Responsible Gambling
All types of gambling involve risk, and if there is real money at stake, you can always lose it. To avoid the desire to win back and other addictions, it is important to understand the principles of safe gambling and treat gambling only as entertainment.
What Is a Gambling Addiction?
Gambling addiction is a compulsive addiction to gambling. Like other addictions, it is often judged and misunderstood. Because of this, victims are afraid to seek help and thus make their situation worse instead of trying to find a way out of it. The more you know about this pathology, the easier it will be to notice its symptoms in yourself or others and begin to fight it.
Gambling addiction develops, causing users to spend too much time and money on gambling, even though the consequences are devastating.
Gambling addiction has several signs. The most important one is that when gambling begins to control a person’s life, the interest in it takes on a pathological form and the user tends to activate the brain’s reward mechanisms over and over again. Subsequently, gamblers may devote less and less time to work, family, friends, and other areas of life, and try to win back and bet much more than they can afford.
Gambling addiction has many causes, types, stages, and symptoms. It is a serious problem with dire consequences for the gambler and his loved ones, so you should always play responsibly.
6 Principles of Responsible Play
Responsible gambling is the opposite of gambling addiction. It allows you to safely enjoy gaming entertainment through clear rules and game breaks.
Here are the most important principles of responsible gambling.
- Do not bet more than you can afford.
When playing for real money, it is important to remember that you can lose your deposited funds. Only play for amounts you are willing to lose. - Set a budget and stick to it.
Determine the exact amount you are willing to spend on gambling and set aside money each week or month. If you lose all of your current budgets, wait until the next period. Don’t touch the money set aside for the next games: accept the loss and stick to the plan. - Allocate time for gambling.
Set a specific amount of time you can spend gambling because it is easy to lose track of time if you are having fun or trying to win back. Remember that gambling should be a pastime that does not interfere with certain responsibilities. You can spend a couple of hours on the games, but you can’t devote all your time and life to them. - Take frequent breaks.
While playing, it is important to take frequent breaks: get up from your seat and distract yourself with outside activities. This way you can’t get bogged down in gambling and lose track of time and money. - Be aware of your actions.
Before you start playing, make sure that you are aware of your actions, bet amount, probability of winning, and other parameters. Not all information is publicly available, but you can always check, for example, the RTP of slots and make a decision. Try free casino games to familiarize yourself with the gameplay before depositing real money. - Keep an eye on your health.
Make healthy habits: drink water, take breaks and warm up, don’t forget to eat, and so on. Most importantly, don’t play under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which cloud the mind.
Where Can I Get Help With Addiction?
If you realize that you suffer from gambling addiction, don’t worry. You are not alone in your problem.
Today, there are many channels where you can get quality help:
- KiwiDads team is always ready to hear from you and support. Please contact us in case.
- Technical support for your casino – you can contact the support team in any of the ways available on the site: send an email, write in an online chat or call the phone number. Qualified employees will help you and give recommendations on how to act in your situation.
- Charitable foundations and organizations that provide anonymous psychological help to all those who need it on a commercial or budgetary basis.
- Support groups on social media where people with similar problems gather to inspire and share success.
And finally, please remember that spending time in gambling clubs (whether it’s land-based or online casinos) should bring only positive emotions. If slots, roulette, and blackjack make you angry, irritated, or depressed – it is a clear sign that you start to get addicted. In this case, you should contact a professional who will help you deal with your problem.