Gambling is, without any doubt, the primary source of entertainment for many people. But unfortunately, that entertainment can quickly become a nightmare if you do not respect the principles of responsible gambling.
On this page, we will talk about gambling addiction and share some tips on safe gambling with you. But we will also give you more information on available resources and responsible gambling organisations. Let’s go!
Recognize the Problem to Solve It
Many people do not even want to admit they have such a problem. All the responsible gaming organisations, such as BeGambleAware, suggest that players start the process by asking themselves a couple of questions. Here are the things you should do:
- Determine how much money you spend.
- You experience a high level of adrenaline when gambling with enormous amounts.
- You regularly chase losses.
- Other hobbies and activities do not make you feel happy or satisfied.
- Gambling is the first and last thing you think about during the day.
- You spend a lot of time gambling every single day.
- You are borrowing money to gamble (but you never tell the truth about why you need money).
All these signs confirm that you are not practising game safe gambling. Unfortunately, most people will not want to accept that they are not practising safe gaming gambling.
Stay in Control
Self-control is the key! Without it, you won’t ever understand what responsible gambling is. We do understand this is hard for you. Because of that, we would like to share some gambling advice and make things easier for you. Let’s go!
Budget Setting
Determine how much you can afford to spend daily, weekly, and monthly. Always divide the money that will cover your everyday costs for bills and food. Also, one part of your salary (or any income) must be for unexpected costs. The remaining amount of money is something you can spend on entertainment!
Most gamblers complain they do not even notice how much money they spend. Fortunately, casinos that promote safe gambling allow registered users to limit their spending. When they reach the spending limit, the gambling site does not allow them to gamble anymore.
Time Limitations
Time frames remind us it is about time to leave our online casino and focus on something else. If you believe you are practising responsible gaming, you are not gambling every day, or you do that daily for a short period. We do not know which duties you have and how your daily routine looks. But, you should not spend more than 1 hour on an online casino. That is enough to relax and have fun.
Clear Mind
As we said, you must be aware of your problems. To be precise, you need to understand your personality, strengths, and weaknesses. You must accept that you do not have the self-control necessary for responsible gambling. Instead of neglecting it, you should start working on it. If you need more time to improve it, stop gambling until you solve it!
Learn Gambling Information
Gambling is not just about luck. Before starting your journey, you need to collect all the relevant gambling information about casinos and the games you are playing. First, you need to determine whether a casino is safe and fair. The only way to do that is to check its features, such as the licence it possesses, the quantity and quality of the gaming catalogue, etc.
Priorities Setting
Your priority should be to ensure financial stability for yourself and your family provided by responsible gambling. How you will spend the amount of money you divide for entertainment is up to you. First, you must create a list of priorities you will spend your money on. Okay, if gambling is the top entertaining thing for you, that’s fine! But are you ready to sacrifice all other hobbies?
Gambling Tips for Responsible Playing
Our gambling tips on responsible gaming do not end there. Our list of tips is dedicated to every player that wants to practise gaming safe gambling and potentially raise their chances of winning. Let’s go!
Gamble for Fun!
Gambling ISN’T A SOURCE OF INCOME. You must remember that gambling advice. To earn money, you must have a job, work on your skills to get promoted to a better position, or run a business. A casino is where you can have fun from time to time. If you are trying to earn money for food, clothes, or something else with casino games, please ask for online gambling help.
Bet Wisely!
We love optimistic people. But never log in to your casino account with the thought that you will win money. Your deposits and bets should be money that you can afford to lose. If you win additional money, that’s great. But if you lose, you won’t get disappointed.
Sober Gambling Only
Your mind must be evident every time you are gambling. If you are depressed, anxious, or nervous while playing games, simply log out from your casino account. People get upset when they find themselves on a losing streak. Because of that, they often raise the bets, hoping they will grab bigger wins. That’s not how responsible gambling looks. Always play sober!
Don’t Chase Loses
As we said, gambling is just entertainment and nothing more! It is like watching a basketball match or going to the cinema. You pay for the ticket and do not expect to get more money back. So be ready to lose the money you invested in any casino, and never try to get that money back.
Negative Aspects
Responsible gaming organisations will highlight entertainment as the only positive thing about gambling. However, the number of disadvantages is way longer. We would like to highlight 4 of them that will undoubtedly change your approach to this activity!
Financial Side
Are you ready to deal with debts? The number of people who profit from gambling is deficient. Even if some individuals get massive jackpots, no one says they won’t log in to the casino again and spend all that money. The time you spend on earning money becomes worthless if you spend all you have (plus borrow money) because of gambling.
Mental Health Aspect
Gambling addiction can cause some serious mental health issues. For example, everything else can become boring to you, which leads to depression. Also, if you start making debts because of gambling, you will become anxious if you can’t get back the money. You don’t want to experience something like that, which only confirms that safe gambling is your only option.
Social Side of Gambling
Single people often isolate themselves from their best friends because they only want to gamble. Also, many friendships ended because of debts that couldn’t be repaid. On the other hand, many marriages fell apart because of gambling debts. Addicted players simply forget about their partners and kids, which causes terrible relationships within one family. If they start selling stuff or property, things become even worse. Do you want to end that way?
Gambling Career
Addicted players lose connection with reality and time. Their job suddenly becomes too monotonous for them. Plus, the money they earn for hard work becomes worthless. They previously won a couple of salaries for a couple of minutes with no effort at all. So why would they spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, to get less money?
