Playing with real cash to win more of it can be great fun and offer plenty of entertainment value, provided those who engage in this pastime can control what they are doing and recognize the danger signs of losing control.
This ability to stay in control and see any danger coming is referred to as responsible gambling or responsible gaming - terms that are widely used by gambling operators and others offering gambling services in the industry. Pages giving this type of information should be clearly visible on any respectable website that describes gambling activities, ways to play cash games, or opportunities to place real money bets.
As long as a person is old enough, lives somewhere where it is not illegal, has spare money that he or she can afford to lose, and can access working options for depositing cash into an account, it is often easy to find a wide range of opportunities to gamble.
But virtually all forms of gambling bring the risk of losing money alongside the chance of winning it. This loss could represent a small amount of cash or lots of it.
And alongside that possibility, there is also the issue of addiction. Many games are addictive by nature; the lure of winning money can be addictive, and for someone who has a personality prone to addiction, this can make the perfect recipe for problems.
These issues have a name - problem gambling. Those who fall into this bracket can be labeled problem gamblers.
So the way for people to try to avoid problem gambling issues is known as responsible gambling, and on this page, we are going to look at some of the tips and signs to watch for to identify a gambling problem, how to take steps to gamble responsibly, what stance the gaming operators and other service providers take, and where to go for information on getting help.
We urge our visitors to please read this responsible gambling page of ProfessionalRakeback.com carefully – ideally before depositing cash and taking any risks of losing it.
At a high level, there are a number of important points to consider around responsible or problem gambling. We will take a deeper look at some of these in a minute, but for now the most important are:
Almost everyone hits points in their life where they get pulled into something that is not good but is very hard to stop. It feels like almost being forced to continue. It is like being compelled and having little choice in the matter.
Compulsive gambling practices sit squarely in this category and almost always have no benefit for anyone. To give as much chance as possible of not getting into problems, take note of the following:
One should always gamble cautiously and only with what can be safely afforded – and remember that this amount will vary from time to time and from person to person.
The key is not to gamble in such a way as to lose excessive amounts of money or let losing have strong psychological or physical effects or in any way have a negative impact on those nearby (family, friends, work colleagues).
If someone can achieve that – and stay personally calm, disciplined, and focused – there should be no reason why they cannot spend money that they can afford to lose on betting entertainment.
There are two types of gambling - solely to win money and for entertainment purposes with the possibility of winning.
It may be possible to bet or play just to win money, and with the right choices, experience, and use of strategies, this can be achieved successfully. But the best way to gamble and at the same time lessen the prospects of gambling problems from it is to treat it as a form of entertainment.
Enjoy gambling. See it as a form of entertainment that one must pay for. This is not always an easy thing to do, but it is important to keep this mindset.
Risking more and more money to win back what has been lost rarely results in success over the long term. Any systems that involve staking increasing amounts of money will only work by sheer luck and will almost always fail, and just playing with abandon and guesses is also a bad idea, which will very likely lead to failure.
Optimism is a personality trait found in nearly everyone who gambles. It is almost a necessity because without it, there would be no point in starting.
It becomes a potential problem when over-optimism creeps in. Those suffering from this cognitive bias often feel invincible, as if they cannot lose, and that their skill is superior to everyone else's.
There are instances, of course, where this may be true, but in reality, it is rare. There are always going to be circumstances where it is either better to stop completely or at least slow down.
Keeping records of wins and losses is very useful. Seeing those amounts recorded in black and white helps in quantifying what cash is disappearing or, hopefully, what is coming in as profit.
It is very easy to lose track, just like losing track of spending in everyday life.
Remember too that it is not only money that can be lost; time gets consumed too. Time is valuable to everyone.
Drugs, alcohol, or even some forms of medication can adversely affect how thinking, reactions, and situations are dealt with. It is unwise to gamble while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
It is pretty easy to check with any gambling operator to ensure that they follow all necessary legislation and have processes in place to protect or assist anyone who may be having gambling difficulties.
One of the key ways of protecting oneself from harm of any type is to be able to see the danger coming. If one is in danger without having seen it coming, then it is important to realize the situation as quickly as possible.
So be mindful of the aspects of gambling that may indicate movement in the wrong direction. Consider the following list of questions, and if the answer is “yes” to more than a handful, then it might be time to stop and get some help:
Almost all regulated or licensed operators are either forced to take steps to protect their customers or have an internal desire to do the best for them. Many unlicensed or unregulated operators will also offer similar protections.
Many take that responsibility very seriously and have various protective measures in place. Some of these can be activated by the customer while others are enforced by the operator themselves:
Most respectable operators will set rules that protect minors from underage gambling and steadfastly enforce any age restrictions in place. Allowing underage accounts is almost always a big no-no.
These rules vary from country to country and are in place for good reasons, which we fully support. At a young age, it is difficult to fully appreciate the ramifications of actions, and in the gambling arena, starting out early is more likely to result in more problem gamblers.
Anyone under the legal age for the country they reside in should not play and should avoid making any attempt to get involved in gambling.
Households with at least one adult and younger family member(s) can take some steps to protect the vulnerable individuals:
Some operators offer the ability for users to choose a limit on how much they can lose or even deposit. This can be in local currency, so it can be a euro, pound, or dollar limit. There should also be options for total self-exclusion.
Players can also set a time limit so they are automatically logged out and cannot get back in for a preset period of time.
These options are normally found somewhere in the account details section.
It is not a bad idea to seek out gambling operators that offer these features and only use them. That way, these elements are present if needed.
Self-exclusion tools can take a variety of forms, including:
If someone hits a point where they believe they are no longer in control of their gambling (and ideally before hitting that point), then they should get help.
There are plenty of help websites that offer advice and run gambling programs, often set up by legislative bodies. Many are listed below. There will be at least one offering support for players in whatever region they live.
There are different bodies in different regions of the world. In theory, they all offer similar levels of support, and most will approach the giving of that support in similar ways.
Many run hotlines that allow gamblers talk to someone immediately.
American Gaming Association Code Of Conduct: https://www.americangaming.org
Gamblers Anonymous US: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
GamblingHelp Online: https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au
Gamblers Anonymous Australia: https://gaaustralia.org.au/
Gamblers Anonymous: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org
National Council on Problem Gambling: https://www.ncpgambling.org/
GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk
GambleAware: https://www.begambleaware.org/
For gambling help in Canada, see the section on our page on Canadian online poker.
Anyone not located in any of these countries is free to contact us at ProfessionalRakeback.com. Details of how to reach us are on the contact page, and we will aim to provide resources for help in any particular local region.
Of course, there are other ways for those with a problem to get help. Family members or friends may be of some assistance though, in most cases, it is going to be professional help that gets the best results.
All types of gambling present risks of becoming addicted, and addiction in any form can have many negative consequences. To avoid that risk completely, it is best not to gamble at all although the vast majority of gamblers can do so and control it without any major issues.
There is a big difference between gambling and losing money with no harmful effects and gambling away money that an individual cannot afford to lose.
Which one is it in the case of any particular person? And can someone recognize when they get to the point where it does matter or is becoming harmful?
Understanding the different elements of responsible gaming will help one to be able to answer these questions. Knowing how to set a time limit or a dollar limit is important.
Go back to the start. Read it all again. There is plenty of information on this page, and this really is critical stuff. Continually losing is no fun, and the overriding advice we can give is to treat gambling as fun and try to keep it for entertainment purposes.
What is the point if there is no enjoyment?
And believe us, losing a lot of money is not fun (unless one already has so much of it that it makes no difference) and is not what we want anyone using ProfessionalRakeback.com to experience.