No. The frequency of your gambling doesn’t reflect if you a problem gambler or not. If gambling has become a problem, then you have gambling problem.
For most people, gambling is a harmless pastime. However, if approached irresponsibly, it can turn into a compulsive behaviour with dire consequences. Therefore, you must always ensure that play responsibly.
On this page, we explain effective responsible gambling tools that help you play safely at online casinos. You will also find contact information to Australian organisations that provide support to people affected by gambling harm.
Responsible gambling is the umbrella term that applies to both individuals that choose to gamble and the providers of gambling services.
For individuals, responsible gambling entails taking ownership and responsibility for their own gambling habits.
Gambling responsibly for individuals means:
For gambling providers, the onus is on them to provide safe, secure, informed, and transparent gaming environments and/or platforms for players, with checks and balances to help identify and prevent underage gambling as well as combat problem gambling. In this vein, many online casinos verify the age of players and offer deposit limits as well temporary and permanent self-exclusion facilities.
Australians are keen fans of gambling activities, from buying lottery tickets to playing at online casino sites. The country has laws and regulations in place to promote a culture of responsible gambling, and these laws are adopted by providers of gambling services such as pubs, clubs and online betting services to ensure that players are protected.
It’s easy to tell individuals to ‘gamble responsibly’ but when you’re caught up in the heat of the excitement and action, you may forget.
For that reason, it’s important to step back and try and adopt some of these tips and apply them to your gaming sessions.
Gambling establishments and online betting sites make every effort to follow the rules and regulations imposed on them by gambling jurisdictions and authorities. They make every effort to make sure that their platforms are only used by those players who are allowed to gamble by law.
Online casinos especially take the Know Your Customers (or KYC) requirements very seriously. They take the strictest of measures to make sure that all identity and age verification procedures are in place.
With every new online casino account registration, you'll be asked for your DOB (date of birth) so the casino can confirm that you are of legal gambling age to access and use its facilities, including claiming bonuses, making deposits, playing real money games and cashing out.
In the past, most online casinos took newly registered players at their word when they provided their DOB and other personal information on sign up. It was only when a player made their first withdrawal did the casino typically ask for proof of identity and age.
Today, more and more online casinos are asking for proof of identity at the point of registration, especially those online casinos that are regulated and licensed by a gambling jurisdiction.
Players are usually asked to provide proof of identity via documents such as:
A typical online verification process looks like this:
It's important to understand that unless online casinos are completely satisfied that you are who you say you are, and that all of the information you provided during your new account registration process is 100% true and accurate, they are well within their rights to withhold all and any payments due to you.
Once an online casino has verified that you're above the legal gambling age, you'll be allowed to deposit and play for real money at will. If, however, at any time you feel like you may be depositing too often or more than you can afford, the responsible thing to do would be to seek out casinos with self-imposed deposit limits and/or self-exclusions facilities.
The good news is that many Australian-friendly online casinos allow you set to your own limits which the casino is committed to adhering to and enforcing.
Of course, self-exclusion is a two-way street and it is the responsibility of the player to stick to the self-exclusion agreement and not to try find ways to ‘cheat the system.’ From the online casino’s side, its responsibility is to take reasonable steps to prevent you from gambling outside the limits that you set for yourself.
Depending on the online casino, you may encounter a variety of self-limit options available to you, including:
Session Limits
These are pop-up reminders that appear after a specific amount of time updating you on how long you've been playing. They give you an option to log out of the casino there and then or continue playing. You can think of this as a gentle reminder of your playing time, or a friendly nudge by the online casino to give you a reality check. Many players find that session limits are useful tools to help them remain in check of their gambling activity and most won’t need anything more than this.
Deposit Limits
If you find that session limits are not doing the trick to curb your gambling behaviour, it may be time to make use of a casino's deposit limits. These limits allow you to set the maximum amount you're allowed to deposit in any given day, week or month - non-negotiable. For example, you can decide that you don’t want to have the option of depositing more than $1,000 within a time frame of a week.
Daily deposit limits will usually reset by default at midnight, or you can decide beforehand at which time it will reset after 24 hours.
Weekly and monthly limits are usually reset on the day that time frame is over. If, for example, you set yourself a monthly limit on the 15th of March, the limit will be reset automatically again on the 15th of April.
It’s important to give these decisions some thought before you set the limits. While you can increase or decrease these limits as you see fit, be aware that by design any changes will take 24 hours to a week to process and no amount of arguing or pleading with a casino will shorten that time frame.
Betting Limits
If you're happy with the amount you deposit into your real money online casino account but are concerned that you're betting or wagering more and more each week, you can choose to set a weekly betting limit. Essentially, you will decide beforehand how much you can wager each week and the online casino will not let you exceed that amount.
Out of all the self-imposed betting limits available, this is one that is the least used by players.
Loss Limits
Another less common form of limitation, but an existing one nonetheless is called Loss Limits. This essentially puts a cap on the amount of money that you can lose over a pre-set daily, weekly or monthly period. If you near the amount that you set, the online casino will send you a pop-up message to let you know.
