Responsible Gambling with Crypto

Gambling addiction is a no laughing matter for the financial domain and the well-being of players in general. That's why we're committed to providing our players with a set of guides and tools for safe and responsible gambling to help you avoid addiction. We also want to help those who already suffer from gambling addiction.

Responsible Gambling with Crypto

What Is Gambling Addiction

Gambling is considered problematic when a person feels the desire to continue the game despite the negative consequences for themself and their loved ones. Often a person is aware they need to stop but cannot do that.

Gambling addiction does not necessarily have to be expressed in the duration of the gaming sessions or the size of your stakes. The main criterion is the negative impact of gambling on your life. However, people who gamble regularly and at high stakes do have a higher risk of becoming an addict.

If you feel there is a problem in your life, examine your habits and take the necessary measures.

For a long time, gambling addiction was considered an impulsive behavior control disorder. In other words, it was believed that a person plays under the influence of sudden impulses that he or she cannot control. Only recently, it was singled out as an addiction.

Psychologists have found that it was a mistake to use the concept of compulsive behavior in relation to gambling. Gambling addiction is associated with the activation of reward mechanisms in the brain, which is also typical for other types of addiction, such as drug addiction. This was a crucial discovery. As a result, the approach to the treatment of gambling addiction has changed.

How Gambling Addiction Develops

Gambling addiction is not a static phenomenon. Its symptoms change and develop over time.

WINNING STAGE

Addiction starts with the winning stage. A person wins a large or smaller amount and becomes interested in the game, which may develop into a full-blown addiction. A person begins to dream about future winnings and gradually becomes preoccupied with gambling.

At the winning stage, a person does not consider their passion problematic. On the contrary, gambling is usually seen as group entertainment. For many, gambling remains a form of entertainment, but our website would not have this section if it had always been so.

LOSING STAGE

It is impossible to win money in a casino permanently. Thus, the winning stage is always replaced by the losing one.

During the losing stage, a person may increase the duration of their gaming sessions and play alone more frequently. Since he or she is now losing money, gambling is becoming a real problem. But losing money is usually not the only negative consequence. A person experiences personality changes, begins to skip work and commit other reckless actions.

Nevertheless, money is central to the addict's life because a problematic habit needs to be constantly fed with more funds. They look for additional ways to earn money, including illegal ones, and their debts grow.

DESPERATION STAGE

Then comes the desperation stage. Passion for the game and tendency to commit unlawful acts continue to grow. A person is seized with regret and panic. They are aware of the seriousness of their actions and the difficulty to get back on track. Reputation, professional and social life suffer. It is hard for a person to take responsibility for their actions, so they are inclined to blame others.

After the desperation stage, a person usually hits the bottom. If he or she does not have money to continue gambling, they experience a sense of hopelessness and withdrawal syndrome. They may start to abuse alcohol or drugs, look for new illegal ways to earn money and, as a result, end up in prison. At this stage, there are the highest risks of emotional breakdowns and suicide attempts.

Gambling Addiction Cycle

The three stages above describe the development of gambling addiction from the initial interest to bottoming out. However, gambling addiction also comes in cycles, so a person repeats the same actions over and over.

  • 1. Trigger An event that makes a person think about returning to the game after a break. It can be an internal reason, such as an emotion, or an external one, such as casino advertising. Triggers can change over time, and each episode can be triggered by something new.
  • 2. Urge After the trigger, the person feels an urge to return to the game. This urge becomes more and more difficult to resist, and they give up.
  • 3. Gambling episode A person returns to the game.
  • 4. Continuation of the game But the resumption is not limited to a single gambling episode. A person continues to play, either in an attempt to regain lost money or trying to win even more.
  • 5. Stopping the game Eventually, they have to stop the game. This happens when they run out of time or money, whichever comes first.

If a person suffers from gambling addiction, a trigger that makes them repeat the cycle appears eventually. The only way to break out of this cycle is to learn ways to overcome gambling addiction and seek help.

Symptoms of Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction affects every aspect of a person's life, so it can have many symptoms.

  • 1. Desire to stop playing and regrets after playing
  • 2. Money
    • Loss of significant amounts because of gambling;
    • Desire to win a large amount;
    • Playing until out of money;
    • Attempts to recover losses;
    • Increases bets to get the same emotions;
    • Takes loans for gambling;
    • Refuses to spend money on anything else;
    • Commits crimes to get money for gambling.
  • 3. Time
    • Increases time devoted to gambling;
    • Plays longer than expected;
    • Has no time for other activities including friends, family, and work.
  • 4. Work
    • Misses work due to gambling;
    • Decreased efficiency and concentration;
    • Loses ambitions and goals.
  • 5. Public life
    • Deterioration of relations;
    • Loses reputation;
    • Lies about addiction.
  • 6. Psychological symptoms
    • Fear;
    • Irritability;
    • Insomnia;
    • Suicidal thoughts and self-harm;
    • Lack of other interests;
    • Hides from reality in gambling;
    • Depression.

