Tips for conscious gambling
Gambling is a popular leisure activity that combines fun with the risk of winning. While an addiction can develop from a perfectly normal diversion, it does not have to. However, problem gambling behavior leads to serious social and financial difficulties and should not be underestimated under any circumstances. Gambling addiction prevention must be a central topic in any trustworthy online casino and gambling providers successfully implement all known measures to combat gambling addiction.
If you are no longer able to control your gambling behavior, you need to take all the necessary preventive measures immediately. This article explains them in detail and briefly presents the most important help organizations.
What prevention measures are available?
First of all, I would like to mention once again that gambling does not necessarily lead to gambling addiction. However, just like alcoholics, certain types of people are more prone to such influences and problems. The triggering factors can be character traits, a certain neurological condition or different mental disorders. For example, people who suffer from depression are more prone to developing addiction. The same is true for serotonin deficiency. There are also different social factors that contribute to gambling addiction: Occupation, education, health, etc. If you are susceptible to gambling addiction, you should immediately inform yourself about the available prevention tools in online casinos.
Bankroll Management
Among the most important gambling addiction prevention is money management. Any gambling can lead to losses and you must never bet more money than you are able to lose. If you have a losing streak, do not try to recover your losses by placing higher bets. With such tactics you can even lose your money faster. Try to control your emotions and recognize when you should end your game.
If you get angry, you will make impulsive decisions and commit mistakes more easily, which of course can be very bad in gambling. Don’t compromise your judgment, keep a clear head and carefully review your next move. As soon as you get excited, it is recommended to stop the game and calm down.
Self-limit
All reputable online casinos offer different player protection tools, which should encourage responsible gambling and prevent problem gambling behavior. For example, you can set betting and time limits. This way, you have the possibility to manage your gambling budget more easily. You can limit your bets per session and only when the session ends and you log back in, the betting limit will be reset.
You can also set your own loss limit. If this limit is reached, the casino will not accept any further bets within the selected time period. With the help of the time limits you can take a break from the game and inform yourself about the previous winnings and losses. During this pause you will be able to see all the games, but you will not be able to make any payments or bookings. Of course, you can change your own time, loss and betting limits at any time.
Self-exclusion
This option is available for all players who feel that their participation in gambling is problematic or may lead to addiction. If you have decided on self-exclusion, the casino operator will do everything necessary to prevent your access to the games of chance and return your account funds. Usually, you will need to withdraw the available balance before self-exclusion. At most casinos, self-exclusion lasts for at least 6 months. Note that your account will not be automatically activated after this period and you should send a request to Customer Team.
Renowned aid organizations in the gambling industry
There are different organizations that deal with prevention and treatment of gambling problems. All reputable online casinos cooperate with such organizations and you can see their logos on the casino pages. Here we briefly introduce you to the most famous organizations in the industry.
GamCare
GamCare is perhaps the largest and one of the most recognizable help organizations in the online gambling field. It provides support, information, advice and free counseling for prevention and treatment of gambling problems. It has helped numerous gamblers get over their addiction and improve their lives. More information about it can be found on the official GamCare website.
GambleAware
This organization promotes responsibility in gambling. It offers counseling, information, help and support to the gambling addicts. To make a contact, you can either call or open a live chat window on the website. The counseling is free of charge and 100% anonymous. Moreover, the counseling is available in more than 200 languages.
Gamblers Anonymous
This is a community for people who suffer from gambling addiction. Sufferers help each other with information, experience and compassion. This organization operates in the UK and on the official site you can find more information about the meetings. Furthermore, the site offers literature, forum and chat room. If you are looking for meetings in Germany, you can visit the Gamblers Anonymous website.
Gambling Therapy
This online platform offers free help and support in several languages. The organization has also developed the product GamBlock, which is a software program for gambling addicts. Last but not least, Gambling Therapy still deals with support groups and has trained numerous trainers. You can find out about all the services on the official website.