How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Problem Gambling
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, November 7, 2023
The recent iGaming report in the UK has made a number of proposals pertaining responsible gambling, including a potential £2 slot betting limit and affordability checks at specific levels of wagering (and ages). These proposals can be directly linked to the intervention of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for gambling related harm, which is concerned with compulsive gambling behaviour and its impact in the UK.
Interestingly, the most recent data suggests that there are some 430,000 so-called “problem gamblers” active in the UK, and while this is undoubtedly a sizable number, it has largely remained unchanged over the course of the last decade. So, far from being a mounting and escalating issue, it’s one that continues to bubble under the surface of the iGaming marketplace on these shores.
However, there’s no doubt that compulsive and irresponsible gambling poses a significant threat, both to individuals and the overall fabric of society. The good news is that operators, regulators and legislators have implemented multiple measures to help combat this threat, but what individual steps can you take to avoid becoming a problem gambler yourself?
What are the Risk Factors for Problem Gambling?
Of course, before we can truly address how to combat problem gambling on an individual level, it’s crucial that we address the prominent risk factors and underlying reasons that can make gambling so addictive over time. First, let’s break down the primary risk factors and how they can contribute to a rising prevalence of problem gambling!
#1. Economic Downturn
This is always a key contributor to rising level of problem gambling and betting activity as a whole, as people in dire economic circumstances look to improve their lot and create accessible income streams. Online casino gambling and remote betting can appear attractive in this respect, due to the ease with which platforms can be accessed and the promise of lucrative welcome bonuses and free bet offers.
Certainly, we observed a sharp uptick in gambling activity and unique accounts during the coronavirus pandemic, when a high number of people were made unemployed or placed on
furlough. In fact, one study showed that the proportion of Brits who gambled four times a week or more increased from 23% to 32% during the final nine months of 2020.
Currently, Britain’s ailing economy remains at a growing risk of recession, with various injury figures highlighting the sharpest monthly decline in private sector activity since the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020. At the same time, inflation remained disproportionately high at 6.7% in September, and while it fell sharply from a peak of 11.1% in October 2022, it remains problematic and continues to uphold a base interest rate of 5.25%.
#2. The Prevalence of Betting Shops in Deprived Areas
While online consumerism has seen high streets across the length and breadth of the UK continue to fail, those in more deprived areas have seen a marked increase in the number of offline bookmakers. This is despite the FOBT cap of 2019, as brands are still able to operate as many stores as they like in specific regions and nationwide.
In one particular high street in Erdington, Birmingham, a total of seven betting shops remain open, while residents recently fought to stop an eighth from launching. According to locals, the prevalence of such shops had dramatically changed the fabric of the local area, which is already among the most economically deprived areas in the whole of the UK.
This ties into the first point, of course, as people who reside in economically deprived areas are more likely to bet irresponsibly and potentially use loans or borrowed funds to facilitate this. So, as more betting shops open in such regions, the prevalence of compulsive or problem gambling is likely to increase accordingly.
#3. Increased Marketing Drives
This is another key risk factor, especially as iGaming markets around the world become increasingly competitive and packed full of operators. In the UK alone, there are now approximately 175 online casinos, and in order to compete successfully, operators must market themselves aggressively through consistent messaging and generous bonus offers.
Online gambling brands have also increased their digital marketing efforts and spend in recent times, while reducing their TV presence and the amount invested in this channel. This has created a scenario where the online space is becoming saturated with sponsored messaging and content, making it hard for punters to avoid offers, calls to action and incentives.
This can be hard for players to ignore, even in instances where they’ve entered into self-exclusion (due to the sheer number of digital marketing channels available). This, coupled with the ongoing economic challenges in the UK, can create a potent breeding ground from problem gambling and compulsive behaviours.
Why Online Gambling Can Prove Challenging for Individuals
While these external factors are obvious risk factors for problem gambling in any society, the mere process of gambling itself can also create challenges and issues for frequent bettors. There’s even science behind this particular fact, as online gambling at either casinos or remote sportsbooks can trigger the part of your brain that’s responsible for your reward system.
More specifically, the process of betting releases dopamine, which is a positive and feel-good neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy and excited. This can be incredibly stimulating, while it’s interesting to note that your body produces a similar neurological response even in instances where you lose.
Aside from this, there remain a range of iGaming components that can combine to create problem gamblers, or at least facilitate compulsive behaviours or enable individuals to wager outside of their financial means. Here’s a closer look at some of these elements and how they can cause issues for frequent or impulsive bodies over time.
