Be A Smart Gambler - How To Play Responsibly Online
Online gambling requires self-control, safety precautions, and practical strategies. Limits and responsible gambling tools are just some of the ways to gamble smarter. This article provides actionable tips to arm you with the knowledge you need to gamble online in a controlled, and responsible manner. Check out our expert advice to enjoy gambling online without losing more than you can afford or developing unhealthy habits.
Table Of Contents
Key Takeaways
Short on time? We’ve put together some quick highlights for you to scan:
- Set firm limits on deposits, losses, and play time to control bankroll and exposure.
- Use site tools like time-outs and self-exclusion to enforce responsible gambling breaks.
- Avoid deceptive bonus offers with unrealistic terms favoring the house.
- Only gamble with reputable, licensed sites for safety.
- Don't chase losses - walk away if self-control wavers.
- Approach gambling as a source of entertainment, not a money maker.
- Moderation, vigilance and discretion keeps online gambling fun, not risky.
10 Top Tips To Gamble Safely
Keeping a few practical safety tips in mind before you play will help ensure you gamble in a controlled, low-risk way that fits your budget. In the next few sections we outline some key pointers to follow for smarter and safer play.
Tip 1: Set a Budget and Stick to It
Think about how much money you’re comfortable spending. Always think of your deposit as a ‘spend’ because there’s every chance you won’t turn a profit. Anything you might win is a bonus and in no way guaranteed.
Therefore, you need to feel comfortable losing the amount of money you allocate to your budget. Set a firm limit per week or month and don’t exceed it under any circumstances.
For example, deposit only $100 per month. If you lose it in a day you can’t deposit again until the following month.
Tip 2: Never Play with Someone Else's Money
Following from our last tip, if you need to borrow money to fund your gambling habit, it means that you cannot afford to lose it. This includes borrowing money off a friend or family member and, in extreme cases, taking out a short-term loan. Short term loans are extremely dangerous because of their high-interest rates, which means that if you do not make a payment you may struggle to maintain regular payments.
You should always be conscious of your spending habits. If you are looking forward to your next pay-check because you'll be able to gamble, you are beginning to develop a compulsion. Borrowing money may not only affect your financial status, but also those of the people close to you.
Tip 3: Use Prepaid Cards or E-Wallets
A good online casino will offer a range of payment options for you to choose from. As tempting as it might be to deposit directly with your VISA or MasterCard bank account, we would advise against it.
Link prepaid debit cards or third-party e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill or Neteller to your casino account. This extra step can help limit overspending beyond your budget. Withdrawing winnings to your e-wallet can also add a buffer between your bank account and gambling funds.
Demand More From Your Casino
At NoDepositFriend.com we never allow an online casino to cross our threshold until we’ve vetted it from top to bottom. This is non-negotiable for us, and it should be for you too.
When it comes to safe online gambling we have a strict set of rules covering what every online casino should do. This ensures you’re only risking your hard-earned cash at reputable sources.
Tip 4: Never Play When You Are Depressed
It's become clear in recent years that poor mental health and gambling addiction go hand-in-hand. Gambling can come to be seen as a distraction from the difficulties of day-to-day life. If you're feeling depressed, anxious or upset, turning to gambling as a remedy is likely to compound your problems rather than alleviate them.
Negative emotional states - by definition - make us more likely to act negligently. People suffering from poor mental health are naturally drawn to gambling because it seems to promise easy rewards, not only monetarily, but in terms of the release of chemicals associated with positive emotion. A good rule to follow is: never gamble in an effort to alter your mood.
Tip 5: Avoid Alcohol and Gambling
Alcohol can impair your judgment and lead to overspending on gambling sites. Avoid mixing gambling and drinking to maintain control over your budget and prevent reckless betting.
As tempting as it might be to hit the casino or log in to your account after a night on the town - don’t do it! You’re guaranteed to be desensitized to how much you’re depositing, which could lead to some bad decision-making.
Tip 6: Take Regular Breaks
Don’t settle in for lengthy sessions. Schedule regular 10-15 minute breaks every 45-60 minutes when gambling online. This gives your mind a rest and helps you avoid getting sucked into hypnotic spins. Trust us - this can happen!
You can set a timer on your phone to enforce this. You’d be surprised how a few minutes doing something else might change your mind about whether or not you’d like to keep playing!
Tip 7: Take Time Off After Big Wins or Losses
If you score a huge jackpot or take a bad beat and lose big, walk away for 24 hours or more. Come back with a refreshed mindset instead of getting caught up emotionally chasing wins or losses right away.
Strangely enough, both a big win or a big loss could trigger the urge to continue playing - either to increase your win, or win back your losses. In both cases, it’s not a good idea.
Tip 8: Only Gamble for Entertainment
The aim of gambling should be entertainment, not profit. Avoid thinking of it as a money-making scheme and see any wins as a bonus, not your main goal. This mindset helps avoid dangerously chasing losses.
You’d be surprised at how many people settle into a gambling session certain in the notion that they’ll make a profit. The reality is that, while an exciting win is entirely possible, this is completely random and luck-based (i.e. it might not happen).
