Any player that tried their luck with online casinos knows how fun they can be. Unfortunately, sometimes casino games can be a little too fun. Addiction is no joke, and playing online does not reduce the risk of playing too much. If you ever feel like control over your hobby is slipping, you should seek help. Fortunately, online casinos have implemented many ways to control your gambling.
Join us as we tackle all the responsible gambling tools that websites offer. We look at how one might go about blacklisting themselves at an online casino. We also check out what other tools we can use to restrict our spending and keep gambling manageable. Finally, we ask the most important question– are all these methods effective?
WHAT IS BLACKLISTING?
Depending on who you ask, blacklisting has many names. Self-banning and self-exclusion get used just as frequently. All these names give you an idea of what you can expect from the process. You are banning yourself from playing at that casino for a specified amount of time.
Every online casino worth its salt includes some responsible gaming program that allows you to blacklist yourself. The chances of a self-exclusion program being available increase if the casino has an active license. However, many of the best online casinos for US players do not have licenses while still giving you the option of self-excluding.
How does blacklisting work? It is slightly different for each website you visit. However, the basic idea stays the same no matter where you go. You contact customer service and request to be self-excluded from the casino. You will usually need to confirm your decision before it is enacted. Other websites may have a dedicated page for self-banning. Follow the instructions on the page to blacklist yourself from participating in that online casino.
Many websites only give you a limited amount of time you can self-exclude for. It can be a week, a month, several months, or even a year. However, the casino will eventually open your account again.
IS BLACKLISTING EFFECTIVE?
Blacklisting yourself is only as effective as you make it. The process does make sense if you think about it. If you block yourself from playing, you cannot spend money on casino games. Self-exclusion does not last forever. However, it does offer a critical cooling-off period for players to get control back over their spending. At that point, you could try playing again or closing the account permanently.
However, blacklisting yourself is not a foolproof measure. The measure relies on you sticking to your guns. Self-exclusion only applies to that particular casino. Some operators may block you in all of their casinos, but that does not always happen. If you want to make the self-ban work? You need to avoid the temptation of registering an account on another website. Otherwise, limiting yourself will not solve the problem you are having.
We can only hope that the future will bring additional regulation in this area. We would love to see a nationwide blacklist similar to what is available in some European countries. Players who self-exclude that way would be prevented from registering in all online casinos. Much better than the current model, where the restriction only applies to one website or operator. Until that happens, we will have to make do with the tools we have.
WHAT OTHER RESPONSIBLE GAMING METHODS CAN WE USE?
Self-exclusion is a valuable tool, but one you should only use in extreme circumstances. It is a total block of the casino. You should use it if your gambling is out of control, certainly. However, it is not the only way to keep yourself in check.
One of the most helpful tools to control your spending is setting deposit limits. Once again, you go through the website and designate how much money you can deposit daily, weekly, or monthly. Once you place a deposit limit, you cannot change it. How long the limit remains active varies between websites. Some allow you to change it after twenty-four hours, while others may require a week or month to pass.
We like this option, but it is not available in every online casino. If you do not have access to deposit limits, your only options are to self-exclude or close your account. Additionally, players can circumvent deposit limits by registering an account somewhere else. You need to put in the effort to keep deposit limits an effective tool for combatting gambling addiction.
Most important: If you think you have a gambling problem, seek help! Follow the links at the bottom of this page and contact people that can help you.
*Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko