How to Gamble Responsibly: A Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Gambling

What Does Responsible Gambling Mean?

The term ‘responsible gaming’ or ‘responsible gambling’ refers to the concept that individuals who choose to stake their money on any form of gambling are aware that it is solely for their pleasure and entertainment. While simultaneously acknowledging their personal circumstances, remaining fully aware of the risks, managing their gambling behaviour, exercising control, and maintaining a steady balance in all other facets of life to avoid harming themselves or their personal relations.

Given the financial nature of gambling, it is almost natural for problems to arise from a player’s uncontrolled and unsupervised involvement with one or multiple forms of betting. Though most people are well-aware of the potential adverse effects that may arise due to gambling and enjoy it in a self-controlled fashion, others find it difficult to make informed decisions due to their circumstances, age, mental health, or substance/alcohol abuse and end up with an addiction. This is known as problem gambling or gambling addiction and can lead to reduced quality of life, financial problems, relationship problems, conflicts at home, deteriorating mental and physical health, etc.

Hence, encouraging responsible gambling is of utmost importance as it enables people to make informed decisions regarding their participation in gambling activities and, if harm has occurred, to provide access to gambling help services. Even though most players gamble safely and responsibly, surveys have found that between 0.5% to 3% of the gambling community can develop severe problem gambling habits, sending those affected into a downward spiral. These numbers have experienced a rise in the last couple of years due to the increased accessibility that online gambling platforms have brought with them. 

Gambling becomes a problem when you find it difficult to stop, compulsively spend more than you can afford, and when it influences other areas of your life negatively. A survey estimated that 0.5% of the adult population in the UK are the victims of problem gambling, 3.8% are gambling at at-risk levels, while 7% are negatively affected by other people's gambling.

But how can you identify when gambling goes from a harmless and fun activity to a crippling addiction? Such erratic and compulsive behaviour can manifest itself in numerous ways. Here are some of the symptoms and warning signs that can help you identify when you or your loved ones are slipping into a pattern of problem gambling:

Hiding or Lying about Your Gambling Habits

The core symptom of addiction of any form is lying or hiding it from others, and problem gambling is no exception to this fact. The compulsion to gamble becomes so strong that the individual is willing to go to any lengths to cover up their habits. 

This typically includes lying about their whereabouts and what they are doing to avoid being questioned or accused. Compulsive gamblers can even lie to themselves to rationalise their behaviour, even if the reasons they use don’t make sense and aren’t consistent with their values. 

You Gamble More than You Can Afford To

A casual gambler tends to spend extra money to fuel their gambling activities and stop when their losses exceed more than they are willing to spend. But when they start betting away more than they can afford to lose, it's a prominent sign that they have lost control over their gambling habits.

Instead, they believe that a life-changing win is right around the corner. Money is not the only thing pathological gamblers are willing to give up in pursuit of chasing gambling highs; work and relationships also take a lower priority.

You Experience Withdrawal Symptoms When Not Gambling

For many, gambling is a form of escape from traumatic circumstances, emotional pain, stressful work conditions, or domestic issues. They feel the desire to put their mind off such situations and be engulfed in something. As a result, they turn to casino gambling or sports gambling and think they need to bet to feel normal or happy again. Withdrawal symptoms can appear when a person with a gambling addiction stops gambling, even for a day or mere hours. 

These withdrawal symptoms may include: 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Decreased appetite
• Irregular sleep cycle

You Gamble until You Run Out Of Money

A pathological gambler’s obsession with gambling becomes so strong that even bankruptcy doesn’t stop them from exercising such behaviour. They may also burn through their savings and gamble away their paychecks, childcare expenses, rent money, grocery money, and any cash available to them, regardless of the consequences that may arise because of their neglect. As a result, they end up going broke with no safety nets to fall back into.

You Borrow Money to Pay for Gambling

Once compulsive gamblers start gambling for longer periods, they become obsessed and feel compelled to play until they’ve spent every last cent they own. This leaves them with nothing to gamble with, and in their desperation to continue gambling, they are willing to go to any length to get their hands on more money. 

They put off all financial matters or downright ignore them, often convincing themselves with the belief that luck will surely find them and they will be able to strike gold and deal with all their financial issues.

This leads them to borrow money or take out loans to spend on gambling. Initially, they utilise normal ways of leveraging cash, such as bank loans, a line of credit or re-mortgaging their houses. But later on, they may resort to ultra-high interest loans or even illicit loan sharks. 

You Try to Recover Losses by Gambling More

When problem gamblers ignore the rules of problem gambling, their losses continue to pile up. Regardless, they think they are so close to landing a massive win that with one more round, they will be able to recoup prior losses. This is known as loss-chasing; it is a very dangerous mindset and is considered a key criterion for gambling disorder.

Your Family and Friends Voice Their Concerns

Even though gambling addicts try to cover up their behaviour by lying or deflection, friends and family members eventually catch onto the fact that something isn’t right, but by the time they do, it’s usually due to the damage already done. When the affected individual’s relatives express concern, the former are typically in denial. It’s hard for them to believe what they hear is true because they’ve been deceiving themselves for so long.

When the severity of the addiction and the problems it has caused becomes apparent to family and friends, they fail to understand why problem gamblers can’t just give it up at once and become more insistent. Pathological gamblers typically interpret this as nagging and end up isolating themselves and pushing away family and friends. 

Other Warning Signs and Symptoms

• Declining attendance and performance at work, as gambling has taken over most of your life
• Committing or considering committing a crime to finance gambling
• Making repeated efforts to control or stop gambling but being unable to do so
• Being preoccupied with gambling and losing interest in all other hobbies, and ignoring familial responsibilities and events
• Begin to place larger bets and, more often, feel a rush of adrenaline and dopamine
• Constantly thinking about how and where to place the next bet or play the next game or which sport to bet on.

Responsible Gambling Common Terms

We've compiled a list of common terms which are associated with responsible gambling:

1. Responsible Gambling: a concept of gambling in a balanced and informed manner, within one's means. This could also involve taking steps for gambling to remain enjoyable. 
2. Self-Exclusion: a voluntary program for individuals to place limits on accessing gambling services for a specific period. This tool helps individuals control their gambling habits.
3. Problem Gambling: gambling behaviour which is harmful or disruptive to one's life - personal, relationships, well-being or finances. Inability to control gambling despite the negative consequences characterise problem gambling.
4. Gambling Addiction: a mental health condition with the inability to resist the urge to gamble, resulting in undesirable life consequences.
5. Responsible Gambling Tools: mechanisms and features that online casinos offer to help with controlling gambling activities. Some options are session time limits, reality checks and setting deposit limits.
6. Support Services: organisations and helplines that assist individuals who experience gambling-related problems. Services range from advice, counselling, to resources for help and support.

References

• Help for problems with gambling (NHS)
• Safer Gambling UK
• HBR Publish first report on Irish gambling trends (Health Research Board)
• Problem Gambling Facts and Statistics (Spunout)