Responsible gambling is the motto
At BetBrain.com, we are committed to showing you how to gamble responsibly, how to figure out if you have or could potentially have an issue and how to make sure that you are completely safe at all times.
We have a wide range of gambling-related topics, both about sports and casino gambling, written by our team of experts that have gone above and beyond to bring you all the required information and advice so that you can have a seamless experience online with 0 issues.
We are ready to do anything to make your experience amazing and make sure that you know the answer to “what is responsible gambling?” and know what to do and what not to do to stay safe.
Remember that gambling is a form of entertainment, something you do for fun sometimes and not something that you spend all your time doing or do mindlessly. If there’s one thing that’s crucial when it comes to online gambling, it’s being in full control all the time.
If you feel like you lack control in general then most probably gambling isn’t for you and you should find other ways to spend your free time.
There are millions of people around the world who are able to stay in control and enjoy themselves when gambling, so you just have to make sure that you are one of them and that this pastime allows you to be in control and have fun.
So if you think you can be in control let’s talk about why is it important to promote responsible gambling, what is responsible gambling in the UK (and other countries), how to stay safe and what to do to fix any issues. We strongly advise that you read the following tips and follow them.
You Are Betting for Fun, Not for Profit
You need to keep in mind that just a small percentage of gamblers actually make a constant profit.
While it is theoretically possible for anyone to win money by practicing any form of gambling (sports betting, table games, slots, bingo, etc), it takes a lot of time and effort to get those necessary skills and even so, there’s always a high reliance on luck, so even if you’re really experienced fortune might not always be in your favour.
Unlike casino gambling, sports betting is a lot more based on experience and skill and less so on luck, so consistency and determination could take you further, but you need to be conscious of the fact that sometimes a player gets injured, rain starts, the team is down on morale, an almost impossible play works and so on.
That’s why you need to see gambling as a form of entertainment. You need to expect to lose money and be happy when that doesn’t happen, not the other way around. These losses are just the cost of entertainment.
You’re not upset when you go to the cinema and have to pay for a ticket to see a great movie and have fun, so why would you be upset when you’re betting on your favourite team or your favourite casino game and losing? It’s the cost of entertainment.
Gambling problems don’t stem from the games or sports per se, they come from people expecting (or even worse, needing) to win. This leads to frustration and anxiety, maybe even depression, as well as a desperate need to bet more to try to win back what they’ve lost.
Soon enough it turns into a vicious circle and you just keep betting and losing because you’re too caught up in it to think straight and end up making poor decisions.
If you expect to sometimes lose then you will be a lot less likely to fall into the same pattern. Also, a win will bring you much more satisfaction. If you’re not enjoying yourself, no matter if you’re winning or losing, then why spend money on it? When gambling stops being fun the logical step is to stop gambling.
Set a Budget and Stick to It
While it might not seem like such a big deal, setting a budget is probably the best way to make sure you are gambling responsibly. You allocate a fixed amount of money that you are OK with losing over a given period of time.
At the beginning of the month, after you’ve gotten your salary, take your time to divide it and set aside money for everything. You need to make sure you cover all the necessities like housing and bills and food and then a small amount for entertainment.
The entertainment fund must never seep into the necessities fund. It should be something you are comfortable with losing and which will not affect your life in any way.
If you set yourself limits and stick to them then you should be able to enjoy gambling without ever getting into any sort of trouble. You can set daily limits, weekly limits, or monthly limits. What’s important is to stick to them. And spread it out so you are not tempted to go over the budget.
So if you have £200 for the whole month, make small bets and spread it out. And if you end up losing the whole £200 don’t deposit more, just take a break until the next time you can afford it. Don’t start chasing your losses because that rarely ends well.
Set Time Limits and Take Breaks
Most things can be beneficial if you remember that good measure is key. If you’re spending too much time gambling and skipping on other things like spending time with your family and friends it can be just as bad as spending too much money on it.
Online gambling needs to be a fun pastime, a hobby, and not a habit. You can make bets in your spare time, but don’t let it take over your life and neglect other important aspects. If you find yourself doing something else but not being present and thinking about gambling then that’s a good indication that you’re on a slippery slope and should check yourself before things get out of hand completely.
Keep yourself accountable by setting break times and time limits either by yourself or by using the functionality available at most bookmakers and casino sites.
Top 10 Tips for Responsible Gambling
Mostly responsible gambling is about rationality and making good decisions. If you get lucky you may even win but that’s not the point of this, the fun is. You need to be completely aware of all the risks and each action needs to be calculated and controlled.
Here are some tips that will help you gamble responsibly:
- Think of gambling as entertainment, not a way to make money
- Only gamble with funds you can afford to lose
- Set a spending limit before betting
- Set a time limit before betting
- Don’t chase your losses
- Don’t ever gamble when you are intoxicated (alcohol, drugs, etc).
- Don’t gamble when you are stressed, depressed, or in any way upset.
- Quit when you’re ahead. Go out on a high, not a low.
- Don’t borrow money to gamble and don’t deposit anymore once you’ve reached your pre-imposed cap.
- Gamble only in your free time, but balance it with other activities. Remember to be social.
Also, if you suspect that you might have a problem you should always seek advice and help. Tell your family, your friends, and even professionals. Don’t be ashamed, it can happen to anyone to slip sometimes but as long as you take action and seek help you will be able to come through the tough times.
Questions like “Is someone in the family responsible for her husband's gambling debts” which people ask online have a double meaning. While morally only the person that’s gambling is responsible for any issue or debt, from a legal point of view things might differ depending on the country.
If spouses are viewed as a unit then both will be held accountable for debts. This is why communication is important so that you can solve any issues that arise before they become a bigger problem and turn into debt or psychological trauma.
There are several websites where professionals can help you out. Gamblers Anonymous is another great resource for getting help. They will give you information about problem gambling, and treatment, and you can even attend meetings.
Are the Effects of Response Inhibition on Gambling Long-Lasting?
A recent study has shown that short-term training in response inhibition can make people more cautious for up to two hours when making decisions.
The longevity of such training effects is still unclear and the stop-signal paradigm was tested to see if it reduces risky gambling when the training and gambling task are 24 hours apart.
Two independent experiments have revealed that the aftereffects of stop-signal training are pretty negligible after 24 hours. This means that better optimization of parameters of inhibition training is required to achieve clinical efficacy. This might be possible by strengthening automatic associations between specific stimuli and stopping.
Other studies have found that poor response inhibition predicts risky decision-making in the Iowa Gambling Task. The connection between stopping and gambling and even risky decision-making is supported by the finding that response inhibition is impaired in problem gamblers.
This could potentially mean that engaging in irresponsible gambling might not be your fault directly, but rather the result of impaired response inhibition over which you have no control.
Further tests are due, but basically, if you feel that this could be something you struggle with then gambling should be out of the question completely for you. Those who have no issue with response inhibition should be able to enjoy responsible gambling and not develop any sort of problems.