Responsible Gambling in the UK

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While gambling is considered to be a fun and exciting pastime in the UK as in the rest of the world, there is a need for regulatory bodies to help control various aspects of the gambling industry. Gambling addiction is one such problem and can cause irreparable damage to the addict.

  • It can lead to dire financial problems.
  • It adversely affects his physical health.
  • It causes high-risk mental health issues.
  • It definitely impacts not just the person but also his immediate family, causing sociological issues.

The Need for Responsible Gambling in the UK

The worst thing is because gambling gives you the hope of winning, you do not realize when to back out. If you are losing you hope to win back what you lost, and if you are winning you hope to win more. It is a vicious cycle from which it is very difficult to get out of. The biggest problem – you may not even realize you are turning into a gambling addict. The onus then is on the casino operators, under the guidance of government policy to ensure people are aware of the risk of gambling addiction and at least:

  • Help them realize they have a gambling problem.
  • Give them guidelines on who to contact once they identify the problem.

That is why responsible gambling initiatives are big in the UK. It is not just company policy; government legislation and policies also require online casino operators to display their commitment towards ensuring you gamble responsibly. That is why you find all online gambling operators have initiatives directed towards ensuring responsible gambling incorporated into their policies. They all display links of organizations you can go to for help if you have a gambling problem.

Our Commitment to Responsible Gambling

We at HeadlineCasinos are totally committed to ensuring you gamble responsibly and also to ensure the prevention of underage gambling. We believe it is our responsibility to keep players – existing and prospective – informed about the threat of gambling addiction. That is why we have compiled for you a list of things to keep in mind when you are gambling. We have also listed out for you the names of organisations that are committed to responsible gambling and who provide players with a problem with support, including counselling.

One thing you must understand – ensuring responsible gambling is something you have to do; we can only help. The following are a few guidelines and pointers to help you achieve that:

  • Never overshoot your bankroll.
  • If you have lost more than you have won, or lost all your bankroll the best thing to do is move on, not add more money to your bankroll.
  • Gambling is not a way of getting rich quick; this is something you have to understand.
  • If you feel you have a gambling problem, get professional help right away. This is something you should do even for a friend you think may be suffering from gambling addiction.
  • Check for online tools that can help you keep tabs on your bankroll and put a limit on your spend. Use these tools even if you do not have a problem. It is better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes.

Resources for Responsible Gambling in the UK

In the United Kingdom, you will find that there are quite a few organizations whose objective is to ensure responsible gambling and help players sort out their gambling addiction. These organizations work with all the major stakeholders – the player, his immediate family and also the industry itself.

  • For the players and their family they offer help in the form of counselling services and more.
  • For the industry they offer training and data to help the people in it understand social responsibility and also their responsibility to ensure that no players go astray while gambling.

Some of the major organizations in the UK working to ensure responsible gambling include:

  • GambleAware®
  • Gamblers Anonymous
  • Gambling Therapy
  • GamCare
  • The Great Foundation
  • GBGI
  • GamBlock

Apart from these organizations there is also the United Kingdom Gambling Commission which regulates gambling in the UK and works towards identifying problem gambling. A study it conducted across 4 quarters in the year 2016 – right up to December 2016 – shows some startling trends that highlight:

  • The evolution of gambling in the current social context
  • The ease of access for players from the younger age-groups
  • The need for and relevance of responsible gambling

The following are some of the issues that the study threw up:

  • 78% of the respondents agreed that there were too many opportunities to gamble today.
  • 48% of people have indulged in some form of gambling in the past 4 weeks, a 3% increase from December 2015.
    • The above number goes down to 33% if you exclude National Lottery participants.
    • If you take only online/mobile gambling the number is 17%.
  • 53% of men have gambled.
  • 44% of women have gambled.
  • 55% of gamblers use a laptop or computer.
  • 43% of gamblers use a mobile device – smartphone or tablet.
    • o Men are more likely to use a smartphone.
    • o Women are more likely to use a tablet.
  • 26% of gamblers ‘Like’ gambling companies on Facebook.
  • 15% of gamblers follow gambling companies on Twitter.
  • People in the age group of 18-24 are more likely to be prompted to gamble by social media ads and posts.
  • Only 6% of gamblers in the UK have ever self-excluded themselves.
  • The awareness of self-exclusion among non-excluders has increased over the years, standing at 37% in 2016 compared to 29% in 2015.
  • The proportion of respondents to the study who were identified as problem gamblers stood at 0.7%.
  • The proportion of respondents identified as at-risk gamblers stood at 5.5%.