Responsible Gambling

At NoDepositKings, we place responsible gambling at the forefront of our thinking because we firmly believe you should enjoy gambling without risking your health, finances and personal relationships. This is why we only work with trusted licenced online casino brands that support responsible gambling policies. On this page, you will learn what responsible gambling means, why it’s important, how to gamble responsibly and what to do if you detect a potential problem with yourself or someone you know.

What Is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gambling is the set of social responsibility initiatives by the gambling industry, that includes governments, operators and players, to ensure the integrity and fairness of the activity and to promote awareness of harms associated with gambling, such as gambling addiction and underage gambling.

In this article we will cover the following issues:

As a player, we will guide you how to take control over your gambling habits. We will also make you aware of the pitfalls that you could encounter and advise you how to avoid them.
All the online casinos that we recommend follow responsible gambling practices so as to provide a safe, secure and transparent platform where you can enjoy the games. They also provide the right tools for you to gamble responsibly and we will show you how to derive maximum benefit from those.

Play Safe: The Essentials of Responsible Gambling

To help you understand responsible gambling, our experts have covered the topic extensively in a series of articles to help you or someone you know get information and assistance when it is needed.

How Can You Gamble Safely?

Take control of your gambling habits with actionable measures you can implement right now. We explore the steps you can take to turn a habit or addiction into entertainment for enjoyment. These steps empower responsible play, enhancing enjoyment while mitigating potential risks.

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Do You Think Your Gambling Has Spiraled Out of Control?

This article on what to do if you think you have a gambling problem delves into the crucial task of identifying a gambling problem. Discover the signs that signal potential addiction and uncover actionable strategies to regain control. Navigate the path to a healthier relationship with gambling to foster well-being and balance.

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Recognizing the Tell-Tale Signs of Problem Gambling

Learn to spot the subtle cues that may reveal a gambling problem. This article explores the significance of early recognition and how early recognition paves the way for prevention. It also introduces actionable steps to eliminate the issues before they become a bigger problem down the line.

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How To Help Someone With A Developing Gambling Problem

In this article, we explore a compassionate approach to aiding someone on the brink of a gambling problem. We look at effective strategies to initiate conversation, offer support, and guide them toward professional help. Unlock insights into fostering a path of recovery and well-being for those in need so they can enjoy the benefits of responsible gambling.

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How Casinos Should Implement Responsible Gambling Measures

This article explores the responsible gambling landscape in terms of the key tools and practices ethical online casinos adopt. It covers the diverse range of tools and initiatives designed to safeguard players’ well-being while upholding the integrity of casinos and gambling operators.

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How to Gamble Responsibly

We start with some basic tips that highlight the mind set you need to have so that you can gamble responsibly.

Gambling should not be a source of income: It is a well-established fact that a gambler cannot keep winning for ever. The odds offered at casinos marginally favour the house. Therefore, do not depend on casino gambling (where you play against the house) for putting bread on the table.
Gambling should be fun: Treat gambling as a form of entertainment just like going to the movies or having a drink with friends. If you win then it is bonus.
Plan your gambling budget: Based on your disposable income and desired savings, allocate a monthly or weekly amount for gambling. Also set aside a fixed time for gambling, making sure that you are not cutting into your social life. Once the amount and time are worked out, treat them as inviolable, come what may.
Understand the rules: Learn the rules and strategies of the casino games, especially where some skill is involved like in blackjack and video poker. Making incorrect moves in these games will lead to very poor returns and possible frustration as well. It is equally important to be absolutely clear about the conditions of the bonuses that you want to redeem.
Stay sober: The injunction “don’t drink and drive” applies to gambling as well. You need to be sober at all times and be aware of how much you are spending.
Gambling is not a cure-all for personal problems: Do not gamble to avoid coming to terms with anger, depression, loneliness and the like. Those problems will not get cured this way and you may land up with newer ones.

Gambling Is an Adult Activity

One of the most irresponsible things you can do is attempt to gamble without having achieved the age of majority. In online gambling there could be two benchmarks involved. One is the age specified by the online casino, which is usually 18 years. Some countries specify a higher age, even 21 years. If you are a resident of such a country, then you have to cross that age as well.

If you have minors at home then it becomes your responsibility to make sure they cannot gamble using your account. You must log out every time you end the session, keep your passwords out of children’s reach and install apps like Net Nanny to prevent children from accessing gambling sites.

Age Verification at Online Gambling Sites

In the United Kingdom, all gambling operators are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission. One of the requirements of the Gambling Commission is that online operators verify the age of the applicant before activating the account. This is to prevent underage people from playing at the site.