Tip 9: Gambling Should Not Be Your Main Source of Entertainment
A good way to maintain a healthy relationship with gambling is to make sure that it's a low priority. What we mean by this is that gambling should not be the only activity that gives meaning, value and excitement to your day-to-day life. The best way to do this is by balancing your gambling habit with a range of activities that are disassociated with gambling.
There are always more important and more constructive activities than gambling. Maintaining your physical wellbeing through sports and exercise, well-regulated sleep and meaningful social interaction all help provide a healthy balance to life. If gambling begins to feel more important than any of these activities, you ought to make a change to your lifestyle.
Tip 10: Gamble at Trustworthy Casinos
As we have said, the best casinos do all they can to help inhibit pathological gambling. By signing up to a responsible online casino, you will get access to a variety of features that will help you regulate your gambling habit. Here at NoDepositFriend we are committed to finding the most reputable online casinos.
There are online casinos with disreputable business practices. A genuinely reputable casino will care about the wellbeing of their players and do all they can to help. For a full list of the most reputable online casinos, please check out our online casinos page.
Your Casino Impacts Your Win Potential
The truth is that the online casino’s terms and conditions, policies and regulations have a massive influence over your experience. If you make the wrong choice, you could drastically reduce your chances of success.
The good news is that every online casino featured at NoDepositFriend.com is put through our rigorous casino testing process. That means you’re free to choose your favorite without any concerns.
Arm Yourself With Responsible Gambling Tools
Reputable online gambling sites offer various built-in tools to help players control their spending and time on the site. It’s a great idea to take advantage of these tools as they’re designed to help you gamble responsibly.
Here’s a little more information on what you can expect:
Deposit Limits
Set a firm cap on the amount you can deposit into your account daily, weekly, or monthly. Many sites let you set this limit in your account settings.
For example, restricting deposits to $200 per week prevents overspending. Once the max is reached, you can’t deposit again until the period resets. If you feel like you’re still spending too much, you can always go back and reduce the limit.
Time Limits
Limit the amount of time you can spend continuously gambling in one session. Some sites have a built-in timer you can set for 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours for example.
Once the time limit is reached, you’ll be automatically logged out for a cooling off period. You can also use a stopwatch app to time your sessions and enforce breaks.
Loss Limits
To control losses, set a cap on the maximum amount you are willing to lose per day, week, or month. Once you reach this loss limit, your account will be suspended from play for 24 hours or longer.
This can prevent desperately trying to win back losses in a downward spiral, which is a very dangerous path to be on.
Time Outs
Take short timed breaks from playing after hitting certain loss or time milestones such as losing a big pot or playing longer than planned. Time outs range from a few hours to a couple of days.
This gives you a chance to mentally reset before returning to gambling. Take a walk, run some errands or distract yourself in some other way. Then ask yourself if you still feel like gambling.
Self-Exclusion
This one is designed when you’re concerned about a potential gambling problem. If you’re worried, you should consider self-excluding from the site for a longer period - like 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or life.
Once you set self-exclusion in motion, you’ll be completely banned and blocked from your account. This enforced extended break is particularly helpful in helping you to gain control over gambling addiction.
Placing these limits on your gameplay may seem unnecessary, but you’d be surprised how helpful they are at keeping your impulses in check. Knowing that you’ve protected yourself with limits will also put your mind at ease so you can just kick back and enjoy the experience.
Match Your RG Needs To The Casino License
First of all, you should always steer clear of unlicensed casinos. These are extremely dangerous and offer zero safeguards.
We recommend sticking to gambling sites regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), or the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). These regulators enforce the strongest responsible gambling protections.
Casinos with a Curaçao Gaming Control license also provide RG tools, but they might be a little harder to access, or you might need to reach out to customer support and ask to have them set up manually.
Bonus Tip: Stay Vigilant About Misleading Offers
Some online gambling bonuses seem rewarding at first glance but feature unfair terms and near-impossible wagering requirements. Avoid these as the house typically has a strong edge, making it very hard to cash out any winnings.
Sites with misleading promos can result in you spending more than you intended - so watch out. NoDepositFriend.com has a comprehensive casino bonus assessment system in place to guarantee fair play.
Here are some ways a bonus can be misleading:
- Huge headline bonus amounts that require unrealistic rollover terms to cash out. For example, a "$5,000 Welcome Bonus!" that actually requires wagering $100,000 before withdrawals are allowed.
- Short time limits to meet playthrough requirements, such as bonuses expiring within 7-14 days when the requirements would take several months of heavy play to fulfill.
- Only allowing gameplay on low quality casino games that don’t contribute appropriately to wagering requirements.
- Withdrawing any money before completely fulfilling bonus terms results in forfeiture of all bonus money and winnings. This trap catches players who just want to withdraw their initial deposit amount.
- Wagering requirements only count the net win/loss on bonus funds, not total amount wagered. This results in almost no play contributing to rollover.
- Changing terms and conditions with no notice, including increasing wagering requirements after the bonus is activated.
- General lack of transparency about how bonuses work, with crucial details buried in complex terms and conditions.
Where can I seek help?
For more information on problem gambling, and where you can find immediate help, you can consult the following websites:
