Responsible Gambling

What is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gaming is nothing but a conscious effort to make healthy decisions over your online casino hobby. One can easily get carried away with various discounts & appealing offers, ultimately resulting in a financial loss. So, it’s always advised to have control over your emotions, as responsible gaming helps safeguard your finances and other factors in real life. It ensures your online casino habit as entertainment & not a personal trouble.

Do you have a potential gambling addiction?

Not all bad things in life hit you directly. Many of them give out warning signals, which, if ignored, lead to the worst. Online gambling addiction is one of them. Below, we will list a few questions that you can ask yourself if you are an avid user of online casinos. We promote responsible gaming to all our users and advise them to keep control over their emotions and finances while not being carried away by lucrative online offers.

1. Do you ever feel guilty about how much money you gamble away?
2. Do you have to bet more money to get that same sense of thrill?
3. Is it difficult for you to stop gambling once you’ve lost?
4. Does your gaming create any money problems with you or your household?
5. Does gambling damage your relationships, your job, or your studies?
6. Does gambling cause you any health problems, like stress or anxiety?
7. Do you get angry if you are not betting?
8. Do you believe that you might have a gambling problem?

Helping a Person with a Gambling Addiction

Helping an individual with a gambling problem involves understanding, empathy, and patience. One should go into the situation with an open mind, provide emotional support, and convince them to consult the experts. Friendliness and non-confrontation will help the individual believe that they need assistance.

Financial Metrics:

Financial problems are one of the most glaring signs of gambling addiction. Some of the most common signs are:

• Missing cash from wallet or bank.

• Missing household items and valuables.

• Shortage of money, despite having a stable salary.

• Having multiple loans simultaneously.

• Unpaid bills.

• Borrowing money frequently.

• Covert regarding financial records.

• Poor food at home.

Mood and Behavioral Symptoms

A change in mood and attitude can indicate that gambling is becoming a problem.

• Performance at work is affected.
• Changes in personality.
• Becoming withdrawn from loved ones.
• Manipulative behavior.
• Being agitated, upset, and worried for no particular reason.
• Using threats and lies to manipulate others.
• Feelings of hopelessness, frustration, and depression.

Time Indications

A Gambling addiction tends to cause heavy time investment that can impact daily life. One of the most powerful predictors is the increased time spent gambling in place of other activities.

• Spending longer hours gambling.
• Taking a lot of time to complete simple tasks.
• Secrecy and unexplained absence.
• Always arriving late for appointments.
• Taking a lot of days off from work in order to gamble.

Legal Age for Gambling in Qatar

Everywhere in the world, the gambling age is strictly adhered to to prevent gambling among young people. Online gambling is prohibited, but any gambling activity under local law is governed by the country’s laws, which do not allow gambling by minors under the age of 21. One must adhere to these legal regulations to be responsible in any gambling activity.

Protecting Minors

To safeguard children from the hazards of gambling, several tools and practices are being adopted globally. They include:

• Age verification systems: These are used to prevent minors from accessing gambling sites or venues.
• Parental control software: Applications can help monitor and restrict minors’ access to gambling-related content.
• Education and awareness: Informing young people about the dangers of gambling and providing tools to recognize addiction signs early.

Responsible Gambling Instruments

Numerous responsible gambling instruments help players keep their gambling under check and avoid overstepping their limits. The following is the way several of them work:

Deposit Limit

As the name suggests, this clever tool allows you to limit the amount of money you can deposit daily, weekly, or monthly. Should the limit be reached, you won’t be able to add funds to your account till the necessary time has elapsed. It can be quite useful in avoiding gambling problems, especially if you already feel that you are spending too much money on your gambling.

Loss Limit

Instead of limiting how much you can deposit, this tool sets limits on how much money you can lose daily, weekly, or monthly. The loss limit tool is very effective since once the limit is reached, it does not allow you to place any more bets, limiting the amount of money you can lose. This is a great tool to have if you feel you are starting to lose more money than you can afford.

Session Limit

If you are spending too much time gambling, this might be the tool to use. It helps players take stock of the hours spent gambling and gives them a reality check about how much time they are dedicating to something that should only be a pastime. The session tool allows you to limit how long you can stay logged into your account and effectively logs you out once the time is up.

Time Out

A time-out feature temporarily disables a player’s account, giving them a break from gambling. The time-out period can vary from a few hours to several days, providing a cooling-off period for individuals who feel they are losing control.

Wagering Limit

The wagering limit tool helps you limit how much money you can bet either in a single session or on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This is a great tool to have, especially if you feel that you are starting to bet more money than you should.

Transaction History

This tool provides a summary of all the transactions that have taken place in your account. The summary is quite detailed, including information about deposits, withdrawals, wagers, results, and pending bets. Players are encouraged to use this tool to keep tabs on their gambling and protect themselves from getting carried away.

Self Exclusion

Players are always encouraged to take a break from gambling if they feel it is getting out of hand. The Self-Exclusion tool allows you to close your account for as long as you need to. During this period, players are unable to log in to their accounts and participate in any gambling-related activity within that specific platform.  

There is usually the option to choose self-exclusion for a day, a week, for up to six months, or even indefinitely (the latter choice will oblige the gambling platform not to allow you to play anymore).

Self-Assessment

The Self-Assessment tool consists of a set of statements and questions where players have to indicate how they feel about various issues to get an idea of their gambling profile. At the end of the self-assessment, each player will be presented with a summary describing which areas of his or her life are being impacted negatively by their gambling. The summary will also include advice about which tools are available to help them reduce those negative impacts.

Time Alert

More than a tool, the Time Alert feature is a notification that reminds you from time to time about the length of your gaming sessions. This little notification includes information about any balance changes and is targeted to help players make informed decisions about whether they want to keep on playing or not.

Organizations That Can Help and Guide

For individuals requiring professional help, there are various organizations globally that provide support and counseling for individuals affected by gambling addiction. These organizations provide confidential assistance, advice, and treatment for gambling victims.

• Responsible Gaming
• Gambling Therapy
• BeGambleaware

Gambling addiction helps worldwide

Below is the list of international organizations that offer gambling support and counseling. These organizations are found throughout the world and can be a highly valuable source of help.

• USA – The National Council on Problem Gambling
• USA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Argentina – Juego Responsable – 0800-333-0333, WhatsApp 011-1524416058
• België – VAD – 02 423 03 33
• Brasil – Jogadores Anônimos – (11) 3229-1023
• Canada – ProblemGambling – 1-866-531-2600
• Chile – Psicólogos Ludopatía Chile – 9 222 3860
• Deutschland – Spielen mit Verantwortung: Glücksspielsucht – 0800-1 37 27 00
• España – FEJAR – 900 200 225
• France – IFAC – + 33 (0)2 40 84 76 20
• Italia – TVNGA – 800 55 88 22
• Nederland – AGOG – 0900-2177721 (€ 0.10 per minute)
• Norge – Hjelpelinjen – 800 800 40
• Österreich – Spielsuchthilfe – (1) 544 13 57
• Portugal – Jogo Responsável – 213 950 911 (SICAD – Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências)
• Schweiz – Sucht Schweiz – 021 321 29 11
• Sverige – Stödlinjen – 020-819 100 (09:00 to 21:00)

Be Attentive, Be Safe, Have Fun!

In short, responsible gambling is to be in control of your limits, know the risks, and utilize the tools given to stay in control. Always make sure you assess your behavior and seek help when needed. The concept is to keep gambling a pleasant activity without negatively affecting other aspects of life.