Responsible Gambling

Online casinos want you to visit their website and bet, but how many of these casinos are willing to educate you on how to bet responsibly so that your health, money, and relationships are not jeopardised? All licensed and regulated online casinos will offer reliable information on how to detect problem gambling behaviours, as well as links to places where you may seek assistance if you believe your gaming has gotten out of hand.

We discuss these problems here and provide suggestions on how to prevent problematic gambling disorders.

What does Responsible Gambling mean?

It refers to initiatives of social responsibility undertaken by the betting industry, including players, operators, and governments, to ascertain the fairness of the exercise and raise awareness of the harms that come with gambling, like addiction or underage gambling.

Here, we address the following key points:

  1. As a player, we will guide you how to take control over your gambling habits. We will also make you aware of the pitfalls that you could encounter and advise you how to avoid them.
  2. All the online casinos that we recommend follow responsible gambling practices so as to provide a safe, secure and transparent platform where you can enjoy the games. They also provide the right tools for you to gamble responsibly and we will show you how to derive maximum benefit from those.

How to Gamble Responsibly

We start with some basic tips that highlight the mind set you need to have so that you can gamble responsibly.

  • Gambling should not be a source of income: It is a well-established fact that a gambler cannot keep winning for ever. The odds offered at casinos marginally favour the house. Therefore, do not depend on casino gambling (where you play against the house) for putting bread on the table.
  • Gambling should be fun: Treat gambling as a form of entertainment just like going to the movies or having a drink with friends. If you win then it is bonus.
  • Plan your gambling budget: Based on your disposable income and desired savings, allocate a monthly or weekly amount for gambling. Also set aside a fixed time for gambling, making sure that you are not cutting into your social life. Once the amount and time are worked out, treat them as inviolable, come what may.
  • Understand the rules: Learn the rules and strategies of the casino games, especially where some skill is involved like in blackjack and video poker. Making incorrect moves in these games will lead to very poor returns and possible frustration as well. It is equally important to be absolutely clear about the conditions of the bonuses that you want to redeem.
  • Stay sober: The injunction “don’t drink and drive” applies to gambling as well. You need to be sober at all times and be aware of how much you are spending.
  • Gambling is not a cure-all for personal problems: Do not gamble to avoid coming to terms with anger, depression, loneliness and the like. Those problems will not get cured this way and you may land up with newer ones.

Gambling is an Adults-Only Activity

Attempting to gamble before reaching the age of majority is a reckless thing to do. There may be two standards involved in internet gambling. The first is the online casino’s required age, which is typically 18 years.  Other nations need an age as high as 21. Should you be a citizen of a nation like that, you must first reach that age before engaging in any gambling activity.

For those with children at home, you have to ensure that they do not bet on your account. To prevent minors from accessing gambling sites, ensure you sign out each time you complete a session, your credentials should also be out of reach of minors, and install applications such as Net Nanny.

Age Verification at Online Gambling Sites

In the United Kingdom, all gambling operators are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission. One of the requirements of the Gambling Commission is that online operators verify the age of the applicant before activating the account. This is to prevent underage people from playing at the site.

Online casinos will not accept at face value the date of birth and you will have to provide the age verification documents asked for. These could include passport or driving license. The online casino could use external databases to further make sure that you have not submitted bogus documents. As a responsible gambler it is your obligation to furnish correct details and authentic documents. If at any time the online casino discovers that you have lied about your age, or other particulars, it has every right to close your account and even refuse to pay you your winnings.

Facilities for Responsible Gambling at Online Casinos

The United Kingdom Gaming Commission requires online casinos to provide certain features that encourage safe gambling behaviour. They include restricting the amount of money you play at online casinos and the amount of time spent there. The gaming sites do not require you to use such tools, but we strongly advise you to use them. Here, we walk our players through each tool, explaining their benefits and how to utilise them.

Setting Time for the Session:

Every UK online casino has a clock that displays how long you’ve been playing. If you are engaged in your slot machines or different games, you are unlikely to notice the time. A responsible gaming establishment enables you to choose the timing of the session.

