Online casinos are rapidly becoming part of the entertainment landscape. That’s something most people are comfortable with – attitudes towards gambling have changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, and the practice of gambling per se is socially acceptable in most circles.
Having said that, it would be disingenuous to pretend that problem gambling does not exist. While the vast majority of casino gamers happily enjoy the pastime in the often-quoted spirit of only gambling what they can afford to lose, there is a minority for whom casino games can become a problem. Here, industry veteran Mark Pilarski from CasinoSenpai.com provides five golden rules on how to play responsibly in online casinos.
1. Pick a specific time of day for casino gaming
Sometimes, having a real money casino right there on your smartphone can be a little too convenient. For slot enthusiasts in particular, it is easy to pop online and burn $50 in a matter of minutes. If you visit a physical casino, you’ll do so at a set time, most often following work for a bit of fun to help you wind down, so adopt the same practice when playing in cyberspace. It’s doubly valuable if you work online, too, as it gives you a reason to stop working for the day and prevents work from encroaching on your personal time!
2. Choose a spending limit
People talk vaguely regarding the concept of “problem gambling,” but it almost always boils down to one thing: chasing losses. There have been numerous scientific studies on this, and it’s a natural urge to want to turn things around when you have a bad run. However, it’s one that the mathematicians as well as your bank manager will tell you is best resisted. The surefire way to do so is to choose a spending limit and stick to it. You can do that by having your gambling budget in its own account or digital wallet. Alternatively, most online casino platforms have a facility for you to set a limit there. Do so before you even start to gamble.
3. Don’t be secretive regarding gambling
We said at the outset that we are no longer living in puritanical times, and casino gambling is socially acceptable. Be open regarding your pastime, especially with loved ones. For complete transparency, invite them to take an interest in what you are doing. It means they can share your joy when you win and console you when you have a bad day. It also means you’ve got another pair of eyes there that will notice before you do if anything regarding your casino gaming starts to become unhealthy.
4. Stick to casinos in cyberspace
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional night out at a real casino. However, if you play routinely, ones in cyberspace offer better controls in terms of limits and fewer temptations to break your own rules. For example, those free drinks for which Vegas casinos are famous only flow if you carry on gambling.
5. Help is available, so make use of it
The online casino platforms want to build relationships with customers who have a good time and keep coming back for more. Irresponsible gambling is as harmful to their business as it is to the individual, and it benefits nobody. That’s why casinos invest heavily in responsible gambling resources ranging from limits and time outs to direct counselling. In other words, there’s plenty of expert assistance out there to help keep gambling fun, so don’t be afraid to make use of it. GamblingTherapy.org is a good place to start.
