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Gambling, whether it takes the form of casino gaming, sports betting or buying a lotto ticket, is a pastime enjoyed by millions all over the world. In the vast majority of cases, it is all about fun and excitement. If you win, that’s the icing on the cake, and if you lose, that’s the risk you always take.
Yet we all know there’s that minority of cases in which gambling can become a problem that ruins lives. In some respects, the gambling industry faces similar challenges to the alcoholic drinks sector. In both industries, the most responsible businesses take a leading role in facing these problems head-on and providing support to those who need it.
What is self-exclusion?
As the name implies, self-exclusion is a process by which anyone who feels that gambling is becoming a problem can ask to be excluded for a period of time. It’s a little like asking a bar manager not to serve you alcohol if you come in and ask for it in the next six months. Of course, in both cases, the onus is ultimately on the individual to stick to his or her commitment, but tools are being developed to make it easier for gambling platforms to help those who self-exclude to avoid relapsing.
National schemes
The UK has a mature and established gambling infrastructure in place, and this includes a variety of self-exclusion measures that are set forth by the UK gambling commission. Businesses like casinos and bookmakers are required to be part of a self-exclusion network that means if you choose to self-exclude in one facility, you will be added to a list and will automatically be excluded in other facilities that offer the same type of gambling. This removes the temptation to simply walk into a different bookmaker two streets away.
US states that permit gambling have a similar system in operation, whereby there are statewide exclusion lists. When an individual adds his or her name to the list, then gambling businesses are legally obliged to decline that person’s business and must not permit them to gamble.
Online gambling – the elephant in the room?
Where these networks fall short is that they only cover land-based gambling outlets. Today, someone is far more likely to reach for a smartphone or laptop to place a bet than to physically visit a casino or sports betting outlet. Leading online casinos and sports books have been proactive in looking this elephant in the room squarely in the eye by introducing Gamban self-exclusion technology to their online platforms. Gamban is a self-exclusion app that allows users to block access to those gambling sites that are part of the scheme from their devices.
There are dozens of international review sites, including Casino Senpai and numerous others, that are dedicated to helping find the best online casinos in a given region. As well as assessing payment methods, promotions and the like, they will also inform prospective gamblers of whether each casino has self-exclusion tools like Gamban in place or not. One thing that we see time and again in the online betting world is that where a couple of major companies lead, the rest soon follow, so there is reason for optimism that this sort of technology will soon be a standard feature of all reputable online gambling providers.
Other measures
Gamban is an important tool, but it is not the only measure that’s available to aid responsible gambling. To draw on that alcohol parallel again, there are some people who just identify a need to cut down and drink responsibly, and the same can apply to gambling. Here, the ability to set a limit on a gaming machine before you begin will make sure you only bet what you can afford to lose. Limits like these are available in both land-based and online gambling environments. Similarly, a time-out feature is like a short-term version of exclusion, by which you take an enforced break of anything from 24 hours to six weeks.
The National Council on Problem Gambling acknowledges that 99 percent of gamblers indulge their hobby responsibly. That’s all the more reason for everyone to work together to ensure the one percent minority get the help and support they need.
