Responsible Gambling India

Gambling is an exciting form of entertainment that can take you on a trip of multiple emotions during one session. As you would strap yourself in on a thrilling ride at a theme park, you must be aware of the steps available to protect you, which we’ll share in this article.

The Definition of Responsible Gambling

The majority of people can control themselves when they’re gambling. For this reason, they remain within the boundaries of their financial limits, physical health, and life in general.

However, a select portion of people allows the joy of being entertained to become a destructive force. Statistics demonstrate that approximately 50 percent of men in India gamble, and seven percent of that population have a severe gambling problem.

A responsible gambler is aware of their limitations and won’t cross the line where it starts to affect their lives. 

Furthermore, they’re playing for the entertainment aspect more than the aim of trying to win money. Yes, everyone wants to win, but it’s not their sole driving force behind gambling.

Winning money while playing a game you enjoy is an attractive proposition that could become addictive. You should never replace making an income or a full-time job with gambling. 

Avoid the Addiction

If you consider yourself a responsible gambler, you should follow a set of rules for yourself that includes:

  • Playing with disposable money.
  • Gambling only when you have spare time.
  • Not allowing losing to affect your emotions.
  • Playing games for recreation rather than pursuing winning money.
  • Prefer gambling as a mere hobby.

Some online casinos have implemented specific measures to assist you with being a responsible gambler. These include:

  • Preventing underage gambling.
  • Protecting vulnerable players.
  • Protecting your private data.
  • Offering a safe environment.
  • Security of payments.
  • Fair marketing policies.
  • Checks against criminal activity. 

Signs You Have a Gambling Addiction

Even though the people around you, especially friends and family members, are aware that you have a gambling problem, it’s truly up to you to admit it. 

Without self-disclosure, you can’t obtain the necessary assistance, highlighting the need to recognise when gambling has become a problem in your life.

Money, Money, Money

The most evident signal that you are a problem gambler is that you seem never to have enough money. Even though you’re working a full-time job with a full salary, more often than not, you decide to spend your hard-earned money gambling. Borrowing money from friends or taking out loans should ring alarm bells that point to addiction. 

Furthermore, if your cupboards at home and the fridge are empty, you should seek help. 

Dipping into your savings and reacting angrily to questions about the problem suggest that gambling has taken over your life.

Changes in Mood and Behaviour

Following up on the point of snapping at your friends and family, these are the people that identify the changes in your personality and general behaviour. 

Irresponsible gambling can lead to poor performances in your work environment, leaving you with a feeling of frustration and, possibly, depression. 

Becoming manipulative with your loved ones and reacting uncharacteristically is a signal that you’re standing in quick-sand and require a hand of assistance.

Unexplained Use of Time

When you can’t explain your absence to your employer or family, you’re spending too much time gambling. 

If you have a reputation for being a stellar employee in terms of never taking off days, sudden changes to your attendance is cause for concern, especially if you’re using the time to try and win back your losses.
Always turning up late for appointments and taking longer than usual to complete particular tasks or projects are subtle signs that there are deeper-lying issues.

Thinking About Gambling All the Time

Sitting in the office allowing your mind to wander about the future or your aspirations is normal. 

However, if your mind takes you back to a particular game or machine that you’re spinning, it becomes problematic. If you’re prioritising gambling over spending time with your family, you’re allowing it to take over your daily life.

Enhancing the Thrill

A strong indication of addiction is feeling the need to place larger, riskier bets to experience the same thrill as before. 

This directly links to the production of dopamine in the brain, which is similar to substance abuse.

You’ve Tried to Stop

Maybe you’ve realised that the way you’re playing isn’t working out. As a result, you try to pull back and stop but often find yourself in the same position. 

At this point, it's advisable to invest in yourself and your future to end your gambling problem.

Using Gambling as Therapy

People handle life events differently. Some have problems in other areas of their lives, and you may have heard of the term ‘comfort eating’. 

This term refers to the fact that the individual turns to food whenever they receive negative news. 

