Responsible Gambling Practices

Gambling Question Checklist

• Is your gambling still a game?
• Have you ever gone back to the next day to try and win back the money you lost?
• Do you find yourself hiding your bets from your beloved ones when they ask how much you’ve spent?
• Have you ever borrowed money from someone to gamble?
• Do you tend to gamble when you are feeling stressed or unhappy?
• Have you ever considered stopping gambling and then coming back to it shortly after?
• Do you feel restless or irritable when you cannot be?

All licensed gambling platforms offer various tools and resources that players can use to manage their gambling habits. However, these tools are most effective when players are willing to change their behavior or adopt responsible gaming routines. This guide aims to assist players in ensuring that they only spend what they can afford and that when gambling is no longer just for fun, it may be time to change their approach or take a break. So, before highlighting the available tools, let’s first look at 7 key actions to help ensure you are gambling responsibly.

Set a Budget

Before placing your first bet, determine how much you can afford to lose and set it aside as your gambling budget. It’ll let you have fun without affecting your overall finances. We only recommend playing with what you can afford to lose so its best to be safe with this type of spending.
To avoid exceeding your budget, you can use the deposit limit on registration to set a cap on how much money can be added to your account. It restricts all deposits once you reach the limit.

When You Lose, Stop

Chances are, you will lose more often than you win over time, so there’s no point in trying to recover your losses. Any attempt to chase losses will end in a bigger loss, so the responsible thing to do after a huge loss is to stop. Increasing your bet sizes and the frequency could indicate gambling addiction. Most licensed platforms offer a loss limit feature that lets players set the maximum amount of money they are willing to lose within a period. When you hit that limit, you can’t place another bet or wager until the period elapses.

Track Your Gambling Expenses

Track your gambling expenses to avoid overspending and exceeding your budget. It also lets you: Identify problem gambling patterns, such as increased spending or impulsive betting. Understand how much small, frequent bets add up over time. Report gambling winnings correctly, if they are taxable in your jurisdiction. You can track your gambling expenses using spreadsheets, apps like Gambling Tracker, or notes on your phone.

Take Breaks Reguarly

Gambling for an extended period can cloud your judgment and mess with your decision-making. Take regular breaks, especially after a losing streak. Licensed casinos offer various tools players can use to take breaks, including self-exclusion, time-outs, session time limits, and reality checks. We discuss them in detail in the next section.

Don’t Gamble Under the Influence

Betting under the influence of drugs and alcohol can alter your judgment and lead to poor and impulsive decisions, like chasing losses and exceeding your budget. Unfortunately, betting under the influence is pretty common because many fans like to wager and drink while watching sports. To avoid it, place your bets before the event if you know that you may be intoxicated when watching it.

Dont Gamble When You’re Unhappy

Don’t gamble if you are feeling stressed, anxious, or are generally unhappy. Like with drugs and alcohol, these feelings can mess with your decision-making ability, making it harder to evaluate risk clearly. Gambling can’t distract you from mental, emotional, or physical pain: it’ll actually make it worse, especially if you lose. Instead, speak to your family and friends about your feelings and ask for advice, and only continue gambling once your mind is clear.

Seek Help From a Professional

The tips and responsible gambling tools mentioned here can help you stay in control over your gambling. However, they may not be effective for everyone, particularly those with severe gambling problems or addiction. Since we are not experts, we recommend seeking professional responsible gambling help from organizations on our Gambling Addiction Page.

Responsible gambling tools are features and resources that help gamblers control their habits and prevent issues that may lead to addiction. They are mostly found in licensed casinos since unlicensed casinos aren’t required to provide them to operate, and most don’t. This is one of the key reasons why at online.casino we always emphasize playing at licensed and regulated casinos.

Responsible gambling tools can be classified into two categories: financial and time management tools. They have different functions and objectives, which you need to understand to use them correctly. Here, we highlight the main types of responsible gambling tools and how they work.

Financial Spending Limits – Deposit, Loss, Wager Limits

Financial limits allow you to control the amount of money you spend or lose gambling. They include:

Deposit Limit

A tool that allows players to set the maximum amount of money they can add to their account within a specified timeframe. You can set a daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limit, which will block any further deposits once the cap is reached.

Loss Limit

A feature that lets players control their losses. To use it, you need to set the maximum amount of money you’re willing to lose daily, weekly, or monthly, and you’ll be blocked from wagering once you hit the limit.

Wager Limit

A setting that lets players cap how much they can bet per game, round, or session, whether they win or lose. Any bet that exceeds the amount of the limit is rejected automatically. Depending on your platform, you can set it during registration or in the settings after logging in.

Time Management Tools – Session, Reality Checks & Time-Outs

Time management tools are designed to limit the time you spend gambling. There are claims that gamblers should take 15 minute breaks after one hour of gambling as studies have shown to reduce the amount of money they have played after the break. They include:

Session Time Limits

A feature that helps players control the length of their gambling sessions. To use it, you need to set a time cap, and the platform will automatically log you out when the limit is reached. For example, if you set a 2-hour limit at 10 AM, you would be automatically logged out at 12 PM.

Reality Checks

A tool that sends periodic reminders that pop up during gambling sessions to remind you of how long you’ve been gambling and whether you are ready to stop playing. Like the session time limits, the pop-up interval depends on the time you set.

Time-Outs

Also known as cool-off periods, time-outs are similar to self-exclusion but are for shorter periods. Most restrict access to the account for a time ranging from 24 hours to 30 days, during which you can’t log in, deposit, or play.

Almost all countries that allow gambling impose age limits to prevent minors from participating. However, it still happens, which is concerning because starting younger increases the risks of developing severe, long-term addiction.

Gambling platforms are expected to enforce strict rules and procedures, such as KYC checks, to prevent underage gambling. However, there are additional steps that you can take to reinforce these protections. We highlight them below.

Gambling-Specific Blocking Software

Gambling-specific blocking software is a specialized tool designed to restrict access to online casinos, sportsbooks, bingo, and other gambling platforms that can be installed on many devices. Our users should be 18+ and we do not advocate for anyone underage playing or being exposed to Underage Gambling. They work by blocking access for a selected period to all gambling-related URLs globally, ensuring minors can’t find them. Our users should be 18+ and we do not advocate for anyone underage playing or being exposed to Underage Gambling. Some reputable options include:

• BetBlocker
• Gamban
• Gamblock
• Betfilter

Also, some internet providers and devices allow you to set the restrictions without having to install software. To find out more about this, reach out to your device or internet provider.

General Parental Control Software

While these tools were originally designed for parental control, they can also serve as an additional layer of protection if you want to gamble more responsibly:

• Net Nanny: A comprehensive software that uses AI to scan content in real time and block inappropriate content, such as gambling and explicit websites. You can also use it to place daily time limits on device use.
• Qustodio: A tool for parents that can block specific categories like gambling across all browsers and apps. It also offers app monitoring and location tracking.
• Bark: An app that uses AI to scan online activity for gambling-related content. It also allows custom monitoring and app blocking across unlimited devices.
• SurveilStar: A software that lets you block entire categories of websites, including gambling.

Gambling responsibly lets you enjoy your sessions without affecting your finances, relationships, or overall life. It requires you to make changes to your behavior and gambling routine, such as setting a budget, taking breaks, and tracking your experience. You also need to use responsible gambling tools like deposit and session time limits to maintain control over your gambling. But if you feel unable to stop or control your gambling, you should seek help from gambling help organizations like Gamble Aware. If you believe that you are no longer under control please consider seeking help from one of the organizations listed on our Gambling Addiction Page.