Understanding what responsible gambling means is essential before trying any casino betting. While Gamblorium aims to provide unbiased reviews of leading casinos and keep you updated with the latest information, it also tries to educate prospective players about what’s wrong and right in the thrilling realm of online casinos where luck meets responsibility.
When casinos and their addictive games are at your fingertips, it’s easy to get carried away and continue placing bet after bet. However, this shouldn’t happen.
In 2020, the global gambling market was valued at over $465 billion. With such vast numbers, addressing the potential risks and consequences of gambling addiction is crucial. In this section of Responsible Gambling, casino experts at Gamblorium will try to explain:
- What gambling addiction means, and what are the symptoms
- Where a gambler should draw a line
- How not to fall into the dark pit of gambling addiction
- What to do if you’re addicted to gambling
Gambling Addiction Definition- Learn From Experts
Call it gambling disorder, addiction, or compulsive gambling, it is a condition when casino players can’t stop playing or placing bets. They keep on participating in gambling activities in the hope of marking a victory. They become so blind that they fail to overlook the negative consequences.
According to research, nearly 2-3% of the population in countries worldwide struggles with a gambling problem. When combined, this comes out to be a considerable number.
Even though this is curable, it can potentially cause serious harm to the affected individuals and their families. Every individual using online casinos should be aware of gambling addiction, its features, and how it should be controlled so that they see immediate help if they find themselves dragging towards it.
Below, we have explained the four stages of gambling addiction.
Winning Stage
This phase often starts with a significant win, which triggers a sense of optimism and desire for more winnings. Players become consumed with dreams of further success and may increase their bets.
Losing Stage
As the expected wins fail to materialise, gamblers become increasingly despondent. They spend excessive time contemplating gambling and devising strategies to recoup losses. During this phase, individuals may resort to borrowing money, lying to cover up their activities, and experiencing strained relationships.
Desperation Stage
In this phase, gamblers resort to desperate measures to settle their debts, regardless of legality. Feelings of depression and thoughts of self-harm may arise while maintaining hope that a significant win will resolve all problems.
Hopelessness Stage
The final stage is marked by severe consequences, including addiction to substances like alcohol or drugs, divorce, unemployment, or legal troubles. Gamblers may reach a point of apathy toward their debts and no longer believe in the possibility of winning. Tragically, some individuals may contemplate or attempt suicide.
It is important to remember that gambling addiction is a complex issue with individual variations, and not all individuals progress through each stage similarly. However, Gamblorium encourages every casino player to learn about these stages and their consequences so that they bet responsibly and in a controlled manner.
Markers Of Gambling Addiction
Like any addiction or disorder, gambling addiction has some symptoms, and knowing them is one of the sure-shot ways to prevent this addiction from causing serious issues. Below listed are some of the most commonly noticed symptoms of gambling addiction.
Daydreaming about your past victories and always thinking about what more you can do at that time to double your wins.
- Trying hard to quit gambling but failing every time.
- Showing aggression or high-level irritability when you’re not able to gamble.
- Finding gambling a resort for all of your stress and worries and looking for an excuse to place a bet.
- Becoming obsessed with gambling and trying to cover past losses despite frequent failures.
- Do everything you can to gather the money for gambling and spend the savings.
- Neglecting your primary duties or not focusing on your job/studies because of gambling.
- Lying to your family and loved ones just because of gambling.
- Neglecting health and hobbies for gambling.
This list of symptoms alone is not all-inclusive and is insufficient to diagnose the disorder. Seek professional assistance and make an accurate diagnosis. Four or more above-listed symptoms confirm the condition, and self-diagnosis is harmful.
What Can Push You Towards Gambling Addiction
One might wonder why some bettors manage to bet in a controlled manner while few become addicted. Why does this happen? While our experts failed to gather enough reports and research to shed more light on this, they succeeded in learning that three factors, genetic, biological, and environmental, play a crucial role in causing a gambling addiction.
While each case is unique, it is advisable to seek assistance from a specialist to identify the underlying cause.
- Mental health problems: It is observed that those who got into the nippers of this addiction generally have pre-diagnosed concurrent mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or substance abuse issues. Studies suggest a correlation between gambling addiction and ADHD and bipolar disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder has also been found to be associated with gambling problems.
- Gender: The study of past gambling addiction data revealed that men are more prone to this issue. However, the gender disparity is diminishing presently, as women are increasingly affected by gambling obsession, although typically starting at a later age.
- Age: Young adults and middle-aged individuals are more susceptible to developing a gambling addiction because they don’t have broadly expanded consciousness and self-control. Starting to gamble at a young age significantly increases the risk of addiction. Nonetheless, other age groups can also be impacted by this issue.
- Personality traits: Researches confirm that impulsive and disorganised individuals with limited social engagement are more prone to experiencing problems with gambling.
- Environmental factor: If you’re surrounded by gamblers all the time or spend most of your time where gambling talks happen, you’re more likely to become prey to gambling addiction.
- Use of certain medications: Few drugs, mainly Dopamine agonists, are known for encouraging compulsive behaviour in individuals. If you’re consuming this drug, you’re more likely to deal with gambling addiction.
While gambling problems typically arise from a combination of several factors mentioned above, certain conditions can increase the likelihood of developing an addiction – for instance, mood swings, schizophrenia, alcohol and drug addiction, and low serotonin levels. People suffering from all these conditions may have difficulty making wise decisions and may continue to gamble. In addition, individuals going through emotional turmoil or experiencing a life-changing event are also at risk of gambling obsession.