How to Identify Gambling Addiction

Gambling can be harmless entertainment, but it's important not to let things get out of control. Gamblers Anonymous, one of the world's largest recovery organizations for gamblers, offers a 20-question checklist to determine if a person has problems with gambling:

  • 1. Have you ever spent time on gambling that was meant for work or study?
  • 2. Has your home life suffered because of gambling?
  • 3. Has your reputation suffered because of gambling?
  • 4. Have you ever experienced regret after gambling?
  • 5. Have you ever tried to win money to pay debts off or meet other financial obligations?
  • 6. Has gambling caused you to lose ambitions or performance?
  • 7. After losing, did you feel the need to get back to the game as soon as possible to regain losses?
  • 8. After winning, did you feel a strong need to keep playing to win more?
  • 9. Do you often play until you run out of money?
  • 10. Have you ever borrowed money to play?
  • 11. Have you ever sold anything to play?
  • 12. Have you ever refused to spend "gambling money" for regular needs?
  • 13. Has gambling made you less concerned about your well-being or the well-being of your family?
  • 14. Have you ever played for longer than you planned?
  • 15. Have you ever played to escape anxiety, boredom, loneliness, or sadness?
  • 16. Have you ever committed illegal acts or thought about committing illegal acts to get money for gambling?
  • 17. Have you ever had insomnia because of gambling?
  • 18. Do quarrels, disappointments, or resentment make you want to play?
  • 19. Have you ever felt like celebrating success with gambling?
  • 20. Have you ever considered suicide or other self-harm attempts because of gambling?

According to the Gamblers Anonymous classification, positive answers to seven or more questions indicate that a person has gambling addiction.

I Have Gambling Addiction. What Can I Do?

If you have developed a harmful gambling habit, there are several options. Professionals offer multiple ways to overcome gambling addiction, from self-help methods to specialized services, support groups, and rehab centers.

Any specific decision should depend on your situation and the severity of your gambling addiction. The most important point is not to let things slide. Even if you only experience some of the symptoms described above, it's always better to be on the safe side and learn ways to get rid of gambling addiction before it becomes too late.

RECOGNIZE YOUR PROBLEM

Before you start fighting gambling addiction, it is necessary to accept the problem. It may be an obvious thing, but recognizing the problem is often one of the hardest steps for a recovering gambler. If you realize that gambling has gone beyond mere entertainment and want to take back control of your life, you are on the right track.

RESTRICT ACCESS TO GAMBLING

The next step to get rid of gambling addiction is to restrict access to casinos. This will not solve the problem completely, but at least create an additional barrier.

To prevent gambling, players are often advised to set a self-restriction or block the account. However, there are thousands of gambling sites on the Internet, so this approach does not help much. Instead, use specialized software, such as BetBlocker or Gamban, that blocks access to all gambling sites at once. You may also consider Net Nanny. Even though it is not directly related to casinos, it allows you to block access to websites whichever you want.

FIND ANOTHER HOBBY

Gambling is central to the life of most addicts. Some play out of boredom, others try to cope with negative emotions. If you want to beat gambling addiction, your time must be occupied with other activities to take your mind off casinos. Take a walk, do sports, spend more time with your family.

AVOID OTHER ADDICTIONS

However, you should be careful not to replace one addiction with another. For example, alcohol may provide temporary relief during an intensified craving for gambling, but in reality, it only makes the situation worse. By replacing one addiction with another, you will achieve the exact opposite effect of what you want to get. Fighting gambling addiction requires significant emotional resources, so it is easy to slide into another addiction. Keep this in mind and find healthier activities.

GAMBLING IS NOT A WAY TO MAKE MONEY

Trying to win more or regain lost money is a typical symptom of gambling addiction, which only drives a person deeper into the hole. It is important to understand that you will not make a fortune by gambling. The house always wins because its long-term advantage is determined by the game math. By continuing to play, you will lose all the money you won or make your losses worse.

LEARN TO RESIST THE URGE TO PLAY

When you quit gambling, it is natural that you want to play. It is essential to learn to resist this desire. When you intend to play, do everything to postpone it for a day, an hour, or at least 10 minutes. During this period, you may realize that you do not need to play. Recall your past experience when you lost and how you felt then. But in any case, don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. Just don't use that as an excuse to resume gambling.

