All players need to have a good understanding of responsible gambling to make sure they’re staying safe while playing. There are plenty of tools on offer to help players monitor and manage their behaviour, including time limits and self-exclusions.
Campaigns like Safer Gambling Week and changes to gambling advertising have increased the number of players making use of responsible gambling tools. However, the message must reach all players. In this article, we’ll look at the basics of responsible gambling and what is being done to make more players aware of it.
What is Responsible Gambling?
Responsible gambling is the practice of players monitoring and managing their behaviour to ensure they’re participating in gambling safely. A big part of the message focuses on education, making sure players have the right attitude toward gambling. Highlighting, for example, that it should only be viewed as a fun activity, never as a source of income.
You’ve also likely seen responsible gambling adverts that include the slogan, “When the fun stops, stop.” This responsible message educates people on the importance of monitoring their emotions and behaviour while gambling.
Other messages target the importance of not letting gambling disrupt your relationships or routine. As well as this, players should not be committing more than they can afford to gambling or chasing losses.
There’s a common misconception that responsible gambling tools are only for vulnerable players or those already displaying risky behaviour. In reality, all players should be making use of the tools on offer to manage their behaviour. Whether you’re a first-time gambler or a seasoned pro, setting and sticking to limits is essential for monitoring your gambling interactions.
What Responsible Gambling Tools are Available?
There are lots of responsible gambling tools on offer throughout the industry, like limits and reminders. Individual providers offer different tools, so it’s a good idea to check this out before using a site. Let’s look at some of the common responsible gambling tools below.
Deposit, Time, and Loss Limits
One of the most common responsible gambling tools is setting limits. There are a few different types available, including time, spend, and loss limits, which players should make use of. Deposit limits can be set to prevent players from spending over a certain amount in a time period, like £15 a week. They’re one of the most common tools to find across providers and help prevent risky behaviour like overspending and chasing losses.
Time limits are another tool you’ll frequently see on gambling platforms. Players can set limits to prevent themselves from spending too long on a site. For example, if a player sets a limit of 10 minutes a day, they won’t be able to play longer than this limit.
Loss limits are a little less common than the other forms of limits, however, they’re a great tool to help players control their spending. When a player reaches a loss limit, say £5 in a day, any further playing will be prevented.
Self-exclusion
Players who recognise they may have a problem with gambling can make use of self-exclusion to prevent themselves from continuing. You can exclude yourself from individual providers, preventing you from accessing and spending money on sites. It’s also possible to set how long you want to be excluded from a site, ranging from weeks and months to years or even permanently.
To block themselves from more than one site at once, players can make use of tools like GamBan or BetBlocker. These apps block players from downloading apps or accessing the websites of tens of thousands of providers.
Limiting Gambling Advertisements
Players are able to limit the number of gambling ads they see while browsing. On social media, you’re able to set preferences from ads, silence certain words or flag ads you don’t want to see. Simply head to your account section and alter your preferences to do this.
Playing Reminders and Breaks
Playing reminders are a great tool to make the most of. They remind players how long they’ve spent on a site and make sure that they want to continue playing. A great feature of this tool is the ability to customise how frequently these reminders appear.
By using breaks, players can take a short time off from a site. They’re similar to self-exclusion but are available for shorter periods of time, like a few days or a week. On many providers, players can set these to have a short time away from gambling.
Making More Players Aware of Responsible Gambling
Experts, like leading online gambling specialist Giuseppe Faraone, recognise how essential promoting responsible gambling is. In a recent interview, Faraone mentioned that,
“All players should be safe when gambling. Making sure everyone is aware of the great range of responsible gambling tools on offer is the key to that.”
In order to promote responsible gambling to more players, there are a few campaigns run by the likes of the Betting and Gaming Council. Learn more about them below.
Safer Gambling Week
The Betting and Gaming Council, Bingo Association, and British Amusement Catering Trade Association jointly run Safer Gambling Week. The week-long initiative started in 2018 to promote responsible gambling tools and best practices.
The success of the Safer Gambling Week campaigns is indisputable, with millions of messages sent out across social media and television. Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 22% increase in the number of responsible gambling tools used during Safer Gambling Week.
Overall, a total of 1.5 million accounts used responsible gambling tools during the 2024 campaign. As well as this, there was an increase in the number of deposit limits, and 47% of these were players setting one for the first time.
Responsible Gambling Advertising
If you’ve ever seen a gambling advert, you’ll likely have noticed the responsible gambling promotion that comes with it. Well, that’s part of a nationwide campaign to promote responsible gambling to more players.
In recent years, the Betting and Gaming Commission, the board that oversees the introduction of new legislation in the UK’s gambling industry, have made changes to the way advertisements work. Following the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, they pledged to increase the number of ads on responsible gambling by 20%.
Gambling ads were also banned from sites where the audience wasn’t definitively over 18. For example, on YouTube, unless the user is signed in and their birthdate proves they’re over 18, they won’t be shown gambling ads. All ads that appear on search engines like Google must make it clear that the sites are only available to those over 18, and they must include a responsible gambling message.
In 2019, there was a ban on gambling advertisements played whistle to whistle for games like football. Before the 9 pm watershed, there can be no gambling ads for five minutes before a game until five minutes after. This change has been incredibly successful in preventing those under legal gambling age from seeing gambling ads. In the first 12 months, there was a 97% decrease in gambling adverts seen by children.
Changes to VIP Programs
VIP programs give players access to rewards, like extra spins, that often increase as they unlock further levels. There have long been concerns about how these promote gambling to vulnerable players.
Recent changes have altered VIP programs, meaning checks must be carried out by providers before players join. These checks look for high-risk behaviour, like extended playing periods, high peaks in spending, and late-night playing sessions. If such behaviour is flagged, players may be prevented from joining the program.
Continual checks for those signed up for programs have also been added. Their behaviour will be continuously monitored to watch out for warning signs of unsafe gambling. Those under 25 won’t be able to join some schemes. Schemes that focus on allowing players to recuperate losses will be banned.
Why Should Players be Aware of Responsible Gambling Tools?
Making the most of responsible gambling tools is essential for players to make sure they’re playing safely online. Using tools like limits can prevent risky behaviour, like overspending and chasing losses. For those who have recognised they’re developing a problem with gambling, they can make use of tools like self-exclusion and breaks.
While more and more players are becoming aware of the importance of responsible gambling because of campaigns like Safer Gambling Week, the message needs to reach all players. Players must make the most of responsible gambling tools so they can stay safe while having fun.
