What Is Responsible Gambling?
Responsible gambling is an initiative consisting of many policies and regulations that verify and maintain a healthy level of gambling. These regulations are implemented by gambling stakeholders to ensure they follow high standards of quality and provide a safe gambling experience in order to shield the players from the potentially harmful consequences of gambling. The objective of this concept is to limit the chances of developing a gambling addiction.
Since the excess of anything in life is not good, that is why the concept was brought into light by the government and the gambling industry itself to remind the players to restrict gambling as a pastime and not create it as a means of earning. While most people can spend on gambling only the amount they can afford to risk, others may find it more difficult.
Areas of Responsible and Safe Gambling
This section determines the main elements of responsible gambling that are needed to be considered and respected by both online operators as well as software providers.
Protection of Players
The first and one of the most responsible gambling areas includes the protection of their most vulnerable players. Players who enjoy playing casino games for real money may get addicted to them. When they start spending too much that they can afford to risk, their lives can get badly affected.
Therefore, the operators and regulators must incorporate several measures like self-execution programs to limit the monetary amount, and time spent by the players on a gambling website. There are many tools available online that allow players to enjoy responsible gambling sessions, where they have the option to set financial limits to their accounts. Different countries can have different regulations in this area.
Besides, the regulators must also display information about the organisations where the players can find support if they have become addicted to gambling.
Restriction of Underage Gambling
Preventing underage gambling is an important aspect listed under responsible gambling areas. This area stresses the restriction of gambling for real money until an individual has not reached the legal age. Following the area, the operators must make sure no underage gambling activities are taking place on their platforms. They should ensure that all the laws protecting minors in their jurisdictions are followed and respected.
In order to comply with the area, the operators must determine a registration procedure for all the players. Moreover, all the necessary verification steps must be followed to verify the gamblers’ age.
Information Privacy
This area is concerned with the safety of private and financial information of the player to a gambling site from prying eyes. The operators need to incorporate robust policies to keep the user data (player’s name, contact details, address, banking details, etc.) safe from unauthorised access and prevent illegal criminal attacks. That is why many operators are using their SSL encryption services on their sites to ensure user protection.
Security Against Criminal Activities
Just like any other eCommerce website, gambling websites can also be hacked and misused for cybercrime. To achieve their ill goals and get access to personal and financial data, criminals on the internet use malefic tools and software to target the vulnerabilities on the website. Therefore, to stop and abolish such growing tendencies the operators must include certain procedures and programs that detect and close money laundering activities.
Protection for Online Payment Methods
Casino operators also need to make sure that the players are using a reliable software platform for depositing funds into their accounts. Because this also concerns the safety of the personal and financial details of the user. That is why, the operators must be attentive towards choosing the appropriate payment methods for safe deposit, withdrawal, and money transfer on a gambling site.
How to Recognise Responsible Online Casinos?
Here we will be talking you through how to recognise online gambling sites that are responsible and reputable. There are certain things that you should look out for, however, the majority of online gambling sites do have most of these ticked off.
Casinos With Reputable Licences
Having a reputable and reliable casino licence at the footer of a gambling site is a huge bonus. Firstly because legally you have to have one, but also, people are aware of how many checks are made in order to get a casino licence and therefore would trust the ones that have.
The 4 most popular, and reliable casino licences are the MGA (Maltese Gaming Authority), Curacao Licence, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and GRA (Gibraltar Licensing Authority).
Casinos With Their Own Responsible Gambling Initiatives
A lot of good and reliable online casinos and gambling sites will have their own ways of dealing with responsible gambling. For example, if they believe there is an abusive addiction within a player, they will close the account.
This is a crucial part of gaining a casino licence. A lot of gambling sites also tend to put links in the footer of the page for websites that can help with addiction.
How Will You Know if You Have a Problem?
One of the most important aspects of responsible gambling is being able to recognise when you have a problem. It’s essential to be aware of the warning signs that indicate you may be developing a gambling problem.
Gambling addiction is a complex and multifaceted issue that affects people from all walks of life. Some common warning signs include neglecting responsibilities or relationships, lying about the extent of your gambling activities, and relying on gambling as a means of escape or coping with stress.
If you find yourself chasing losses, gambling with money you can’t afford to lose, or experiencing negative emotions such as anger, depression, or anxiety when you’re not gambling, it’s time to take a step back and assess your situation. Remember, it’s important to gamble responsibly and keep the fun factor alive, but if you’re starting to feel like gambling is taking over your life, it’s time to seek help.
Don’t be ashamed to ask for support, and don’t be afraid to reach out to a trusted friend or family member, or to take advantage of the many resources available to you, such as helplines or support groups. By taking action early, you can avoid the potentially devastating consequences of problem gambling and ensure that your gambling activities remain safe and enjoyable.
What Should You Do if You Think You Have a Problem?
This is a legitimate and fair question that a lot of people don’t seem to know the answer to. There are lots of helplines and sites out there which offer all sorts of help, it’s just a case of finding the one that suits you best. Here will explain all you need to know on this matter.
Responsible Gambling Tools
These types of tools can be extremely useful in helping you out with any responsible gambling issues you may be going through. Here is a small list of tools that can help along with a short explanation:
- Deposit Limit tool — A tool where you can set a deposit limit of whatever you like, in order to stop you from spending more than you want.
- Loss Limit tool — As soon as you lose a certain amount, you will be stopped from accessing your account until a certain time period.
- Time/Session Limit tool — Here, like an alarm clock, you can set a time limit, meaning once you hit that limit, you can’t access your account.
- Self-Exclusion tool — For when you decide that you’ve had enough, you can exclude yourself from your own account for good.
- Cool off/Time out tool — Allows you to set reminders to have a break and stops you from accessing your account for a period of time.