Similarly, if you’re turning to gambling as a way to take your mind off reality but doing it more often than you should, you must acknowledge that you have an addiction. 

Conversely, if you receive positive news, you may find yourself turning to gambling, and although it’s not immediately a problem, it’s a sign that it could spiral out of control.

Practical Tools to Embrace

Online casinos have implemented measures that you can consider for a gambling addiction before it reaches the point of no return. 

These steps allow you to establish boundaries for yourself to control your finances and time. When you register an account at an online casino, these facilities are available to you at any time.

Limit Your Deposit

When you’re in the momentum of gambling, you tend to lose track of what’s in your bank account and the reason you have that money available. 

Without a cap on the deposit amount, you could end up using all your money before you realise it. The deposit limit allows you to restrict the amount of money you deposit either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. 

The advantage of this measure is once you’ve reached your limit, you can’t deposit money immediately and would have to wait before another deposit from your bank account is allowed. 

It’s convenient for people who understand that they spend too much on gambling already.

Limit the Damage

Like the deposit limit, this feature focuses on the amount of money you’re allowed to lose within a particular time frame. 

Upon reaching the limit, you can’t place any more bets regardless of how much money you have in your player account. You can only start betting again when the casino resets the limit automatically. 

If you’re working with a strict budget, this tool is ideal for keeping you on the straight and narrow.

Time Limits

Once you settle into a rhythm of betting, there is very little that can distract you from gambling - not least the fact that you’re losing money. 

Utilising this feature establishes the duration of the session before you commence. You have the option of setting the limit according to your session, per day, per week, or month. 

When you’ve reached your time limit, the system logs you out automatically, and you can only log back in after a certain period. 

Embracing this feature enables you to allocate specific recreational time for gambling while remaining safe and addiction-free.

Time Alerts

While it doesn’t function like a time limit, this feature provides updates regarding the length of your session. The reason for this option is to remind players of how much time they invest in gambling and to regulate themselves to avoid addiction.

Limit Your Wagers

If you’re ever tempted to spend more money per bet, this responsible gambling feature restricts your wager amount. 

The online casino won’t allow you to continue betting if you’ve reached the limit. As a result, you have a further sense of control.

Request a Transaction History

Every action that you perform in an online casino is recorded and displayed on the transaction history. 

While it doesn’t function like the other features, it holds critical information regarding your bets, deposits, withdrawals, and results. Regularly checking the data offers you a clearer picture of your gambling habits and whether you have cause for concern.

Self-Ban

If you feel that you’re becoming addicted to gambling, it’s advisable to take breaks from the hobby. When you initiate the self-exclusion option, you’re choosing to close your account either indefinitely or for a stipulated amount of time. 

After getting the ball rolling with an exclusion, you can’t reverse the decision while customer care handles the situation even if you feel you’re over the temptation.

Assessment

This feature is meant to augment the other responsible gambling elements by including a series of statements and questions that players must answer. 

The result is a summary that demonstrates parts of your life that have been affected by excessive gambling. You’ll receive advice about which tools you should use to gain control of the situation.

External Parties That Can Help

If you find that self-realisation and treatment of your gambling addiction aren’t working, there are alternative options. 

Several independent, non-profit organisations exist to assist those struggling with all forms of addiction. You can obtain financial advice, counselling, support groups, and informative forums that can get you back on track. 

India has several gambling support organisations with a reputation for assisting people struggling with maintaining responsible gambling.

Hope Trust

Hope Trust is one of India’s leading treatment providers based in Hyderabad that can handle various problems, including psychological wellness, mental health, drug abuse, alcoholism, eating addictions and gambling addictions. 

People worldwide flock to this centre to restore their finances and control the urge to gamble recklessly.

The road to recovery involves a 12-step program along with input from other health practitioners. 

Furthermore, you can practice yoga and meditation if you require. Inpatient and outpatient programs exist that are intense, which is why there’s also relapse prevention and aftercare available.

