Regardless of what we’re doing online, whether communicating with friends and family via social media, making online purchases, or playing online slots games, we need to stay safe and responsible while using the internet. Not following safety procedures or being responsible online can lead to potentially severe consequences down the line, such as money loss, invasion of privacy, or your details could be stolen and leaked without your consent.
Likewise, while using online casinos or online gambling services, it’s essential always to remain vigilant and make sure that you draw a line between gambling dependency and gambling for entertainment. There are many ways to enjoy online gambling without putting yourself at risk, which is why we’ve created this article outlining a couple of tips on gambling safely and responsibly on the internet to help you create boundaries and recognise when to stop.
Avoid Recreational Drinking When You’re Gambling
Mixing substances and gambling is the first thing to avoid when putting preventative measures for gambling safely and responsibly online. It’s a commonly broadcasted fact that alcohol and other substances can cloud your judgement. Whether in day-to-day scenarios or gambling ones, it’s this judgement that keeps us from taking risks or doing anything out of the ordinary. Once it’s affected, it can lead to some very poor decision-making.
Don’t Treat Gambling Like A Job
Keep yourself safe by drawing a line between the income you get from your job and the income you receive from online gambling. The money you receive from your job is structured, and you can expect to receive that come payday; however, the money you make from gambling isn’t reliable and is based upon luck; therefore, you cannot compare the two. It’s crucial to remember that you will lose more than you gain over your gambling career, so you cannot rely on the money you make as a source of survival. Not to mention that whichever online casino you’re using depends on you spending your money to gain their interest, not the other way round. Suppose you’d like more help understanding this. In that case, you could have a look at sites such as Online Casino Reviews, which you can view at onlinecasinoreview.co.za, who has lots of guides and tips about gambling and implementing practices to keep you safe.
Be Prepared To Lose
Sadly, in life, we’re not bound to win all the time, and this is the same with online gambling. Understanding that you will win some games, but on others, you might break even or lose necessary to learn so that you can keep yourself safe and responsible at all times. Although we understand that part of the thrill of online gambling is the fact that you could go away with more than you came with, no matter how good your betting tactics and strategies are, you will always suffer a loss at some point.
Don’t Use Your Credit/Debit Card
We understand that some online casinos require your payment information upfront for sign-up purposes. Still, it’s crucial when trying to gamble safely and responsibly not to rely on using your credit or debit card all the time. Most online casinos have banking features in which you can transfer money from your current account into your online casino account. In this case, we recommend setting a limit of what amount of money you can move into your account, and once that’s gone, you don’t transfer anymore. Suppose you’re fortunate, and you start a lucky streak? You could then use your winnings for the next couple of games instead of transferring money back and forth between accounts.
Have Other Activities Apart From Gambling
Life should be full of varied interests and activities, gambling aside, and making sure the hobbies and interests in your life are balanced is another way of ensuring that you stay safe and responsible while gambling online. Make a list of some of your hobbies or favourite pastimes, and endeavour to do more of them so that you can effectively balance gambling and other activities. If you’re struggling to list any hobbies besides gambling, you may find that you’re relying on it a little too heavily or that it could be a problem.
In this case, strive to find a new hobby, one that you’ve never done before, so that you can occupy your mind so that gambling doesn’t become your only pastime. You can also seek help and advice on The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) website, as they provide a range of programmes designed to curb gambling urges and can offer further help or advice.
Don’t Gamble When Your Depressed, Stressed or Upset
Strong emotions can also cloud your judgement and make you more liable to errors like alcohol and other substances. Negative emotions can also hinder our decision-making process, so it’s crucial to keep yourself safe and responsible by only engaging in online gambling activities when level-headed and feeling positive.