How To Put an End To The Obsession
If not controlled on time, gambling addiction can lead to the ultimate downfall of the affected individuals. This is why experts recommend monitoring the symptoms and taking immediate remedial actions. Below-mentioned tips will help you or someone around you dealing with gambling addiction to loosen the grip of this issue.
Admit its presence, and don’t show denial. We understand that it’s difficult to admit you’re facing an addiction. But you should be courageous and agree that you’re obsessed with gambling.
Try to find out which all factors are triggering the urge to place a bet on you. Is it the stress or the boredom? Different individuals will have different triggers, and you must work hard to figure them out.
Don’t hesitate to join support groups and forums for this addiction. Joining such a group will help you fully understand the negative aspects of gambling, speak your mind, and feel that you’re not alone. This helps in early remedy.
Plan your day so you’re always with someone and have less alone time. An addicted gambler will find it hard to stop playing when she is alone. So, being surrounded by people is the key.
Some apps block gambling sites on your mobile. Go and grab such apps today. Most people with gambling addictions commonly use mobile phones to place a bet. So, blocking them on mobile phones is a great way to control this obsession.
Make sure you have a hobby to beat boredom or stress. It could be anything, sports, painting, singing, etc. The idea here is to find an escape when stressed or bored.
Once you feel you’re going towards addiction, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.
Protecting Minors
Gambling addiction in minors is a serious concern and needs immediate attention as they lack commitment and fail to understand the negative aspects of gambling.
Often, they spend their parents’ money, make impulsive decisions, and have a tough time controlling the urge. All these things make gambling addiction in minors a matter of concern, and many countries have adequate measures to prevent gambling obsession in minors.
For instance, there are age restrictions. One should be at least 18 years old to play casino games. In some countries like the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, you should be at least 20 years old, while countries like the US have kept the minimum age of 21 years to use online casinos.
Keeping age restrictions is not enough. Age verification is imperative, which is why physical and online casinos ask for age proof, like a driving license, ID, and passport.
Encourage Responsible Gambling
If you have self-control and don’t want to miss the fun of gambling, you must be a responsible gambler, and the below-mentioned tips will help you play casino games without being obsessed.
- Keep in mind that gambling is an activity, and it’s not the main profession.
- Don’t hold on to your losses and become glued to the wins. When you’re too attached to victories and losses, it’s hard to come out from the gambling vibes.
- Decide your budget and stick to it. Never increase your wager, hoping for big wins.
- Make sure you’re gambling when all your senses are awake. Don’t bet when you’re anxious, alone, depressed, or going through emotional turmoil.
- Avoid using any addictive substances or alcohol while you’re in an online casino.
- Understand that setting limits and taking breaks are essential. Don’t cross your limits even if luck favours you and you’re marking victories.
- Give enough time to yourself and understand the game format before involving real money.
- Hold yourself and invest money only when you read all the terms and conditions to understand all the hidden fees. Read all the clauses carefully, and if you find any conduction confusing, contact the casino’s customer support to clear your doubts.
- Don’t live in the illusion that mastering gambling strategies will make you win. While these strategies can help you make an award bet, they don’t give you a winning guarantee.
- Accept that wins and losses are part of the game and will surely happen.
- Make sure that you’re playing with your money and not borrowing. Also, ensure that savings are never used for betting. Be firm about this.
- At last, we recommend you play only with licensed and regulated casinos. Such casinos adopt best practices, encourage responsible gaming, and will provide you with fair gameplay.
Organisations Lending A Helping Hand
| Logo | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Gamcare | Gamblers from countries like the UK, Wales, and England can seek help from Gamcare to overcome their gambling obsession. With live chat, professional support, and one-to-one sessions, this organisation is doing a commendable job in combating addiction. |
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BeGambleAware.com | This independent charity organisation works relentlessly to make people aware of safe gambling practices with its detailed and professional guides. You can find information about gambling hazards, adverse outcomes of the obsession, and how to be a responsible gambler. Contact their helpline when you need any personal help. |
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GA | GA is perhaps the world’s most renowned gambling helpline website. Founded in 1957, GA has a worldwide fellowship that anyone can avail of. It provides dependable support to overcome repulsive gambling. |
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Gambling Therapy | As the name suggests, Gambling Therapy provides immediate help and therapy to gamblers dealing with gambling addiction. You can contact their customer support via email, assistance, forums, and phone. There is an extensive knowledge base that you can use to learn about responsible gambling. |
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Gamban | Gamban is an inventive application that you can use to stop gambling websites show-up on your phone. Download it on your phone, and gambling websites will be blocked. The software works on MacOS, iOS, Windows, and Android. |
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Gambling Commission | Helping you get information about gambling in Great Britain and find support when you need it. |
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NCPG | Last but not the least, you can seek help from NCPG if you want to overcome your compulsive gambling habit. Contact their customer support around the clock. It even conducts responsible gambling awareness conferences every year. Many leading gambling-based research are conducted by this organisation as well. |
Closing Remarks
Being an online casino user is fun and a great way to feel the thrill unless it turns into obsession and blind your wisdom completely. Individuals suffering from gambling addiction tend to put everything at stake.
The addiction grapples slowly and becomes severe conduction over time. This is why every gambler must be aware of responsible gambling actions, understand the symptoms of this addiction, and seek professional help. Denial makes things worse.