Everything we just said confirms that gambling addiction can seriously damage your work and career. Logically, with a lack of money and debts, depression becomes even stronger, relationships in the family get worse, etc. All the negatives are connected!
Alternative Activities
Our last piece of advice for you is that gambling is not the only entertaining thing. If you love casino games, then you can enjoy demo versions. However, we suggest you spend more time with family and friends, go to the gym, read, watch movies, travel, etc. Do things that motivate you. Focus on activities that support your improvement and make people around you happy.
Gambling Assistance
If you need online gambling help, there are many resources out there that can assist you until you reach your goal. The assistance comes in the form of group meetings where you can talk with experts and other people who have the same issue. Some of the best resources out there are
Gam-Anon
This fellowship is organised by men and women who have the same problem as you. They understand how gambling can negatively impact your financial situation, marriage, relationships within the family, etc.
Website: https://www.gam-anon.org/
Contact: +1-718-352-1671 or gamanonoffice@gam-anon.org
GamCare
GamCare is one of the leading providers of online gambling help to all addicted players. They offer their services to the worldwide population free of charge. People can contact them through different communication channels such as live chat, group chats, phone, email, etc.
Website: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
Contact: digital@gamcare.org.uk or 1-888795-6111
BeGambleAware
BeGambleAware is an online initiative that helps all people that deal with gambling problems. On their website, you can find many helpful and exciting gambling tips. But, if that’s not enough, you can talk with advisors via phone or live chat. The conversation is entirely anonymous and does not require registration/personal information.
Website: https://www.begambleaware.org/
Contact: Live chat or 0808 8020 133
Gamblers Anonymous
This organisation has the longest tradition on this list. It has existed for a couple of decades and supports all forms of addiction (not just related to gambling). They offer a 12-step program that aims to recover all the people who got addicted to casino games.
Website: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
Contact: info@gamblersanonymous.org.uk
The National Council on Problem Gambling
The so-called NCPG does not only provide help to people that got addicted to gambling. They are also willing to involve people around them in the entire process. You can find many exciting things on their websites and get in touch with some counsellors.
Website: https://www.ncpgambling.org/
Contact: 1-800-522-4700 or ncpgambling.ord/chat
Responsible Gambling Council
This organisation has only one goal – to reduce all the gambling risks that could appear. They promote responsible gaming and assist all individuals that deal with online gambling problems.
Website: https://www.responsiblegambling.org/
Contact: +1-416-499-9800
British Columbia Responsible and Problem Gambling Program
This is a government organisation that gives free assistance to all the people that are dealing with online gambling problems. It supports healthy gambling behaviours and organises appropriate treatments throughout the support line.
Contact: 1-888-705-6111
GamStop
GamStop is a non-profit organisation supported by the government of the UK. This organisation offers a self-exclusion scheme for all addicted players. People can self-exclude themselves from the casinos for 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. If players use this service on one GamStop casino, their ban will be active on ALL online casinos that collaborate with this organisation.
Website: https://www.gamstop.co.uk/
Contact: helpdesk@gamstop.co.uk, live chat, or 0800 138 6518
Other Responsible Gambling Organisations for Canadian Gamblers
Responsible Gambling Organisation | Website | Phone Number | Specialisation |
Alberta Health Service | https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/ | +1-866-332-2322 | Delivering health services, part of the Canadian integrated health system |
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba | https://afm.mb.ca/ | +1-855-662-6605 | Helping people with all forms of addiction |
New Brunswick Canada | https://www2.gnb.ca/ | +1-800-461-1234 | Website of New Brunswick government. Available to everyone for any form of help |
New Foundland Labrador Canada | https://www.gov.nl.ca/hcs/mentalhealth-committee/mentalhealth/ | +1-877-999-7589 | Offers support to all people dealing with a mental health crisis |
The Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use (GGTU) | https://kmb.camh.ca/ggtu/ | +1-416-535-8501 | Supports and develops mental health and addiction systems |
Gambling Help and Referral | https://aidejeu.ca/en/ | +1-800-461-0140 | Helps people with gambling problems |
Connex Ontario | https://www.connexontario.ca/en-ca/ | +1-866-531-2600 | Guiding people that deal with gambling, alcohol, drugs, or any other addiction to the right institution |
Yukon Territory | https://yukon.ca/ | +1-800-661-0408 | Official website of Yukon government, supports people with gambling addiction |
Saskatchewan | https://www.saskatchewan.ca/ | +1-306-787-7239 | Official website of Saskatchewan government |
Prince Edward Island | https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en | +1-855-255-4255 | Official website of Government of Prince Edward Island |
Nunavut | https://www.gov.nu.ca/ | +1-800-265-3333 | Official website of the Government of Nunavut |
Nova Scotia | https://beta.novascotia.ca/ | +1-888-347-8888 | Official website of the government of Nova Scotia |
Northwest Territories | https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en | +1-800-661-0844 | Provides health and social services |
Canada Safety Council | https://canadasafetycouncil.org/ | Depends on region | Provides safety education to people dealing with different mental and physical health problems |
British Columbia Gambling Support | https://www.gamblingsupportbc.ca/ | 1-888-795-6111 | Provides free treatments to all people addicted to gambling |