Responsible Gambling Tips: Safety Tools, Limits and More

Even if you’re a casual gambler, there are still risks associated with this activity. So, it’s important to be cautious and stay in control of your gaming sessions. Learn how to do that with our tips and insights on responsible gambling tools, limits and other safety measures!

Create Your Own Responsible Gambling Strategy

Gambling addiction is a problem faced by bettors around the world. About 6% of bettors in the U.S. are dealing with a gambling addiction, while 3.8% of individuals in the UK are at-risk gamblers. The numbers may seem low to you, but this addiction comes with stigmas, and people tend to be ashamed and never seek the necessary help.

Falling down the slippery slope of problem gambling can negatively impact every area of your life. It can cause financial, emotional, and sometimes even legal problems. Worse still, it can cause problems in your relationships with your loved ones and overall work life.

To ensure this does not apply to you, it is important for you to create a responsible gambling strategy tailored to your needs, before you begin your gambling journey. Below, our experts have compiled a few tips you can implement so you can stay in control and not fall into the vicious cycle of gambling addiction.

Tip #1: Start by Setting Limits

Setting limits when playing in online casinos is a great way to ensure you gamble responsibly. Limits could apply to the amount you invest and how much you spend gambling on a casino site. Having cash limits will ensure that you don’t spend more money than you are supposed to on gambling. Time limits on the other hand will ensure you take breaks when necessary and stay safe when gambling.

Fortunately, top online casinos have many responsible gambling tools in place that can help you effectively set limits. Here’s a list of the options you’ll commonly come across:

• Deposit Limits: This feature restricts how much you deposit at gambling sites within a specified period. Depending on your budget when you’re gambling, you can usually choose from daily, monthly, or weekly limits.
• Loss Limits: Like deposit limits, the loss limit tool will restrict how much you can lose on online gambling websites. This is a great option if you have no problem controlling your deposits but tend to chase losses consistently. Once you lose the set amount, you’ll be unable to bet on other casino games until the time limit expires.
• Betting Limits: Sometimes, wagering smaller amounts is a great way to manage your bankroll. You can easily do this by setting a bet limit on your casino site, which will restrict how much you can wager on a casino game.

How to Set Realistic Limits?

If you set your limits to be too high when you have a small bankroll, it could cause you problems. The same applies when you set extremely low limits when you have a sizeable bankroll.

While this may seem smart, having a low limit may lead to you depositing more cash to meet up. This can ultimately result in you making small, but frequent, deposits, that are hard to keep track of – and you end up not realizing how much you actually spent. You’ll want to strike a balance to enjoy the best of both worlds.

The best route is to set your monthly budget. Take into account your basic necessities, like rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, healthcare, and other payments you need to make. Set up your budget for the “wants”, as well as set aside money for your savings. Only then, if you feel comfortable with your planning, you can set a gambling budget.

Tip #2: Regularly Track Your Financials

Sometimes, with gambling, it is easy to keep going until you lose track of how much you have spent, especially if you skipped our first tip. Therefore, properly monitoring your finances is a great way to gamble responsibly and avoid going overboard.

While you can do this manually, top online casino sites offer you responsible gaming tools to monitor your finances right from your account.

Simply head to the cashier and click on history. Here, you’ll find detailed information on all the deposits you have made on the platform so far. Add them up and see how much you spent regularly, and try to identify any increasing trends. Doing this religiously will ensure you can nip problem gambling in the bud.

Tip #3: Perform Regular Self-Assessment Tests

One of the issues with problem gambling or gambling addiction is that it is sometimes hard to detect it. While the physical effects are obvious, the psychological effects are not. This is a problem because the first step in correcting a gambling problem is to determine you have one.

Fortunately, there are self-assessment tests you can take to see if you have been affected by gambling addiction. Some prestigious casinos offer them, and you can also take the test in our problem gambling resources post.

Tip #4: Keep Support Resources in Mind

Many of those who struggle with problem gambling feel ashamed of their problem and find it difficult to get help, even in the early stages of this issue. If you applied the tips we suggested, and you found that you still feel like you’re not in control of the situation, it is time to seek support.

• Gamblers Anonymous
• GamCare
• Gamstop
• Gamtalk
• Gambleaware
• BeGambleAware

These institutions have professionals who specialize in assisting players with gambling problems. You can contact them via their website or by calling the toll-free helpline. If you prefer, you can try out your national gambling hotlines and resources, as they are available in any country.

We have a full list of steps to go through once you find yourself out of control, which we recommend you check out.

Our Final Word on Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling, although easy to neglect, is an important part of gambling. If you fail to incorporate this gambling behaviour, you can easily develop a gambling addiction and experience problems down the line.

Most top online casinos understand it and offer safer gambling tools. These range from various gaming to self-exclusion tools to help curb your gaming activities.

Another alternative is to use the tips we have covered in this guide. With them, you can create a responsible gambling strategy and enjoy gambling in a healthy manner – just as it was intended!