In the event you've set yourself session, deposit, betting or loss limits with little or no success, or these types of tools don’t interest you, then self-exclusion may be the next logical option. By opting for self-exclusion, you give a casino the necessary permission to suspend your account thus preventing you from logging in, making deposits or playing for real money.
There are two types of self-exclusion options available at participating casinos, with one being more extreme than the other.
Temporary Self-Exclusion
If you feel that your gambling may be getting out of control or that your budget has taken a hit, it may be time for a breather. In most cases, players just need a break of a few days, weeks or months before they are ready to get back to online casino entertainment. In this case, temporary self-exclusion is the answer.
Players select the time frame that they want to be excluded from using the casino. The online casino player will then be excluded from playing for that amount of time. In some cases, even after your self-exclusion period is up, you will need to contact casino support to reinstate your account access.
Permanent Self-Exclusion
This is the option you would choose to ban yourself permanently from playing at a casino with no intention of ever returning. There is no reversing a permanent self-exclusion so be absolutely certain that this is the path you want to pursue before opting for it. It may be a good idea to try temporary self-exclusion as a first step.
It's worth noting that if you're contemplating a permanent self-exclusion, you should withdraw all available funds from your real money account before. This is because as soon as your self-exclusion comes into effect you will no longer be able to access your casino account and thus your funds.
The vast majority of people who gamble do so for fun and entertainment. But there is always a small minority that will experience their gambling go from fun to an unhealthy obsession. A gambling problem can have serious consequences on all areas of your life. It can affect your employment, your finances and your relationships.
Gambling addiction, the most extreme form of gambling problems, is an impulse-control disorder. You won’t be able to control the urge or the impulse to gamble, even if you are aware of the consequences. Having a gambling addiction is the same as having any other type of addiction. It can affect people from all walks of life, and it is not a reflection on a person’s intelligence level.
But you don’t need to be a gambling addict to have a gambling problem. You may not be totally out of control, or the problem may not affect so many parts of your life. However, the potential is there for a problem to turn into an addiction.
For that reason, it’s important that you recognize when you are heading down the path of problem gambling before it becomes an addiction that is more difficult to treat.
But how do you know that you have a gambling problem? If you answer yes to any of these questions below, you may very well have a problem or be on the way to developing one. It’s never too early or too late to seek help. Below we will teach you how to self-help or find the help you need.
We’ve put together a list of questions to ask yourself to help you identify problem gambling:
As soon as you recognize that you may have a gambling problem, you have taken the first step towards solving the problem. It’s not an easy thing to admit to, but it’s important to know that many people have been in your situation and have managed to get out of it.
If you’re intent on trying to solve the problem by yourself, there are a few things that you can do to self-help.
If you gamble to wind down from unpleasant or stressful situations, try to find healthier ways to relax. If you find yourself heading to the online casino after an argument with your boss or if you’re lonely, try something else such as exercise, coffee with a friend or a hobby.
The best type of help, in our opinion is to get professional assistance for your gambling problem or addiction.
There is no shortage of treatment options and resources available in Australia to help manage a gambling problem.
Here are some of them:
No. The frequency of your gambling doesn’t reflect if you a problem gambler or not. If gambling has become a problem, then you have gambling problem.
The consequences of problem gambling or addiction aren’t always measured in numbers. You may be the richest guy in the world but your gambling problem could result in broken relationships, legal issues and a variety of mental health issues. These things may not be financial, but are losses nevertheless.
No. You can have a very high IQ and still have a gambling problem. You can be strong-willed and still develop a gambling addiction. Gambling problems can affect people from all walks of life.
Bailing a problem gambler out is a quick-fix solution but it won’t make the problem go away. If you recognize that your son has a gambling problem or addiction, the best thing to do would be to seek help by calling the Gamblers Help Line or Gamblers Anonymous.
Remember the most important rule: That gambling is a form of entertainment and not a source of income. Accept that the casino always has the upper hand and will always win in the long run. Don’t bet more that you can afford to lose and don’t chase your losses. When there is no more entertainment to be had, it’s time to stop.
There are many signs that may suggest a gambling problem. If someone is regularly not paying bills, taking time off work for no real reason or is always short of cash, this may indicate a problem. If a person becomes withdrawn and angry, it could also indicate a problem. Valuables going missing are also a red flag. Of course, all of these could be a sign of any other problem, not only gambling addiction.
Check out the limits offered by the online casino. There are several self-imposed limits that you can set, eg. The amount you deposit or the length of your gambling sessions. You can even opt to self-exclude yourself from the online casino if things get bad.
It shouldn’t be. People with a gambling problem may often use gambling as a coping mechanism for stress. Gambling may provide a temporary escape from stressful situations, but developing a gambling addiction will only create new ones in the long run.
If you gamble, you are at risk. The vast majority of people who gamble won’t develop a gambling problem, but it’s important to be aware of the risk and to gamble responsibly if you do choose to gamble.
Copyright © 2024 AustralianCasinoClub.net - All Rights Reserved.
Running on Pollux