Counsellors at Hope Trust are in recovery themselves and will demonstrate how they used various programs to conquer their addiction. 

Experienced Indian facilitators coordinate the program offering you the opportunity to meet some leading spiritual and social thinkers from the country. After being established in 2002, your road to recovery is in safe hands.

You can access online care, especially if you’re uncomfortable talking about your experiences face to face. When you are concerned about stigma or perhaps, you’re too far away from the facility, this is the ideal treatment for you. 

If this sounds like a great idea, this is how you can contact the organisation.

Rehabs.In

If you’re trying to find a suitable facility to support your quest to rid yourself of gambling addiction, rehabs.in is the perfect site to visit. You’ll discover a wide selection of centres that offer various types of treatment. 

The site is the brainchild of RehabPath and provides people across India with a comprehensive directory of treatment providers and resources to assist through your journey.

They’re not affiliated with any organisation, so you can expect them to provide facts regarding providers and their treatment options. Collectively, they have over 1,500 addiction and mental health treatment providers in over 352 cities across India.

Gamblers Anonymous

This website is probably one of the more reputable sites around, and even though they don’t offer extensive gambling therapy, there are ample resources to begin the road to recovery. Additionally, there are several addresses and numbers to contact for gambling addiction help in India.

Tips to Control Gambling in the Future

Health practitioners differ in their definition of gambling addiction. Still, when an individual finds it difficult to resist the impulses to play, it generally leads to personal and social problems. 

Halting your gambling addiction is a challenging exercise. However, maintaining control over gambling in the future is the key battle to win.

Avoid Boredom

When you’re taking time away from gambling, it can become boring since you’re used to the thrills of active gambling. 

Try to plan your day and fill it with other tasks that can keep you busy and distracted for the time that you’re planning to recover. 

Research demonstrates that you will avoid or fail to complete an uninspiring task - so prepare in advance.

Forget the Past

You have to start living one day at a time without focusing on events of the past. 

If you have the idea of exacting revenge on the casino or dealer, you’re going about it the wrong way. 

Focus on the present and your future. When you constantly remind yourself that you’re looking ahead, it will become easier to overcome.

Inject Something Different

Your brain becomes accustomed to operating in a particular way when you’re gambling. You must replace that stimulation when you’ve put a pause on gambling by setting new goals for yourself. 

While you’re focused on solving existing issues, you won’t have time to give in to gambling urges.

Bring Back an Old Hobby

Before you started gambling, there were other interests in your life. You would have slowly stopped being involved in these activities as your addiction to gambling progressed. 

Once you’ve decided to stop gambling for a while, perhaps you should rekindle your old hobbies. 

It will remind you of how life was before the addiction and provide a boost to your self-esteem. With most behavioural addictions, it’s essential to find a new activity to replace a harmful habit. 

As a result, you focus on the new hobby instead of thinking about what you’re missing.

Find Another Method to Cope with Stress

Sometimes people turn to excessive gambling as a way to distract themselves from the stress in their lives. 

Spending time online or in a physical casino means you don’t have to face the issues you have with others. 

Giving in to stress while you’re in recovery can lead to a relapse, so you must identify measures to cope with it in the future.

Identify Your Triggers

Time away from spending excessive money at betting is precious. Try to eliminate all urges to gamble, especially when it creeps up around special days such as your birthday, wedding anniversary, Christmas, Easter, or exam days.

Write Down a Gratitude List

It’s essential to acknowledge your progress which is why writing down your thoughts of gratitude daily will remind you how far you’ve come. 

When you have adopted a grateful attitude, you’re less likely to search for excitement.

Conclusion

While gambling is fun, you shouldn’t allow it to consume you and negatively affect the financial and social areas of your life. 

There are risks to drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, consuming sugar, and processed meats. However, everything done in moderation reduces the possibility of severe consequences. 

If you find that you’re about to spiral, take advantage of the tools and facilities on offer to avoid destruction.

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