Responsible Gambling: How to Prevent Gambling Addiction?

Last updated January 22, 2024

Financial loss and addiction are the two main risks associated with gambling, making it a potentially dangerous kind of entertainment. However, players can lessen the hazards by playing by a few straightforward rules.

At promotion.com.ng, we want to educate our gamers about gambling. This means that you should develop the knowledge and abilities required to keep gaming from becoming an dependence and from being a vice. The following three pieces of guidance are consequently offered to gamblers:

  1. Keep an eye on your finances.
  2. Manage your time well.
  3. Only bet for fun.

Keep an eye on your finances

An excellent way to prevent problem gambling and reduce the chance that your finances may suffer as a result of gaming is to stay on top of your cash flow. As will be addressed below, there are many approaches to employing money management to limit gambling.

  1. Create a budget.

Consider how much you’ll need to start saving for your day-to-day expenses (such as food, insurance, rent, and education). Determine how much risk and loss you can take when it comes to gambling and sports betting. Set a daily, weekly, and monthly limit for yourself.

  1. Establish limits.

Determine the maximum amount you are willing to wager, spend, or lose. It is recommended that you use the limit feature provided by the majority of bookmakers to help you stay inside your limitations. It will be simpler for you to stick to your plan as a result.

  1. Avoid using credit cards when you’re gambling. 

Your game will be riskier if you use borrowed funds. Additionally, your loved ones can suffer as a result of your potential losses in addition to you.

  1. Grab your cash prize. 

It is advised that you cash out some money after a considerable win. Avoid playing more after making a significant gainbecause doing so could increase your risk of suffering gaming harm. Avoid making massive bets because doing so might encourage you to take more risks.

  1.  Minimize your bank withdrawals.

Request a limit on the amount you can withdraw from your bank.

  1.  Keep to your plan of action.

Most importantly, make sure you execute your plan! Remember that you should stick to your budget and any other constraints you’ve set for each wager. Regularly assess your gambling behaviour: Are you remaining inside the predetermined spending cap? Are you keeping to the time frame you established? Suppose you realize that you are occasionally unable to keep to your limits. In that case, it is always a good idea to seek counsel to learn what steps may be taken to prevent the development of unsustainable gambling behaviour.

Manage your time well

Before indulging in any gambling activities, players should consider their spending limit and available time.

Why should you keep an eye on the time?

Most sports gamblers are also die-hard sports fans who enjoy following the championship. Our normal alertness may shift as a result of the adrenaline released while watching an athletic event, such as a football game.

As a result, it can also be difficult to keep track of time, particularly if you’re constantly looking for the best odds or placing bets during a busy live betting session.

Similar behaviour is displayed by poker or casino players.

When you gamble excessively, you may neglect other facets of your life (such as exercise, work-related chores, education, etc.). Relationships might suffer from ineffective time management.

What time management strategy do you use?

Many bookmakers and operators utilise stop clocks and time limits as two of the tools to help players keep track of how much time they spend betting. Use it if your preferred operator has one; it can be beneficial. They make it simple to track your achievement and assist you in deciding ahead of time how much time you want to spend betting.

If your preferred bookmaker does not provide this feature, you can still create a simple system for placing bets by setting a timer or using the stopwatch on your phone to keep track of the passing of time.

Another useful tactic is to estimate how much time you will spend gambling and then compare that estimate to the actual amount of time you spent. To keep track of the time, you can log the time you spend over a few weeks. Don’t forget to account for the time spent analyzing and researching potential bets. If you find that you significantly underestimate how much time you spend gambling, you may set time limits on it.

At what point does it end?

It can be difficult to judge how much time is excessive because the length of time differs so much for different players. Choose a quantity that won’t break the bank and ask a friend for their advice.

The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction can be used to specify the restrictions. The Guidelines are the result of a five-year investigation that took into account user feedback, gaming statistics, and expert viewpoints. It is suggested that you limit your gambling to no more than four days a month to lower your risk of becoming addicted to it.

If you bet more than is advised, you are increasing your risk exposure, though this does not necessarily mean you have a problem.

Participate for fun

Gambling, like any other form of entertainment, can be fun in moderation if you feel in control of the situation.

It can be upsetting when you lose control of your game and find yourself scrambling to find lost money.

Some people may find it challenging to concentrate on other important duties due to their gambling addiction. The warning indications that this behaviour isn’t only for fun, such as mental stress, anxiety, depression, financial challenges, and relationship issues, should be obvious to you.

What actions should you take if you come across or suspect an addict?

If, despite the advice you received in this article, gambling becomes a problem, our advice is to get in touch with a business that specialises in gambling addiction therapy and prevention.

The following links may be helpful to you:

Gambling Therapy