Safe Gambling

As the iGaming market is growing, here at NonStopBonus, we feel it is very important to educate the players, both veterans and newcomers about responsible gambling and raising awareness about addiction. 

Safe gambling or responsible gambling can prevent problems from arising in most cases and that’s why we have gathered all the information around this subject. 

Tips for Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling can be an easy thing to achieve by following just a shortlist of tips and tricks. You would be amazed at just how simple it is to keep things in check by following all or just some of the rules of thumb shown below. 

• When you gamble, do so only for entertainment purposes and not for profit.

• Every hobby has a cost and gambling is no exception. To avoid bad feelings which can lead to problems, try to see any potential loss as a cost of your entertainment.

• Set very clear limits on how much time and money you are going to spend in a single gambling session or over a course of time and try to stick to it as much as possible.

• There is a reason why it is called “gambling”. Loses are to be expected even for the luckiest player. 

• Never use credit cards to gamble. These cards allow you to gamble with money that is not in your account. Basically, you take a loan to gamble money that is not yours, therefore breaking perhaps the most important rule of responsible gambling. 

• A balanced life is one of the easiest ways to stay away from any addiction. Try to maintain a healthy social life and other interests besides gambling. 

• Don’t increase the wagers to compensate for a loss. If you do this and you lose again, your problem will only get bigger. Better off, try to go back to Step 2 and see any loss as a cost for your period of fun.

• Never gamble to deal with stress, loneliness, or depression. If you are experiencing any of these feelings, you should seek counseling and stay far away from gambling until the problem is solved. 

• Before you gamble, learn everything you can about responsible gambling, what is compulsive gambling, how bad it can affect your life and how can it be prevented.

How much do you wager?

According to gambling statistics published by gamblingcomission.gov.uk, the industry has grown by 18,4% reaching £6.9 billion Total GGY for the Remote Betting, Bingo & Casino Sector.

As expected, the industry is growing which is not a bad thing, however, with more people gambling or spending more time in this activity, the number of gamblers with addiction also increases.

One of the easiest ways to prevent that is to keep a track of your spendings by starting a journal. Besides keeping you on the right track, it will also help you manage your money better. 

Start with basic information like what games you played, when you played them, and how much you have won or lost in a determined period.

To make it easier, you can even use the Cost2Play Calculator. You can use this calculator for Slots, Blackjack, and Double 0 Roulette. The calculator is very easy to use. 

You simply have to input data like the specific game’s denomination, the number of pay lines if you calculate Slots wagers, how many hours you play per week, and your rate of play.

When all the data will be filled in, the calculator will display the average cost per hour, per month, and even per one year. 

How to choose a safe online casino

Picking the right online casino to play at can completely change your gambling experience. It’s not hard at all to pick a safe gambling website to play at if you just take into consideration some rules.

First of all, you should only play at licensed online casinos that are properly regulated in the jurisdiction. In a safe and regulated gambling environment, both players and casino operators are protected and you can easily solve a problem if it arises. 

Besides the good quality of the games provided by these companies, these casino games are also tested for fairness by independent authorities like iTech and eCogra, ensuring that all gamblers get an unbiased gambling experience.

The gambling website’s security is another important aspect you should check. All casino operators use some state-of-the-art protection systems like the SSL Protocol which encrypts private and banking data sent between you and the casino to make it impossible for any third party to access them.

Problems arise rarely however, it’s better to find solutions to them quickly. Because of this reason, you should drop by customer support and check a bit how can they be contacted. 

Preferably, a good online casino should provide customer support in your native language or an international one like English, and the support team should be available 24/7 by phone, email, and live chat.

The last thing you can check directly at the online casino is the payment methods sector. You should look for a gambling website that provides a couple of your preferred transaction options and a couple of others so you can have an easier pick of what you can use. 

If you decided to register an account at a gambling website, before you rush in and gamble, you should also check the responsible gambling page and see what tools they have to offer for betting limits, self-exclusion and what are their views towards responsible gambling. 

While looking for a casino, you should always keep in mind our article on how to recognize if you have a gambling addiction and take precautions if you feel like it might be describing you.

Furthermore, you can also check out the Complete Guide to self-exclusion if you are losing control and need a temporary break or a clear-cut ending to your problem gambling.

Common tools you should use for safe play

Any reputable online casino that promotes responsible gambling will provide its players with the tools necessary to prevent and keep in control of any sort of unhealthy behavior.

These tools are great and any player should at least consider them. Here are the most popular and most useful tools you can find at online casinos.

• Limit settings of duration and spending - You can set your limits to decide how much time and money you invest in a gambling session or in a certain time frame.

• Enforced breaks in play - Taking a break is necessary to keep your mind in check and cool off.

• Automatic display of informative messages - You will often see informative messages revolving around problematic gambling and its dangers.

• Behavioral tracking tools - What few players know is that online casinos have tools and algorithms that track their behavior and alert the operator in case an abnormal behavior is detected on an account. This can mean anything from a major increase in the playtime, an alarming increase in the amounts of money wagered, or a dangerous loss rate. 

• Staff training to respond to problem gambling - All gambling websites have their support staff learn about problem gambling to be able to recognize signs of compulsive gambling and direct the player towards a specialized institution. 

• Self-exclusion programs - You have the option to take a break from gambling by closing your account for a set period. You can read more on this matter in our self-exclusion guide. 

• Promotion and marketing of responsible gambling - Marketing and promotions are the heart and soul of any business, however, online casinos have strict policies towards marketing to keep minors away from gambling. In addition, most jurisdictions have severe laws around this matter for the same reasons.

Problem gambling in 2022

To make a complete analysis and see how the market situates itself and how it evolves, certain authors decided to make some studies. For example, we encountered this gambling statistics article on review42.com, showing some truly unexpected results. 

• General Gambling Statistics - There are a lot of things that most people don’t know about gambling which may surprise you. 

• Gambling Addiction Statistics - Gambling addiction is often associated with high crime rates. As the study shows, 2/3rd compulsive gamblers will engage in criminal activity, mostly done to obtain money for future gambling or to cover large debts. Thankfully, the overall problem gambling rate has dropped to 0,3% from 0,6% in one year, to September 2020.

• Gambling and Casino Revenue Statistics - In 2021, gambling has brought a nice revenue in some territories. For example, 50% of Macau’s total revenue comes from gambling activities and Las Vegas recorded 42.52 million visitors, becoming the most popular gambling destination in the world. 

• Forms of Gambling Statistics - It seems like the preference for gambling forms remained stable, sports betting occupying 11,65% followed by lotteries with 6%.

• Gambling Future Trends Statistics - As expected, the gambling market is growing and the predictions are that the market will reach $500 billion by the end of 2021, compared to only $465 billion in 2020.

The Responsible Gambler’s Profile

A player can quickly determine if there is a problem in the gambling habits that require a closer look. According to them, a responsible gambler should:

• Gamble for entertainment purposes only, keeping full control over how much time or money is spent during a gambling session.

• Have a clear understanding of technical terms like RTP, volatility, and other specific rules of the particular game.

• Have another hobby or area of interest as well as a rich social life

• Never gamble when emotionally unstable and should not chase a losing streak

• Never let gambling affect or interfere in the personal or professional life

If you feel like some of the criteria shown here do not apply to you, it is a good idea to take a look at responsible gambling institutions like the Gambling Commission.