Staying in control while you are betting on your favorite sports is essential - and for that reason I’ve put together this responsible gambling guide to help you.
I’ll take you through the basics of responsible gambling, look at setting time and financial limits as well as helping you spot signs that you might be having problems. You’ll also be briefed on the tools at sportsbooks to help, and where to turn for help as soon as you need it.
Betting on your favorite sports is supposed to be fun, and enhance the overall experience, but it can go too far and excessive gambling can lead you to spend more money than they can afford to lose, damage relationships and take a heavy toll on the mental health of all involved. To combat this, responsible gambling is a set of practices and processes designed to help you go about placing your bets in a safe and controlled manner. This expands to making informed decisions, setting limits, and understanding the risks associated with gambling activities. This responsible gambling guide will cover all of this - starting with the basics:
In short there are three main principles to responsible gambling
As you can see, setting limits can be an important step, so the next section of my responsible gambling guide will look at this
The first element of responsible gambling is all about managing your finances. Setting but just as importantly sticking to limits for bets and deposits can be important for staying in control. Typical tactics employed to do this include:
That last point leads on to the principle and process of setting yourself time limits. Spending too much time betting can lead to addictive behavior and neglecting things that you would normally consider more important.
You also need to be aware that problem gambling can creep up on you and develop gradually so you might not notice at first. There are some tell-tale signs you can keep a look out for that might indicate problem behavior
| Activity | What you need to look out for |
|---|---|
| Chasing losses | Repeatedly trying to win back losses by placing emotionally driven bets |
| Neglecting normal responsibilities | Not going to work so you can bet, canceling family plans or social events because you’d rather be betting |
| Lying about your betting activity | Not being honest with yourself or others about the amount of time and money you spend betting |
| Increased bet spending | Needing to up your stakes to get the same ‘buzz’ as you did before |
| Borrowing money | Using money you haven’t got to carry on betting after you’ve spent your own funds |
If you see fledgling signs of this kind of behavior, you might want to start using the self exclusion tools that are available from your account dashboard. Most sportsbooks will also have these in place via customer support.
You can choose to take a short term break from gambling. This could just be a few days as a cooling off period to reset your head, or several months for a more serious separation. This can help you regain control, and continue in a more measured manner. If you think the problem might be more serious, you might wish to exclude yourself permanently which will not allow you anywhere near your account from then on.
This might stop the problem in the short term, but you are likely to need support to help your potential addition. There are different paths you or somebody you know can take here:
There are licensed therapists who specialize in gambling addiction, and they can help you assess and address your issues.
If you feel you need more immediate help, then chances are the country you live in will have dedicated helplines for your types of issues. Links and details can often be accessed from the footer menus of most sportsbooks. If you prefer, these organizations also have resources and even forums that can be accessed anonymously.
There are support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous where you can get support from those facing similar challenges.
Educating yourself can help you make informed decisions and avoid problem gambling. This site has a great number of guides so you have the information you need to stay in control. If you need the sports betting bonus types explained, we have a guide for that, along with many others in this betting school so you know what to expect and are not blindsided into making emotional decisions.
Simple steps like knowing why to use multiple sportsbooks can help you make informed decisions regarding finding the best odds and promotions. The material here like this responsible gambling guide can also help you understand that betting outcomes, as well thought out as they might be, are still ultimately based on chance, and there is no guaranteed way to win.
As you’ve seen, responsible gambling is about enjoying betting on your favorite sports while staying in control over the time and money you spend doing it. You’re now more aware of the risks, and the importance of setting limits and spotting problem behavior. I’ve told you about using a sportsbook tool to limit or exclude yourself and where you can go for help. The bottom line here is that betting should be fun, not a way to try to solve financial problems or other issues. A key part of this is self education, and the rest of the guides in this betting school can help you learn and avoid many of the betting mistakes that can lead to problems.
Responsible gambling is about staying safe and having fun while betting. It involves managing the time and money you spend online and using tools and education to recognize and address problem behaviors.
Start by setting a spending limit and use the tools provided by your sportsbook to enforce it. Practice effective bankroll management, keeping bets to 1-5% of your total bankroll, and make informed decisions to stay within your limits.
Signs of problem gambling include chasing losses, increasing bets, neglecting responsibilities, and lying about your gambling habits. If you notice these behaviors in yourself, seek help immediately.
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