As with all games, gambling is entertaining and great fun as long as there is an understanding that it is a pastime and must be played responsibly.
This is the situation for the most part but a small minority of people find that gambling can become a major problem which seriously affects many aspects of their lives.
Hence, the concept of Responsible Gaming came into act, to help people with the necessary advice and tools to prevent them from these kinds of situations.
An awareness of these situations have made the regulatory bodies of online gambling in each country committed (in this case the UK Gambling Commission) to the need to protect players, especially minors and vulnerable groups.
Consequently, the application of Responsible Gaming Policies has been regulated to minimize and prevent the negative effects that gambling may provoke.
If you want to know more about Responsible Gaming, visit the website: www.begambleaware.org
What do we understand by Responsible Gaming?
Responsible Gaming is a sensible and rational game practice depending on the personal circumstance of each player.
It implies being conscious that it is just an entertaining game played for fun in which the money that is bet, should never be above your budget.
We must also be aware that gambling should not interfere with or affect our social, family or professional obligations.
It is important to know when to stop playing or how to budget the money we want to spend and the time we want to dedicate to playing the game.
Play only if the game is enjoyable and does not cause any problems to you or others around you.
We give you some small tips that can be useful to know how to play responsibly:
- Don’t play to win money or to avoid your problems, just play for fun.
- Do not borrow money to play.Only play with the budget you have available.
- Do not play with money intended for other purposes but only with money intended for leisure.
- Do not play in moments of emotional crisis as you will have much less self-control.
- Do not play while consuming alcohol and/or under the influence of substances that can alter your consciousness as they can cloud your judgment and compel you to take more risks.
- Set limits on both playing time and money spending and stick to them.
- Don’t let gambling affect your relationships with family and friends or with your job.
Gambling Addiction
Addiction is precisely what the new Responsible Gaming policies and regulations try to prevent and solve.
Pathological Gambling is a psychological problem that affects different aspects of a player’s life whether it is on a personal, work, social, family or economic level. The player cannot control the impulse or need to play, even in situations that are not very favourable, with the negative consequences that this entails in many aspects.
Initially, a gambler does not usually realise that there is a problem and does not recognize that addiction could be the cause, maybe even being in complete denial of the evidence. It is usually a family member or close person who detects the first symptoms. Among the symptoms that can be seen in an individual addicted to gambling we find:
- Excessive preoccupation with gambling and constant thinking about it.
- Feeling of failure in your efforts to control or stop gambling.
- Need to increase the amount of bets to maintain adrenaline.
- Restlessness or anxiety when not playing.
- Deceiving family or friends by hiding their involvement in the game.
- Loss or deterioration of personal or professional relationships.
- Obsession to recover lost money by investing more money.
- Search for non-recommended means of financing to continue playing.
These and other symptoms can occur and it is not easy for the player to recognize these problematic traits that need to be solved. That is why in most cases professional help is required together with the importance of support from family or loved ones. If you need to know more on this topic, do not hesitate to consult the following pages
GamCare
Need help: call the National Gambling Helpline for free 24/7 on 0808 8020 133
You can also talk to support 24/7 via Live chat, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger which you can easily access via the website.
website: GamCare
Other website for advice and support are:
- Gamblers Anonymous
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- The Christian Centre for Gambling Rehabilitation
What are online casinos doing about it?
In compliance with the applicable regulations, online casinos are obliged to follow Responsible Gaming and prevention of gambling addiction strategies. For this, they offer various tools or options to the player, such as:
- Establishment of limits on general deposits or transfers.
- Possibility of taking a self-assessment test on the game itself.
- Option of voluntary self-exclusion from the casino.
- Self exclusion of their own free will by registering at gamstop.co.uk. Once enrolled in this registry, you will not be able to play in any online casino for at least 6 months.
- Limit on the age to play. It is strictly for those over 18 years old who can play in online casinos.
Conclusion
On this page we have tried to convey the commitment that all parties involved must have towards Responsible Gaming and the prevention of gambling addiction. We hope that together we achieve a healthy and fun experience for each one of us.
So we insist on playing responsibly, just for fun and leisure by setting your own limits.
Below, we will leave you with the most important links on Responsible Gaming:
