Guide To Responsible Gambling For Arab Players

What Is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gambling, or Safer Gambling, is basically enjoying playing at online casinos and placing bets for the purpose of entertainment rather than considering it as a source of income and suffering from addiction related problems. It involves setting budget limits and how much time you are willing to spend, sticking to those limits, and ensuring that gambling does not affect your other responsibilities. It's about managing your time and money wisely to avoid addiction and negative impacts on your life.

I read in an article written by addcounse titled Addiction In Arabic Countries and that was based on a study made in 2021, that 6.5% of Lebanese players suffered from gambling addiction which was associated with an increase in alcohol consumption and depression.

Why Is Responsible Gambling Important Today?

Due to the rapid growing popularity of gambling worldwide, governments and online casinos are increasingly adopting responsible gambling strategies to ensure the safety of the players from the risk of developing addictions habits, financial problems, and affecting their day to day lifestyle.Moreover, players are always at risk of becoming a victim of scams and frauds, which supports the importance of ethical standards and advocating for responsible gaming to ensure a safe and pleasant environment for players from Arab countries and all over the world.

According to a study conducted by Gambling Industry News, 26% of the world’s population have gambled at some point in their lives, and over 176 million active online gamblers are expected to grow to 210 million by 2025.

What Are The 6 Best Tips For Responsible Gambling?

It is crucial that you always remember to gamble responsibly and follow a set of strategies in order to ensure your own safety in the gambling world.We have listed below the best tips for you to follow that can help minimize your risk of encountering gambling related problems whether you are playing at an online or local casinos, or simply placing bets.

1. Set Budget Limits

To avoid facing financial problems, it is crucial to set a daily and monthly budget limit. This might be the most important and challenging strategy to adopt to avoid the urge of chasing your losses and losing money you can not afford.

2. Take Breaks and Self-Exclusion

Taking breaks from gambling for a couple of hours or even weeks protects your mental health and enhances your self control skills. Whenever you feel anxious or to prevent yourself from overspending, stepping away for a short period of time helps you clear your mind and get back with a fresh start. If you feel like you require more than months or years, you should consider self-exclusion and remove yourself entirely from the gambling world to protect yourself.

3. Avoid Gambling When You Are Emotional

When you are feeling upset, raged, or stressed, it is best to stop playing casino games or placing bets. It is best to wait until you have a clear mind to avoid any mental health issues that can affect your mental health.

4. Learn About The Games And Odds Before You Wager

Playing at online casinos and placing bets at bookmakers platforms is NOT a source of income. You must know that the odds of winning are always against you and you should not expect to win all the time.

5. Limit Alcohol Or Drugs Consumption While Gambling

Always make sure that you have a clear mind that is able to make wise and calculated decisions while gambling. Alcohol or prescription drug abuse can influence your decision making abilities and lead to developing bad habits.

6. Do Not Hesitate To Seek Help

If you develop bad gambling habits and find yourself losing control, do not be afraid to ask for help. Keep reading our guide to find the best responsible gambling resources and help groups for Arabs.

How To Block Gambling Advertisements

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube enables you to block gambling advertisements by adjusting your ad references and settings. Here is a step by step guide on how to do it for each platform:

How To Block Gambling Advertisements On Meta?

1. Log into your Facebook account.

2. In the top right corner, click on the arrow facing down and select “Settings & Privacy”.

3. Select “Settings” from the list.

4. Select “Accounts Center” from the left side menu.

5. Select “Ad preferences”.

6. Scroll down to “Ad topics” and click on “See all”.

7. Click on “View and manage topics”

8. Click on gambling, bettings and casinos related categories one by one and select the “See less” option.

How To Block Gambling Advertisements On YouTube?

1. Log into your YouTube account.

2. In the top right corner, click on your profile picture.

3. Choose “Settings” from the list.

4. Select “Privacy” found in the left side menu.

5. Look for “My Ad Center” in the “Ads on YouTube” section and click on it.

6. Choose ”Customize Ads” from the left side menu.

7. Click on gambling, bettings and casinos related categories one by one and select the “minus icon”.

How To Block Gambling Payments?

If you wish to enhance your responsible gambling practices, you can take extreme measures such as contacting your bank to block gambling payments directly instead of setting a budget limit in the casinos sites. There are a lot of options for you to achieve this such as blocking your bank account or debit cards, enabling your card lock feature, or restricting your online payments. I highly recommend contacting your bank directly and exploring the available options best suited for you.

How To Manage Your Bankroll?

Bankroll management prevents you from facing financial problems and helps you enjoy a safe gambling experience. It is a crucial step in gambling responsibly and listed below are the best strategies to you can adopt to manage your bankroll effectively:

• Set a Budget Limit:
  Limit your gambling budget amount to avoid damaging your day to day expenses. This includes establishing a maximum limit to how much you are willing to spend on a single casino game or for each bet you will be placing.

• Use Bankroll Management Tools:
  Take advantage of the features offered by various online casinos and bookmaker sites such as deposit limits, loss limits, and session time limits.

• Select the Right Games for your Bankroll:
  Choose wisely the games that best fit the budget limits you have set up for yourself.

• Set Win and Loss Limits for Each Session:
  Manage your winnings and losses by stopping the session once you reach your winning or loss limits.

• Do Not Chase Your Losses:This male practice can lead to further losses and developing bad gambling habits.

• Gambling is Not a Source of Income:
  Enjoy gambling activities for the purpose of entertainment rather than depending on the profits you make.

• Asses your Budget and Goals Regularly:
  Stop and take routinely planned breaks to recharge and reassess your budget and objectives.

What Are The Top 10 Most Alarming Gambling Addiction Signs?

Just like any other form of addiction, the signs of gambling addiction can be hard to spot for those who are affected by it.“The first step to solve any problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem” and to help you identify if you are suffering from a gambling addiction problem, we have listed below 10 questions, which if you answered “Yes” to any of them, we highly recommend that you follow the tips we mentioned above to control your gambling habits.

1. Do you find yourself isolated and alone for long periods of time because of gambling?

2. Are you increasing your gambling stake more and more irresponsibly and solely for the sake of excitement?

3. Are you suffering from mood swings, agitation, and anxiety because of gambling?

4. Are you gambling to avoid other problems and issues in your life?

5. Do you hide your gambling losses from people?

6. Have you tried and failed to reduce your budget and time used in gambling?

7. Did you ever feel the temptation to commit an act of dishonesty for gambling purposes?

8. Have you ever broken a promise to a family member or a friend so that you can gamble?

9. Did you try to hide your gambling from important people in your life?

10. Have you ever sold any possessions or borrowed money to gamble or pay gambling debts?

How Are Casinos Promoting Responsible Gambling?

Players can use a range of tools offered by regulated online casinos to help them with their gambling habits. In order to acquire certain licenses worldwide, these tools must be provided by online casinos.Moreover, governments have enforced a set of laws that must be respected to avoid being fined.

We have outlined below, the most effective tools and governments laws for a responsible gambling experience at online casinos.

Deposit Limits

Most online casino sites offer the option to set a deposit limit when creating an account. This feature can be managed for daily, weekly, monthly , and yearly to ensure you do not exceed your budget limits. Once the deposit limit is set, the online casino will not accept payments that are over the amount chosen for the respective period of time.

Betting Limits

This tool is the same as the Deposit Limits tool. The Betting Limits option restricts you from overspending a payment amount that you have set for a given period of time. It also limits the number of bets that you can place.

Time Limits

You can set limits on how long you remain logged into your account to help you keep track of time and avoid addiction problems. The Time Limits feature is offered by most online casinos and bookmakers platforms.

Cool Down Period

For your own safety, online casino sites can force a break by blocking your access to your account for a set period of time. The Cool Down Period feature allows you to log back in and resume playing once the period is over.

I personally use this feature to keep myself in check and invest some time in my personal habit.

Self-Exclusion

If gambling becomes something other than entertainment and you are having difficulties to take a break from it or completely quit this habit, you can register yourself in a Self-Exclusion list. Once you are in this list, you will not be allowed to access casino sites within the state you have chosen. Moreover, you might find yourself excluded in other states since online casinos often check these lists in different states for your own safety.

Preventing Underage Gambling

The majority of governments, worldwide, have set the gambling age to 18 years old to protect children since they are more vulnerable to addiction and lack self control. Most online casinos and betting platforms require their users to confirm that they are of age to enjoy gambling responsibly by verifying new users account information against government issued documents, such as ID cards, driving licenses and passports.

Parents are also responsible for protecting their minors and here are some tips on how an adult can prevent underage gambling:

1. Explain to them how gambling works.

2. Educate your minors about gambling risks.

3. Set clear family rules and boundaries for your family about unsupervised use of digital devices and the internet.

4. Do not save your passwords or use 2FA methods and always log out once you are done.

5. You can use blocking softwares and apps as an extra security measure to prevent underage gambling such as: Net Nanny, Cyber Patrol, Cyber Sitter….I prefer to use Net Nanny to protect my children from gambling sites and adult content for its multiple features.

Bonus Abuse

What Is Bonus Abuse?

Bonus abuse refers to the practice of exploiting promotional offers and bonuses that are meant for new users and provided by online casinos and betting sites to gain personal advantages, which often violates the site’s terms and conditions.For example: Creating multiple accounts to receive unfair advantages and bonuses with no intent to play.

How To Avoid Being A Bonus Abuser?

We have listed below, certain guidelines for you to follow to prevent being labeled as a bonus abuser:

• Read carefully the terms and conditions. It is crucial that you understand the wagering requirements and the site’s restrictions and rules.

• Take advantage of the offered bonuses for the purpose of entertainment.

• Never create multiple accounts on the same site to receive the same bonus multiple times.

• Always fulfill the bonuses' wagering requirements.

• Follow the responsible gambling tips we have listed for you in this article.

• Use your own personal payment methods according to the site’s terms and conditions.

• Prevent unintentional violations by learning about their policies.

Where To Seek Help For Responsible Gambling?

If you are suffering from a gambling related issue, we have provided you below with some of the most popular resources and organizations that can help you become a responsible gambler.

1. Arabic Welfare:
   Arabic Welfare is a supportive community where individuals share their stories and support each other in overcoming gambling addiction dedicated to the Arab community.

2. Addcounsel:
   Addcouncel is a private addiction rehab center and offers complete anonymity, 24/7 service and online treatment for players suffering from gambling addiction worldwide.

3. Gambler’s Help:
   Gambler's Help offers information and support in a number of languages other than English, free of charge and in confidence. You can contact them, and they will set you up with a free interpreter.