#1. Accessibility
When you register for an online casino or remote sportsbook account, you’ll usually be afforded instant access to your preferred verticals (operators will automatically and immediately verify your age and ID so long as you enter your personal data honestly and accurately). Given this and the fact that you can simultaneously maintain open accounts with any number of casinos or sportsbooks, gambling verticals are now more accessible than ever before and can be leveraged at any time of the day in just a few clicks.
#2. Anonymity and a Lack of Accountability
Once your identity has been proved without having to provide documentation or photo ID, gambling online can provide a genuine sense of anonymity. It can certainly create a sense of disconnection from reality and the real world, which is made even more impactful by your desire to engage in an act of escapism. This can change your mindset and encourage you to act more recklessly or compulsively, while an underlying lack of accountability online (which may be tackled slightly by targeted affordability checks) may also inspire you to wager even more freely and without restraint.
#3. The Presence of Rewards
As we’ve touched on, real money casinos in the UK exist in a highly competitive space, in which operators strive to win a viable market share by offering lucrative bonuses and clearly defined incentives. These are made available to both new and existing customers online, while they can create the illusion of free and compel players to commit to wagering requirements and similar T&Cs that are beyond their financial means. VIP programs can also encourage consistent and frequent betting, which may exceed your bankroll or make it harder to wager responsibly over time.
#4. An Excess of Games, Verticals and Betting Markets
In progressive jurisdictions in the UK, you tend to find legislation that legalises both iGaming and remote betting verticals. As a result, a large selection of platforms tend to combine casino and sports betting verticals through a single interface, creating a myriad of games, markets and wagering opportunities that can often be overwhelming. Of course, having access to this range of opportunities is broadly positive, but not if you’re experiencing changes in your betting behaviour or struggling to wager within your means.
#5. Believing Gambling Fallacies
The iGaming world is characterised by multiple of myths and fallacies, which can impact directly on your online betting experience and how you respond to specific outcomes. For example, a common gambler’s fallacy is to believe that wins and losses tend to be sequential or liable to even themselves out over time, but this is completely inaccurate and fails to take into account the random number generators used by reputable casinos. By failing to recognise this, you may be tempted to chase losses aggressively or wager without due care or attention.
How to Avoid Becoming a Problem Gambler
Recognising these risk factors and pitfalls is key to avoiding compulsive gambling behaviours, while the implementation of proposals from the recent iGaming review may also help to protect vulnerable players. As an individual, however, there are also steps that you can yourself take to safeguard your behaviour and finances, and we’ve highlighted a few of these below:
#1. Set and Manage Your Bankroll Carefully
Before you wager at any online casino or remote sportsbook, it’s imperative that you have a clearly defined bankroll and one that doesn’t exceed an amount that you can comfortably afford to lose. This should be based on your wider income and expenditure numbers, while your bankroll should also cover a finite period of time depending on how frequently you wager (either each day, week or month).
This budget must be conservative in nature and adhere to at all times, and this will require focused and disciplined bankroll management at all times. You can also use online tools such as deposit limits (which should be made available by all licensed iGaming operators) to manage your activity, and these can also be set each day, week or month as you prefer.
#2. Use the Reality Check Feature
Typically, you’ll find that most sportsbooks offer deposit limits as one of several responsible gambling tools, which help you to manage all of your betting activity including the amount of time that you spend wagering online. One of the most prominent features is the so-called “reality check”, which can provide a constant reminder of your activity and how frequently you wager.
It can also be used to track your account history and monitor how your activity has changed (or potentially escalated) over time, which can be crucial if you’re a frequent bettor. The reality check tool will notify you and let you know how long you’ve been playing during a particular gambling session, while it works in a similar way to managing screen time on a smartphone and makes it easier to chart your gambling habits as they continue to evolve.
#3. Restrict Account Access and Seek Out Advice Where Necessary
We have already touched on how licensed iGaming brands in the UK are now required to offer self-exclusion to their customers, through the national GAMSTOP initiative. This enables players to self-exclude from one, multiple or all iGaming interactions for incremental periods of anywhere between six months and five years, including all betting activity and the receipt of sponsored messaging from casinos and sportsbooks.
This is the ‘nuclear’ option when looking to avoid problem gambling, although you can use shorter exclusive timeframes if you simply need a break from gambling and want to remove yourself from what can be an immersive marketplace. You can deploy longer breaks when you’ve already begun to observe problem gambling behaviours, or started to wager more or amounts that are outside of your means.
Similarly, we’d also recommend reaching out to a registered gambling charity of mental health professional if you want to discuss the challenges that you’re facing in more detail. Charitable organisations such as begambleaware, which offers treatment or support for people who have developed a gambling compulsion, can be particularly helpful, but the key thing is to reach out and talk with qualified and knowledgeable professionals.