Online casinos will not accept at face value the date of birth and you will have to provide the age verification documents asked for. These could include passport or driving license. The online casino could use external databases to further make sure that you have not submitted bogus documents. As a responsible gambler it is your obligation to furnish correct details and authentic documents. If at any time the online casino discovers that you have lied about your age, or other particulars, it has every right to close your account and even refuse to pay you your winnings.

Responsible Gambling Facilities at Online Casinos

This is perhaps the most important section of the article. Online casinos are required by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission regulations to offer certain facilities that engender responsible gambling behaviour. These work by limiting the funds you spend at online casinos and also the time you spend there. You are not bound by the gambling sites to take advantage of these tools, but we urge you to do so. In this section we take you through the tools, outlining their advantages and telling you how to use them.

Setting the Session Time:

All UK online casinos display a clock that shows how long you have been gambling. It is likely that you may not heed the clock if you are engrossed with your slot machines or other games. One of the responsible gambling facilities allows you to set the session’s time. When that period is over, a pop-up message will tell you how long you have been playing and give you the option of logging out or continue playing. It is important that you get into the habit of logging out and terminating your session when you receive this reminder.

Setting deposit or spending limits:

Having control on the amount that you deposit is even more important. Many online casinos impose maximum limits on deposits, but these are usually too generous. Their responsible gambling protocols allow you to set daily, weekly or monthly limits on how much you want to deposit. Once the limit is set then the casino will not accept deposits greater than it, because it would risk losing its operating licence. The limit can be increased, but the process is time consuming and cumbersome. You would have planned a gambling budget as indicated earlier and your set deposit limit should conform to that.

Some online gambling sites will allow you to set a limit on the amount you wager instead of the amount you deposit, but ultimately the objective and result is the same.

Self-exclusion

This is a severer responsible gambling tool that you will need to look at if you feel that you are unable to control the time or amount spent on gambling.

There are two self-exclusion options.

Temporary self-exclusion is for those players who believe that they are on the verge of gambling too much and need to take time off from the activity. In this case, you can activate the temporary self-exclusion facility and ask the casino to prevent you from playing for a specified period. This could be as short as 24 hours or as long as a few months, depending on your needs. You will not be allowed to log in before the end of the chosen period under any circumstances.
Permanent self-exclusion is the more drastic step that you should take when you realise that you will not be able to overcome your gambling addiction without professional assistance. Once you activate this, the online casino will block you from playing on its platform permanently.

Whichever option you choose, make sure that you activate it at all the gambling sites that you are registered at. If you leave even one exit open then the exercise will be wasted.

How to Recognise Gambling Addiction

Earlier, we had said that certain responsible gambling steps depended on whether you felt that you were on the verge of gambling addiction. You do not have to go by vague gut feeling. Online casinos and agencies that treat gambling addiction offer a self-assessment test, which makes realistic identification of the malaise.

We reproduce the one used by Gambling Therapy, which is an organisation registered in England. If you answer yes to three or more of the following questions then you should immediately seek professional help.

Do you spend too much money and/or time gambling?
Have you gambled away money needed to pay household bills?
Have you risked or lost a relationship because of your gambling?
Have you risked or lost your home or job because of your gambling?
Do you struggle to sleep because of your problems with gambling?
Do you gamble to try to win back losses?
Do you lie about how much you gamble?

Treatment of Problem Gambling

It is now established beyond doubt that problem gambling (or gambling addiction) is a medical disorder and not a result of social upbringing. GambleAware has estimated that 2.7% of the adults in Great Britain suffer from it. However, there is no taboo associated with problem gambling and you should not hesitate in seeking treatment.

Once you start gambling, you should take a self-assessment test regularly. If the test indicates that you have a gambling problem, immediately self-exclude from all online gambling sites, inform your spouse or close family member and contact a professional organisation.

There are several levels of treatment available, and the professional will help in identifying which one you should go for. Some of these treatments offer complete anonymity and are recommended if you have reservations in going public about your problem.

Online or telephonic individual consultation
Online group therapy
Face to face consultation
Rehab, for the extreme cases

We end with a list of reputed problem gambling treatment organisations in the United Kingdom.

Gamblers Anonymous: gamblersanonymous.org.uk; 0330-094-0322
Gambling Therapy: gamblingtherapy.org;
GamCare: gamcare.org.uk; 0808-8020-133
GambleAware: gambleaware.co.uk;

A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed

It is a known fact that many players refuse to accept that they have a problem, do not go for any treatment and keep pushing themselves further into the quicksand of gambling addiction. If you have a family member or friend that likes to gamble, you must be prepared to take matters in your hand.

Keep checking his behaviour against a self-assessment test and if you find any signs of problem gambling, then cajole and convince him to go for treatment. Remember, they need your sympathy and not your condemnation.