Online gambling has been one of the industries that has seen massive growth in the last couple of years. As countries began changing their gambling laws, numerous iGaming operators began offering their services, resulting in an increasing number of people who gamble daily. Most gamblers realize the risks involved and simply have fun, but others can get into problems.
Speaking of the gambling business, www.cnwindpower.com shows that the online gambling market’s size is up by $16B from 2022 to 2023 and is at $220.46B. What’s even more surprising is that these numbers are only going up because the forecast for the next couple of years is impressive. “If things continue to develop the way they are, the online gambling market will reach around $440B by 2032. This number is more than twice the one from 2022, which means that more and more people will get involved in this business”, said Kris from Nostrabet.
The growth of online gambling has a lot of positives because the big companies pay a lot of taxes. They also create jobs and (sometimes) sponsor different events and competitions. Sadly, the growth of online gambling also has negative sides because many people develop gambling problems.
Contrary to popular belief, gambling addicts are not welcomed by iGaming operators because they are not good for the business in the long run. We are at the forefront of this business and want our clients to have fun while playing. So, let’s look at a couple of tips that should help you control your gambling behavior. Gambling addiction can cause problems for you and those around you, so you should always be careful when playing.
1. Find a new hobby
This is, without a doubt, easier said than done, especially if you are at a certain age. However, one thing that a lot of people with gambling problems have in common is the lack of other hobbies. In other words, they do not find pleasure in doing anything else other than gambling.
Having no other hobby is not an issue as long as you are responsible and follow certain rules when playing. The problem is that many users fail to do so, which could lead to problems with spending too much money/time, losing more than you can afford, and a bunch of other things.
When talking about new hobbies, we live in a day and age where almost everything is available all the time. For example, you can play video games, learn a new skill, sign up for a different class, travel, and more. Finding something that makes you happy will keep you distracted from gambling, which will allow you to control it.
2. Use features offered by the gambling sites themselves
If you can’t find a new hobby or something that will distract you from gambling and you think you are at risk, there are several other things you can do. One of them is to use the responsible gambling features that all casinos and bookmakers have in stock. Not all casinos and bookies offer those options. Nevertheless, the licensed ones will have a few because they are required by law.
The number and types of options you can use to control your gambling behavior grows every year. Since many more people gamble online than before, some companies developed innovative options. They come in different forms and allow users to set a limit to the time they can spend online, the amount of money they use, and so on. There are also specific alternatives that will allow gamblers to prevent themselves from accessing their account or the iGaming site.
If your gambling site lacks those features, try contacting the authorities or ask the payment provider for help.
3. Tell your friends/family about it
There are many reasons why people develop gambling problems. One is the urge to make money without realizing the risks involved, but some users get into trouble because they do not share any details with their friends and family.
If you try to explain the situation to people around you, they will do everything to help you avoid trouble. The fact that you have shared your concerns means that people who care about you will try to talk and give you a bunch of ideas you can implement. Usually, this has a positive impact because you can rely on someone for help.
The bad news is that a lot of people have difficulties explaining that they may have problems controlling their gambling behavior. Moreover, not everyone knows how to help others with such issues, which could worsen the situation. Hopefully, the growing popularity of online gambling worldwide will help people get familiar with the potential problems and learn how to help others in need.
4. Try to remind yourself that gambling is extremely risky
As mentioned, some people develop gambling problems because they attempt to make money while playing. Users with no experience see the high odds, big jackpots, bonuses, and more and assume they are easy to get. However, every experienced gambler knows that this is not the case.
Casinos and bookies use precise data to analyze people’s behavior and determine their odds and RTP based on it. In other words, the entire system works in a way that makes it really hard for people to make money while playing. Sure, some gamblers can get lucky, but most do not win anything.
Reminding yourself that gambling is extremely risky is one of the things that can help you control your gambling behavior. You can do many other things with the money you want to gamble with, including making investments. The latter also carries risks, but most stats show that it is more likely to get a return from investing rather than gambling.
5. Read information about the negative experiences of others
The goal of this article is to help users who may be at risk of developing a gambling problem not to get in trouble. For better or worse, one of the things that can come in handy is to read more information about the negative experiences of other gamblers.
A lot of people do not want to do that because reading such a thing is never easy. However, it usually helps tremendously because gamblers can see the effect of gambling on their lives. Some stories are not easy to read and often include information about divorce, financial difficulties, and more.
This may not affect everyone, but some people will think twice when they decide to gamble with more money. Getting into problems with gambling is easy, but getting out of them takes time and effort.
6. Contact your bank and or other payment provider
We’ve pointed out that a lot of legal gambling operators have to follow strict rules in order to get a license and often need to include several different types of features for responsible gambling. However, others do not have such things, which means that players can’t rely on them when needed.
If you are using such a website and you feel at risk, one of the things you could do is contact your payment provider. Whether this is a bank, a card-issuing company, an e-wallet, or something else, you can try to talk to the people in charge and tell them about your problems.
Usually, all online payment providers will offer some kind of features and options you can use. This can include a deposit limit or even turning off the option to make any transactions to gambling websites. The latter is one of the most effective measures you can take advantage of. Once you enable it, most companies will require you to wait a few months until you can deactivate it.
7. Do not gamble online if you are drunk
Gambling when you are drunk might sound fun, but in reality, it can have devastating consequences. Drinking too much is an issue on its own, but when you combine it with gambling, you can easily spend your life’s savings in a night without thinking twice about it.
If you like drinking, you should do everything you can not to use a gambling website. You may want to play a round or two or bet on your favorite team, but you won’t be able to think clearly if you are drunk. Consequently, this could lead to massive losses that you won’t be able to recover from.
