Responsible Gambling

Becoming an online casino addicted is easier than you might think. Actually, when you’ve been playing for a long time, and you think it is quite all right, you might start thinking about your attitude towards online gambling. As a matter of fact, it is easy to understand those who end up being addicted, as it is comfortable, fun, and captivating. You don’t have to leave your home to try your best tricks with fortune. You can sit on your couch, staring into your favorite gadget and play games, which are fun.

Well, in order to not fall into the trap of online gambling addiction, make sure to tick off the following boxes on the checklist of preventing yourself from being an addict. First of all, set yourself a reality check. Try measuring the time you spend playing. If the total weekly amount transcends the threshold of four hours, start questioning this hobby of yours. Secondly, set a deposit limit. You won’t be able to lose too much if you set yourself a limit of what you can put on the line.

Thirdly, you should analyze the history of your activity in online casinos. Modern online casinos software allows you to track your transactions. If you feel like you’re spending too much on it, stop playing with immediate effect. Then, you should take a break or regular breaks. Set yourself a rule that after a night of online gambling, you don’t play for at least a week. It will be a great check of whether you are capable of staying away from this lure.

If you feel like playing a bit, choose the autoplay mode and set an autoplay control to the minimal bet. Furthermore, set the limits of the maximum loss. Hence, you will be able to control your expenditures. Finally, self-exclude yourself from any website which you find detrimental to your life and gambling experience. If you see that you cannot do it yourself, check the Where to Get Help Section below.

Of course, this section might be a little scary to read because none of us wants to go through these lines if we like going online to gamble from time to time. Nowadays, psychologists and psychiatrists use the DSM-5 checklist to help people define whether they have a gambling addiction problem. It stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Hence, make sure to tick off every point that you can even partially relate to:

• The need for gambling rises exponentially along with the sums that the individual wants to spend on it.
• Any attempt at ceasing to play causes irritation and restlessness.
• Some of the previous attempts to stop gambling online have already been crowned with failure.
• The amount of time spend with online casinos gets out of control.
• Online gambling platforms are used as a comforting medium when a person feels stressed or nervous.
• Losses are considered rather as challenges than lessons to learn.
• Lies become an integral part of a person’s life.
• Betting starts having a practically negative impact on the person’s life, putting their job, relationship, education, etc. in jeopardy.
• Borrowing money to play becomes a habit.

How Will I Know if I Have a Problem?

Well, if you missed that part when you should have asked yourself whether you’re not paying too much time and attention, the problems have already started. Nonetheless, every efficient treatment starts from an acutely defined diagnosis, right? So, if you want to make sure that you either have or do not have a problem with online casinos, ask yourself these thirteen questions:

1. Have you ever gambled for a long period, decaying work or other important things that you have to do?
2. Does the thought of increasing the stake make your feel more excited?
3. Does the game result impact your mood to a great extent, making it extremely volatile?
4. Have you ever thought that gambling might be a good retreat from other problems in your life?
5. Do you want to keep your losses under your hat? Do you feel ashamed of them?
6. Have you already unsuccessfully tried to cut down the expenses and time that you pay to online gambling?
7. Have you ever felt the lure to steal money to have some funds to play with?
8. Have you ever been tempted to go back online as soon as possible after a loss?
9. Do you feel like hiding your gambling activities from your families, friends, and loved ones?
10. Have you ever borrowed money specifically for the cause of gambling with it and did not return it to its respectable owner?
11. Have you ever ventured to sell something to have money to gamble with?
12. Have you ever broken promises made to your closest people for the sake of being able to gamble?
13. Does you online gambling activity make you feel isolated?

Whenever a person is diagnosed with gambling addiction, it is imperative the counter-actions intervene with immediate effect. Below, you will find a list of organizations to turn to if you feel like you or anyone you know need help getting out of this trouble.

Gamblers Anonymous

While it is critical for anyone dealing with any kind of addiction to stay anonymous, this organization, which represents a fellowship of women and men, is willing to work with anyone with a strong desire to stop gambling. Any person in the world, regardless of their location, can apply for their program.

Bettors Anonymous

This worldwide organization takes care of anyone willing to stop placing bets both on online and real-life platforms. Their twelve-step program is considered to be one of the most efficient gambling addiction treatment plans. Bettors Anonymous specializes in making people stop playing in casinos and making bets while reintegrating them back into society.

Gambling Therapy

This is a go-to platform for anyone willing to talk about their gambling addiction problems. This is a global service, reachable from any spot on the planet where there is the Internet. Anyone willing to get emotional support related to an addiction problem is welcome here.

Help Guide

This international informational platform is one of the biggest myth-busters when it comes to talking about gambling and online gambling, in particular. If you think like you don’t have a gambling addiction problem because your friend who also likes to gamble told you so, make sure to check out their website.

Gambling Therapy USA

Suppose you feel like you need more than online help, and you currently reside in the United States. In that case, this branch of the Gambling Therapy organization will help you deal with the issues associated with online gambling addiction.

SAMHSA

Regardless of where you live in the United States, the SAMHSA’s National Helpline is there for you to reach out and get all the help you might need. It is fully confidential and free. The calls and messages are accepted 24/7, 365 days a year. Anyone facing a substance abuse disorder or gambling addiction disorder will get adequate professional attention here.

American Addiction Centers

American Addiction Centers are stationed all around the United States. You can either call them or look at the list of their addresses on their website by following the link above and going directly to one of their institutions. Any person with an addiction problem will get professional attention there.

Addiction to online casinos is one of the most burgeoning problems not only in the state of Nevada, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Whenever it comes to facing gambling addiction, the hardest thing to do is to acknowledge that one is actually addicted to it. Yet, doing so is the first and, probably, the most important step in the whole act of showing resistance to gambling addiction. When a person acknowledges this weakness, the worst thing to do is to think that you can deal with it on your own. As soon as you feel like you have a gambling addiction problem or you see that someone you know suffers from it, do not hesitate to reach out and contact the services mentioned above. Do not let the gambling addiction problem take the best of you.