, at which point the combined organisation was renamed Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, inheriting responsibility for the predecessor trust’s assets.

The same NHS England record lists the trust’s licence, transfer order and constitution, all published in April 2022. As of 4. September 2026, the Royal Devon’s official news index carried no published statement on the my-therappy domain. The trust’s most recent news items, dated 3. September 2026, concern birthing services at North Devon District Hospital and the results of the 2025 Adult Inpatient Survey.

The casino content remains live on the my-therappy.co.uk domain at the time of writing, with the ranked list, bonus links and sign-up guidance all still accessible.