Managing Problem Gambling

Gambling is often defined as a bet on a future uncertain result that can either turn out in ones favor or contrary to their expectations.  Problem gambling is a motivation to continuously engage in gambling with the aim of making more money or in order to recover money lost to other gamblers.  A number of countries have enacted legislation to promote responsible gambling with the objective of introducing a more conducive gambling environment. It is important to note that, just like any other game, gambling must include restrictions on who can participate as well as the deposit limit.  Problem gamblers can, however, manage their addiction to gambling in a variety of ways; self exclusion programs are one such way. This involves a gambler, who realizes that he/she has a problem, voluntarily excluding themselves from gambling through a formal agreement with the relevant legal entities for a specified period of time usually not exceeding five (5) years.

In order to maintain the highest standards of responsible gambling, a gambler is allowed to determine the deposit limit they intend to dedicate to the gambling process in a given timeframe. However, one may decrease or increase this amount on their own depending on whether or not they want to. Research has shown that age has a direct relation to one’s addiction to gambling. Young victims of problem gambling are more likely to have the urge to gamble compared to the older victims. There is, therefore, need to include age control as one way of guiding the manner in which individuals participate in gambling. It is also against the ethics of society to introduce young people to the lust of money at the early stages of their lives as most of them do not appreciate the dynamics behind winning and losing in a gamble.

A gambler’s account can either be limited, restricted or even suspended by the bookmaker itself. When it is not orchestrated by unscrupulous and unreliable bookmakers to not pay legit winnings, suspension and restrictions are a viable way put in place by bookies to cope with the problem. William Hill is considered a responsible online casino brand and bookmaker for instance, together with Ladbrokes and Coral [The “Big Three” – William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral]. Any of these sites explicitly refers to the adopted responsible gaming policies, which rule Self Exclusion, Account Restrictions, Deposit Limit, Age Control, Parental Control. Always have a read of these policies before joining an online bookmaker to check whether you are protected enough against your own weaknesses.