Safety

Professional organizations such as BeGambleAware, Gamblers Anonymous, Stödlinjen, Gambling Therapy, Global Gambling Guidance Group, Betting & Gaming Council, and GamCare are available to assist those bold enough to seek help. Gamstop and BetBlocker are two services that can prevent players from signing up for online casinos and logging in.

All good online casinos will include a variety of helpful features to assist consumers in managing their time and money. Daily, weekly, and monthly configurable restrictions, as well as regular in-play warnings, assistance, and advice, as well as 'time-out' or'self-exclusion' periods to disable accounts for an agreed length of time, should all be included in a compact responsible gambling program.

Gambling Help Organizations

Need help or someone to talk to? Or maybe you are looking to install blocking software? Below are some organizations that offer assistance:

BetBlocker: www.betblocker.org

Safer Gambling UK: www.safergamblinguk.org

BeGambleAware: www.begambleaware.org

Gambling Therapy: www.gamblingtherapy.org

GamCare: www.gamcare.org.uk

Gamblers Anonymous: www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk

Sweden – Stödlinjen: www.stodlinjen.se

‘Take Time To Think’ takes over from ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’

‘Take Time To Think’ is the new slogan for the UK Gambling Industry, replacing the ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ message.

‘Take Time To Think’ is focused on reminding players to pause for thought and consider responsible gambling tools to help limit the risk of gambling harm and addiction. The Betting & Gaming Council seek to encourage players to take advantage of player protection tools such as deposit limits, in-game reminders, time-outs and self-exclusion facilities with a simple message.

The striking yellow and black used for the ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign, started in 2015, has been retained to deliver the new communication to players. Managed by the BGC, the ‘Take Time To Think’ campaign has been funded by members William Hill, Entain, bet365, Betfred, Betsson, Betway, Betvictor, Entain, Flutter, Gamesys, Kindred, Microgaming, Playtech, PlayOjo, and William Hill.

Michael Dugher, Chief Executive of the BGC, had this to say about the multi-million-pound campaign:

“I am absolutely delighted that our members have signed up to this fantastic campaign.

Millions of people enjoy a flutter and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly. But that doesn’t prevent the regulated industry from continuing to do more to promote ever higher standards in safer gambling.

Our research has shown that the ‘Take Time To Think’ message will encourage even more customers to pause and consider whether to make use of the wide range of safer gambling tools that are available. That will enable them to stay in control of their betting.

The efforts BGC members are making to promote safer gambling are in stark contrast to the all too easily available unsafe, unregulated black market online.”

A series of tv adverts will drive home the message by showing players pausing during play to consider placing limits and reduce the risk they may be exposing themselves to.

‘Take Time To Think’ will increase awareness around the Responsible Gambling tools available at online casinos and inspire players to use daily, weekly or monthly deposit limits, set game-time reminders and even take a break or self-exclude from gambling altogether.

How to Gamble Responsibly?

Although iGaming operators and providers have a key role in creating a secure online gambling environment, a lot also depends on the players themselves. After all, what’s the point of responsible gambling tools if you don’t use them?!

There are several things all online gamblers need to have in mind each time they ‘enter’ their favorite online casino:

• Gambling is a form of entertainment.
• Never look at online betting as a way to make easy money or to boost your monthly income.
• Don’t play with money you can’t afford.
• Limit your bets and losses as well as the time you spend on the gambling platform.
• If you feel like you’re losing control of your betting habits, make sure you activate the self-exclusion option in the online casino. Also, contact the organization providing help to players who find themselves in this awful predicament. Their phone lines are open 24/7 and everything you say is confidential.

What is Responsible Gambling?

The Responsible Gambling concept is quite broad as it encompasses several strategies that are applied to prevent the negative impact online betting can have on the players’ lives. In most basic terms, it requests from iGaming companies to offer users a safe and secure playing environment.