Responsible Gambling in the UK

Tips on How to Gamble Responsibly

Gambling responsibly is an extremely important part of playing online casino games and sports betting. Here are some tips to practice responsible gambling whilst still having an enjoyable experience. 

• Gambling should be seen as a source of entertainment rather than a source of income. It is extremely unusual for someone to be able to make a stable income out of gambling, and therefore, it is not recommended to try this. If you consider gambling as a source of entertainment or as an occasional leisure activity, it is much less risky and can be more enjoyable. 

• Set a physical limit on the amount of money available to bet with. This number must be an amount that you can afford to lose because betting outside of your means can cause you financial harm. 

• Even if you make a profit, always stick to your budget. No matter if you’re betting on your favourite sport or playing a game of blackjack online, you should always stick to a predetermined budget. If you are fortunate enough to make a profit, you never know when your luck could run out.  

• Make small bets each time to help extend your gameplay time. This tip can be especially helpful for beginners or people who like to play multiple games in one sitting. If you feel comfortable, you can begin to gradually increase your stakes but it is recommended to always bet low for a low-risk game. 

• Do not chase your losses. It can sometimes be tempting to recuperate some of your losses from gambling, but this is not recommended. Chasing losses could lead to even greater losses, so if you lose, you should walk away. 

• Always try to take regular breaks from gambling. Extended gameplay sessions can lead to stress and a loss of perspective; therefore, it is recommended that you set a time limit for yourself and stick to it. 

• Assess how you’re feeling before gambling. Your mood can have a significant impact on your judgement and ability to make smart decisions. 

• Mix gambling with other hobbies. It is important to have a good balance between gambling and your other hobbies, to maintain control and have a healthy relationship with gambling. 

• Utilise responsible gambling tools if you feel you are developing unhealthy habits. There are a wealth of free resources available to those who feel they are developing an unhealthy relationship with gambling, such as GambleAware, GamCare, GAMSTOP and Gamblers Anonymous. 

Gambling Online: How to Stay Safe

Participating in online gambling is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with many people opting to gamble this way rather than visiting an actual betting shop or casino. Gambling online can present a set of unique challenges, so we have curated a list of tips and tricks to help you stay in control. 

Setting Time Limits

One of the most important things you can do when gambling online is to take regular breaks. To help ensure you stick to these time limits, you can get in touch with your chosen online platform and request that you take a timeout. This means that your account will be suspended for a set period of time, whether it’s an hour or several weeks, and you will not receive any marketing emails or texts from your chosen operator, and you will be blocked from making any deposits or bets. This can really help you to reset and go back to it with a clearer mindset. 

Self-Exclusions

Due to the tight regulations in the UK gambling market, all betting and casino operators must set up some kind of self-exclusion program to protect players and manage potential gambling problems. They must also affiliate with schemes that share self-exclusion information with regulatory authorities and other online gambling platforms to ensure maximum support. 

One of the better-known schemes is GAMSTOP, which allows players to exclude themselves from all gambling platforms in the UK for six months, one year, or five years. Simply provide your personal details, and all bookmakers will stop sending you marketing adverts.

Track Your Spending

It is extremely important, especially when gambling online, to monitor the amount of money you are depositing and betting. There are plenty of ways to track this via the operator themselves, but this can be trickier if you are betting using multiple brands. Creating a log of your spending is one of the easiest ways to keep track of this, and you can even track the length of time that your gambling sessions lasted. You must be able to create boundaries for yourself and stick to them in order to maintain a healthy relationship with gambling. 

Setting Deposit Limits

An alternative method of keeping yourself safe when gambling online is to manually set deposit limits with your chosen provider. You can opt to set a limit on the amount of money you can deposit into your account per day, per week or per month, and once this has been set, it cannot be overridden. Setting this barrier for deposits means you can take a step back, make responsible decisions, and prevents you from chasing losses. 

Manually Blocking Transactions

If you feel that setting limits via the gambling operator themselves is not the right course of action for you, then you can contact your bank and manually block gambling transactions via them. Similar to setting a deposit limit, once you have implemented this you will not be able to make any transactions that are related to gambling using your debit or credit card for the amount of time you have specified. Many of the biggest UK banks offer this service, including Barclays, HSBC, Monzo, Lloyds and Natwest. 

Resources for Responsible Gambling

Ultimately, if you feel that you are developing an unhealthy relationship with gambling, either online or in-person, it is important that you seek help from professionals. There are a number of helplines, websites and organisations that you can contact for help and support around problem gambling; for example:

• GambleAware: https://www.gambleaware.org/

• Gamban: https://gamban.com/

• GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/

• Big Deal: https://bigdeal.org.uk/

• Gambling Therapy: https://www.gamblingtherapy.org/

• Gamblers Anonymous: https://gamblersanonymous.org.uk/

• Gordon Moody Association: https://gordonmoody.org.uk/

• Betfilter: https://www.betfilter.com/about-us/why-betfilter/

• National Debtline: https://www.nationaldebtline.org/

• National Problem Gambling Clinic: https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/services/addictions/national-gambling-clinic

Conclusion: Responsible Gambling in the UK

It is essential for all UK players to know their limits when it comes to gambling. Ultimately, gambling should always be fun and safe, and this can be achieved through setting boundaries, using the available tools and resources and maintaining control of your spending. By practicing responsible gambling, you can avoid the potential harm involved with excessive gambling. 

Whether you are using programs like GAMSTOP for self-exclusion, reaching out to organisations like GamCare for help and support, or creating a ‘betting diary’ to track your own habits, it is important to practice responsible gambling and be proactive in noticing changes to your habits. This way, you can ensure you are always playing in a positive and controlled manner.