When that timer expires, a pop-up notification will appear informing you of the amount of time you have been gambling for and giving you the choice of leaving or continuing. You must develop the practice of logging out and ending your session whenever you get this notification.

Limiting your deposit or spending:

It is much more essential to have control over the amount you deposit. Most online casinos have deposit maximums, although they are typically too high. Their responsible gaming procedures enable you to establish weekly, daily, or monthly deposit restrictions. Once the maximum is established, the casino does not take higher deposits for fear of losing its operating license.

The restriction may be raised, but the procedure is time-consuming and inconvenient. As previously said, you would have established a gaming budget, and your chosen deposit limit should reflect that.

Some online gambling sites may enable you to restrict the amount you bet instead of the to be deposited, but the goal and outcome are similar.

Self-exclusion

It refers to a more severe responsible tool for gambling that you should consider if you cannot manage the amount of time or money you spend on gambling.

Ways to self-exclude:

  • Temporary self-exclusion this is for gamers who feel they are on the brink of being addicted to gambling and need to take a break from the pastime. In this situation, you may use the temporary self-exclusion feature to ask the casino to prohibit you from betting for a certain amount of time.

    Depending on requirements, this might be less than 24 hours or could be as long as a couple of months. Under no circumstances will you be permitted to access your account before the conclusion of the selected time.

  • Permanent self-exclusion Once you discover that your gambling addiction cannot be overcome without expert help, you should consider permanent self-exclusion. When you enable this, the casino will permanently bar you from betting on its platform.

Whichever method you select, be sure to activate it at all of the gambling sites where you have an account. Should you leave even one account open, the exercise will be a waste of time.

How to Identify Addiction to Gambling

We previously said that some responsible gambling measures are dependent on whether you think you are on the verge of addiction.  Online casinos and treatment centres for gambling addiction include a self-assessment exam that allows for a more accurate diagnosis of the ailment.

We replicate the treatment of Gambling Therapy, a recognised charity in England. If you answered yes to three or most of the questions listed below, you should get professional assistance right now.

  1. Do you spend too much money and/or time gambling?
  2. Have you gambled away money needed to pay household bills?
  3. Have you risked or lost a relationship because of your gambling?
  4. Have you risked or lost your home or job because of your gambling?
  5. Do you struggle to sleep because of your problems with gambling?
  6. Do you gamble to try to win back losses?
  7. Do you lie about how much you gamble?

Treating Gambling Addiction

It is now established beyond doubt that problem gambling (or gambling addiction) is a medical disorder and not a result of social upbringing. GambleAware has estimated that 2.7% of the adults in Great Britain suffer from it. However, there is no taboo associated with problem gambling and you should not hesitate in seeking treatment.

Once you start gambling, you should take a self-assessment test regularly. If the test indicates that you have a gambling problem, immediately self-exclude from all online gambling sites, inform your spouse or close family member and contact a professional organisation.

There are several levels of treatment available, and the professional will help in identifying which one you should go for. Some of these treatments offer complete anonymity and are recommended if you have reservations in going public about your problem.

  • Online or telephonic individual consultation
  • Online group therapy
  • Face to face consultation
  • Rehab, for the extreme cases

Finally, In the United Kingdom, we offer a list of trustworthy problem gambling treatment organisations

  • Gamblers Anonymous: gamblersanonymous.org.uk; 0330-094-0322
  • Gambling Therapy: gamblingtherapy.org;
  • GamCare: gamcare.org.uk; 0808-8020-133
  • GambleAware: gambleaware.co.uk;

Always Help Your Friends

It is a well-known truth that many gamers refuse to admit they have a problem, refuse to seek help, and continue to be addicted to gambling. Should you know an acquaintance or family who suffers from gambling addiction, you should be willing to take things into your own hands.

Continue to monitor his behaviour using a self-assessment exam, and should you discover any indications of a gambling problem, cajole and persuade him to get help. Remember that they deserve our compassion, not contempt.