- Withdrawal Lock — Stops you from spending the funds that are in your account that you are wanting to withdraw.
Useful Help-Seeking Websites
There are some incredible websites out there that can really help you with any responsible gambling issues that you may have. Below is a list of the main ones and you can always find these at the bottom of an online casinos webpage too:
BeGambleAware helps with gambling addiction and can be reached from all over the world as they have some excellent representatives who are always on hand.
This is a really cool site as they do all the hard work for you, they simply block all your gambling accounts and stop you from accessing them.
The people here are super friendly and can actually be contacted 24/7 for any gambling help that you may need.
An online therapy session during which you can find out not only why you like gambling, but the reasons for your addiction, so their goal is to you in the process.
- Best Psychiatric Hospital in Hyderabad | Psychiatric Clinic | Psychiatrist & Psychologist ,Hyderabad (hopetrustindia.com)
The most popular site for Gambling addiction in India. They have helped thousands of people with gambling addiction.
Similar to Anonymous, they keep your identity hidden and block all your online accounts with a simple click of a button.
Helps with financial control as well as any gambling or drug addiction that someone may have.
A local rehab centre which can be done online, or can be done face to face once you are paired up with a representative.
Responsible Gambling Tips
While it can often be hard to stick to self-imposed rules and avoid the risks of gambling, that is crucial if you want to have some fun at online casinos in India. So, here are some of our top responsible gambling tips to check out and utilise when gambling online:
Learn the Rules
If you want to gamble at online casinos in India, it is important to know their rules. Make sure to read the casino’s terms and conditions before you decide to sign up. That way, you can avoid potential problems that might arise from failing to understand the rules properly, like losing out on bonuses, not knowing the deposit and withdrawal limits, and other similar issues.
In addition to knowing the rules of the casino, you should also be familiar with the rules of the games you want to play. While this might not be so important for slots or some other games based solely on chance or luck, it is crucial for playing casino games that involve skill, like poker, blackjack, craps, etc.
Don’t Play Emotionally
Gambling under stress or emotional distress of any kind is a recipe for disaster. After all, gambling should be a fun activity, with the added bonus of having a chance to win some money, but if you’re not emotionally stable, it can quickly turn into a problematic activity.
Chasing losses is one of the things that often comes from players being unstable emotionally, after suffering the losses, and that is the thing that you want to avoid since chasing losses usually leads to more losses and creates a vicious cycle that is hard to break. So, if you’re filling under stress, take a break from gambling to prevent even more stress.
Set Spending Limits
All reputable casinos in India have the option to set spending limits, time limits, and provide other resources that help with responsible gambling, so make sure to use those resources. Our suggestion is to always utilize and set spending limits for yourself.
After all, you should always only the money that you are prepared to lose and never try to make up for your previous losses or use money that you need for other things. So, setting spending limits is one of the best ways to control your spending at online casinos in India.
Set Time Limits
Another useful tool/resource that is commonly found at online casinos in India is the option to set time limits. Gambling for too long can lead to stress, increase the risk of losing money, and interfere with your job or personal relationships.
With that in mind, setting time limits after which you won’t be allowed to gamble at the casino for some time is the right way to go and can allow you to focus on other things so you don’t become too involved or even obsessed with gambling.
Gambling Is Not a Career
Don’t be fooled by the glitz and glamour that online casinos promote – gambling is not a way for you to make money or earn a living. Yes, there is a chance that you can win some money, but in the long run, the house always wins.
You should only view gambling as a way to have some fun and never as a potential career. That is simply not realistic, especially when it comes to gambling online. Even games of skill involve are not actually fully games of skill — they also require some luck. So, if you like to gamble, have fun and do it in a responsible manner.
Key Takeaways
- Gambling can be fun, but only if it’s enjoyed in a responsible manner. Responsible gambling is a set of many policies and regulations that ensure players’ safety and security at online casinos in India and provides players with different resources to help them avoid the harmful effects of problem gambling or gambling addiction.
- Reputable and responsible online casinos will make sure to adhere to the set of rules that promote responsible gambling, they will have adequate security measures in place to protect player’s privacy and money, and will provide their own resources to ensure responsible gambling on their site, such as age verification to avoid underage gambling, tools to set time and spending limits, and more.
- If you have a gambling problem, you should always use the resources at your disposal, such as tools that allow you to set limits on deposits, losses, time spent gambling, and others like the self-exclusion tool or withdrawal lock.
- Gambling can often lead to addiction and cause many problems. If you feel that you have a gambling problem or addiction, the best course of action is to seek help. Online casinos in India usually offer suggestions and resources on where you can find help, including various sites that offer gambling therapy, such as Gamblers Anonymous or BeGambleAware.
Gamble Responsibly In India
We hope this has been helpful and informative. Responsible gambling has to be taken very seriously, by all parties involved. Over the years, the importance of this has been encouraged by licences and online gambling operators, and people are starting to become more aware. All the links on this page encourage you to go and try it out for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Responsible gambling is a set of initiatives and regulations that ensure that online casinos provide a responsible gambling environment.
Areas of responsible gambling include player protection and safety from criminal activities (information or financial theft), restriction of underage gambling, and privacy regarding their personal information.
Responsible online casinos will hold appropriate licenses to operate in the country or area in question. Also, reputable casinos will provide their own resources and take initiative to ensure responsible gambling.
Recognising that you have a gambling problem is the first and necessary step to make in the journey to recovery. If you lie about your gambling activities, rely on gambling to cope with stress or other personal issues, or feel that gambling has affected your professional or personal relationships, you have a gambling problem.
One of the ways of dealing with a gambling problem is to use responsible gambling tools offered by your online casino, such as setting different limits on your spending or time spent at the casino. Also, if you feel like you need some help, seek it out online or in person.