TRY TO FIX YOUR FINANCES

Perhaps your gambling addiction has led you to debts and a lack of savings. The situation will start to change for the better only after you stop gambling. If you have debts, pay them out first, as this is necessary to continue a happy life.

ASK FOR HELP

We do not know how serious your gambling addiction is. However, it can be difficult to recover on your own, so if you have doubts, do not hesitate to seek help. Foremost, you may address family and friends, but psychotherapists, support groups, and rehab centers are more effective. Find out what support is available in your area.

How to Gamble and Not Become an Addict

Gambling is a huge problem for those suffering from addiction. If you are one of these, forget about casinos once and for all. For everyone else, gambling can be great entertainment.

Thousands of players occasionally play in casinos, and the only negative consequence is the loss of insignificant amounts of money. Let's figure out how to keep gambling under control and not get addicted.

GAMBLING IS NOT A WAY TO EARN MONEY

Many see gambling as a way to get rich or at least solve their financial problems. As mentioned above, this is dangerous thinking, which leads to addiction. Realize that you cannot win always. That's how you can avoid addiction and save the money you won.

GAMBLING IS ENTERTAINMENT THAT HAS A PRICE

Think of gambling as a form of entertainment that costs money. In this sense, gambling can be compared to going to a restaurant or a concert. You have a good time and pay for tickets, food, drinks, and so on. If you play in a casino, do it for fun, not to win money.

ONLY PLAY WITH MONEY YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE

Financial troubles are one of the main consequences of gambling addiction. It is not uncommon for problem gamblers to cut spending on other needs to save money for gambling. To avoid this situation, allocate a budget for gambling and play only with the money you can afford to lose. If you can't stick to this rule, you probably already have gambling addiction.

DON'T CHASE YOUR LOSSES

Trying to win lost money back is a sure way to lose everything. This is how an exciting gambling session turns into a financial disaster. Losing money is always unpleasant, so a desire to win it back is natural. That is why it is so important to start gambling with the understanding that you have already lost. As soon as you lose the money allocated for gambling, leave.

DON'T BORROW MONEY FOR GAMBLING

If you have to borrow money, this is a clear sign that you cannot afford to lose. Often people borrow money to gamble before payday, hoping to pay it off when their wage arrives. This may seem like a harmless decision, but in reality, it says that you do not have extra money to gamble with. And this is only the first step in the debt hole which can lead you into a really dangerous situation.

KEEP TRACK OF TIME AND MONEY YOU SPEND ON GAMBLING

With gambling, it's easy to lose track of time. Modern crypto slots are so exciting that it feels like time goes faster than it truly does. The same goes for money. You probably remember your big wins, but have you ever thought about how much you lost over the years? That's why it's so important to keep track of the time and money you invest in gambling. Many players would be shocked to find out how much they have already lost.

DO NOT GAMBLE DRUNK

Gambling creates a dangerous combination with alcohol or drugs. A drunk person cannot make conscious and considered decisions, but many repeat the same mistake. In a confusional state, you can lose more than you would if you were sober, and most likely will not be able to leave at the right time.

DON'T GAMBLE TO ESCAPE YOUR PROBLEMS

Frustration, depression, and other negative mental conditions can also interfere with your ability to make decisions. On top of that, such conditions are dangerous for a person in general, so trying to suppress them by gambling is a terrible idea. If you use gambling to escape your problems, you only make existing ones worse and create new ones.

FIND OTHER ACTIVITIES

If you gamble too much, it can quickly become a problem. In the end, gambling can become more important to you than other activities or people, which is a typical symptom of gambling addiction. Remember to make time for your family, friends, work, hobbies, and other activities. If gambling starts taking up too much of your life, that's cause for concern.

WATCH FOR SYMPTOMS OF GAMBLING ADDICTION

Like other addictions, gambling addiction is easier to overcome if you notice it in the early stages. If you are experiencing symptoms of gambling addiction, take action before it ruins your life.

DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP

Overcoming gambling addiction is never easy. Friends, family, and professionals are there to help. Telling someone about a problem is almost always better than being silent. Reach out to someone you trust, even if you have the slightest suspicion regarding your gambling habits. This is a serious and tricky problem, so don't underestimate it.

PLAY ONLY AT TRUSTED CASINOS

Safe gambling is not only about preventing gambling addiction but also about choosing a reliable casino. If you select a fraudulent casino and fail to receive your winnings, this situation will leave an unpleasant imprint on your gambling experience, not to mention lost money.