Casinos, Gamstop & Safe gambling

Online gambling has risen to heights that have never been seen before.

16:47 02 September 2019

Thanks to the prevalence of this risky and exciting activity, it has become incredibly important to make sure that you are playing responsibly. There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and problem gambling can, on occasion, no doubt fall under this dangerous umbrella.

6 tips on how to play safely

Below, we are going to present you with 6 of our top tips on how to play safely. These tips are designed to help you stay on the right side of the fence when problem gambling is concerned.

#1 Always be honest to yourself

This might just be the most important thing of all when it comes to addiction. They say that admitting to yourself that you have a problem is the very first step in getting better, and we would agree. Thus, it is important for you to keep checking on yourself and asking yourself questions as to whether the amount of your time, money or mental capacity used for gambling could indeed be excessive. If you find yourself playing for long periods at a time, losing too much, or ruminating about your losses, chances are that it is high time to take a long hard look at what you could do.

#2 Do not be afraid to ask for help

In the United Kingdom alone, there are several entities that you can contact to ask for help. Websites such as NHS.uk would be a great place to start looking. Most importantly, though, never be too ashamed about having a gambling problem. Much like with alcoholism and smoking, becoming addicted is not voluntary, and it is not your fault for succumbing to such addictive activities.

#3 Try using betting limits

Most licensed online casinos today offer you a chance to set limits to your gaming. You can limit the amount of how much you can deposit, how much you can wager, and how long you can gamble per session. While these things are more for you trying to stop yourself from developing gambling addiction than for getting rid of it, these tools can still help you to keep your gambling in check.

#4 Take a litmus test—try taking a break

The professional wrestler Ric Flair once said that he did not know whether he was an alcoholic because he never tried to stop drinking. While this might sound like somewhat of a joke, there is undoubtedly a grain of truth in there. If you have been gambling for years now without ever having a month or two off, you might not even recognise how important gambling has become for you. Whenever in doubt, we recommend you give it a try to keep your hands off of gambling for at least a good month and a half. This way, you will see whether you miss it, crave it, or would actually just want to stop completely.

#5 Use tools like Gamstop to block casinos

If you feel like you want to take a break, you might as well register to Gamstop to block your access to UK licenced casinos. On Gamstop, you can choose to self-exclude from online casinos for a period of 6 months to 5 years. However, even though this is a good option for some players, it’s vital to understand that there are huge flaws to the Gamstop register. First off, simply misspelling your name can trick the system, allowing you to gamble at UK licenced gambling websites. Secondly, Poker Player Newspaper reports that there are many casinos not blocked by Gamstop. With this in mind, if you want to use tools to restrict your access to gambling, it’s good to also use a second service not limited by jurisdictions.

#6 Set a budget and keep to it

Our last tip for you would be to always set a budget and keep to it. When gambling, we sometimes get the urge to play a little bit more, which is most often a bad idea. Of course, sometimes playing more could indeed result in some extra cash, but since the house always wins, chances are that you will only be digging yourself into a hole. What is more, it is not only about money here as you will probably feel pretty bad any way after having gone over your budget. If you like to play once every week, make sure that you know beforehand how much you are going to play and how much money you will have left if you lose. What is more, you should always consider your gambling money lost even before you start playing. Otherwise, you will feel miserable most of the time since the odds are against you.