Responsible Gaming in Fighting Addiction: A Comprehensive Overview

This article discusses the role of responsible gaming in fighting the problem of addiction while highlighting the role of the government, gambling operators, and players.

Role of Responsible Gaming in Fighting Addiction

While gambling is fun and rewarding, it can develop into addiction if not controlled. Problem gambling is a critical issue today, resulting in devastating consequences for players who fall victim.

Thankfully, governmental bodies and gambling stakeholders are actively pushing responsible gambling practices to help protect gamblers. Today, players can use these measures to control their betting habits and seek help when things start going south.

This article explores the role of responsible gambling in fighting addiction in the iGaming industry. Let’s dive right in!

What Is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gambling refers to principles and practices aimed at minimizing the risk associated with various forms of gambling while promoting safe and enjoyable experiences. Essentially, this initiative aims to reduce the rate at which people develop compulsive gambling habits.

Problem gambling or addiction is when an individual no longer has control over their betting habits and becomes obsessed. Gambling addiction often produces harsh consequences on a gambler’s overall life, including finances, relationships, work, etc. Hence, responsible gaming has become a critical issue that mustn’t be ignored in the iGaming industry.

Causes of Gambling Addiction

It is impossible to pinpoint a single cause of problem gambling. It is because addiction, generally, often develops from a combination of different factors, including psychological, cultural, genetic, or biological. For example, many individuals indulge in gambling to distract themselves from worry, stress, anxiety, or depression. However, the distraction can easily become a compulsion if not properly managed.

People More Vulnerable to Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction can affect anyone, irrespective of age, social class, or background. However, studies have shown that people with certain personal factors and traits are more vulnerable to this issue.

You should note that besides the factors highlighted above, several other less obvious issues can result in compulsive gambling in individuals. For example, children who grow up in a home with one or more gambling addicts are likelier to end up the same.

Thankfully, in promoting responsible gambling, many gambling operators proactively identify at-risk punters on their platforms. For instance, in 2023 Responsible Gambling Research, LVBET Sportsbook stated, “We identify at-risk gamblers in many different ways, focusing on data reporting to locate known indicators of risk of gambling-related harm. Moreover, all of our departments are well trained in recognizing RG concerns, particularly regarding player communication.”

Parimatch Affiliate, another expert, also claimed, “Our internal system allows us to identify players who systematically incur losses that could adversely affect their financial situation. Our customer support professionals contact such players to assess the situation and discuss the possibility of self-exclusion or choosing any other form of limitation or restriction.”

Developmental Stages of Gambling Addiction

Problem gambling occurs in an individual over time, spanning a few different phases. The table below shows each stage and its descriptions.

How Gambling Sites are Promoting Responsible Gambling

To reduce the number of problem gamblers as much as possible, various stakeholders in the industry, especially casinos and betting site operators, implement and enforce several proactive measures.

Most of these sites provide various resources and information to educate users about the risk of problem gambling and responsible gambling tools like deposit limits, win/loss limits, self-exclusion programs, etc. Many sites also partner with responsible gambling organizations.

For instance, 1Win Sportsbook gave its stance on problem gambling — “We have implemented responsible gambling measures, such as setting limits on deposits, offering self-exclusion options, and providing information and resources on responsible gambling.”

Playa Bets Sportsbook also said— “We can only work harder with the correct department and communicate and educate punters more on the addiction and ways to get help.”

Getting Help for Gambling Addiction: Self-Help and Treatment

The good news is that gambling addiction is not an unsolvable issue. Those who develop the problem can always get help addressing it. However, it is essential for one first to acknowledge there is a problem for a solution to be achievable.

To help players seek timely help, we have provided the major signs of gambling addiction below:

• Becoming obsessed with gambling
• Experiencing anxiety, restlessness, and other withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit
• Lying to friends and family to hide the extent of your gambling
• Experiencing negative impacts on your life due to your gambling activities like financial ruins, relationship problems,
• Gambling with money you cannot afford to lose
• Always jonesing for the next win and chasing losses

Note that you can address problem gambling in two ways: self-help and treatments.

Self Help

You can help yourself out of the vortex of problem gambling. Many punters utilize the self-exclusion program to restrict access to their preferred betting sites for a specific period. You can also find alternative activities or hobbies that you can use to redirect your focus away from the habit. Seeking a support network of friends, family, or even support groups can encourage struggling punters and keep them accountable.

1xBit Sportsbook supports self-help in its statement — “Developing comprehensive self-exclusion programs that allow users to exclude themselves from gambling platforms for a specified period voluntarily is an effective way to protect users from addictive behavior.”

Getting Treatments

For those who find it challenging to quit, even with self-help measures, it is vital to seek treatment immediately, explore support from accredited gambling treatment agencies available to make a positive change in your journey towards recovery. It can be via counseling and therapy, where you can treat the underlying cause of your gambling addiction and develop coping tactics. Other treatment options are medications and inpatient treatment programs.

ReloadBet Sportsbook expressed its stance on gambling treatment — “Pathological gambling is a disorder that should be treated. As awareness among bettors grows and new generations of players are more open to accepting that they need help, we expect improvement in that field shortly.”

Conclusion

With the increasing problem of compulsive gambling in the iGaming industry, the need for responsible gaming has become more critical than ever. Thankfully, governmental bodies and gambling organizations are leading in promoting responsible gambling initiatives for a safer and more controlled gambling environment for players. However, the players are responsible for taking advantage of these policies to protect themselves.

A number of sports betting brands are actively involved in creating a safe and responsible gambling environment worldwide. The website provides its readers with comprehensive resources on responsible gaming and other essential up-to-date information on how bettors struggling with addiction can seek help. A recently published 2023 Responsible Gambling Research explores the issue of problem gambling and how to curb it effectively. Ensure you visit the site to read the full research.