Sports betting, when done correctly, can be relaxing and entertaining. Therefore, it is essential for you as a punter to understand the importance of responsible gambling and the tools available to you, if it ever becomes a problem.
In this article, we will provide a detailed guide to responsible gambling, highlight our responsible gambling database, and outline the relevant tools available to you to keep your betting activities in check.
What Does Responsible Gambling Mean?
Responsible gambling means making informed decisions to ensure that gambling remains a form of entertainment for you without leading to any financial, emotional, or legal problems.
It entails understanding yourself and the risks associated with problem gambling. It also involves recognising when gambling may be turning into an addiction or becoming a problem for you.
Problem gambling is a rising concern, particularly among Nigerian youths. According to a 2023 survey by GambleAlert, 59% of punters have experienced financial desperation, while 53% have skipped work or school due to gambling.
Similarly, more than 50% have resorted to illegal activities to finance their gambling habits, and 25% of punters have had suicidal thoughts from gambling. The above data clearly demonstrate the need for responsible gambling education among Nigerian bettors.
Gambling responsibly is essential to maintaining a healthy balance between gambling as a recreational activity and the risks associated with it. Hence, it is necessary to foster responsible gambling habits to ensure you have safe gaming experiences without any negative consequences.
Principles of Responsible Gambling
With practical strategies and well-defined plans, you can ensure that your gaming experience remains controlled without becoming a source of distress or financial difficulty. Here are some responsible gambling principles to guide you:
Create Boundaries for Safe Gambling
Creating boundaries can help you develop self-control, which is essential for maintaining healthy gambling habits. Boundaries can also help you identify personal triggers and control impulsive behaviour.
Consider taking the time to understand yourself and why you gamble. This can help you identify triggers that you may want to manage before they become problems.
You can also create a supportive environment with trusted friends or family members. These safe spaces may encourage open communication about your habits, making it easier to seek help if necessary. Additionally, your family and friends can offer an outside perspective on your gambling behaviour, further helping you avoid the temptation to gamble excessively.
Set Limits
Create responsible personal limits when gambling to ensure you maintain control over your gambling habits. Additionally, personal limits allow you to make informed decisions about how much time and money you invest into gambling. Some tips for setting personal limits include:
Time Limits
Before you begin gambling, decide on the maximum amount of time you will spend on your sessions. Decide on a specific number of hours per session or per week and commit to your schedule.
It is important to remember that the number is not a goal you intend to achieve; instead, it's the maximum limit for you. If necessary, you can stop before hitting your time limit. Here are some tips to help you comply with your time limit:
- Plan your sessions around other activities and functions. Scheduling your gambling helps to ensure that it does not interfere with your other commitments.
- Use timers and alarms to manage your sessions. These reminders help prevent losing track of time and manage your impulses.
- Use a journal or an app to track how much time you spend gambling. Review and reflect on the data to ensure you are not exceeding your limit.
Financial Limits
It is essential to create a budget when gambling. Decide on an amount that you are comfortable losing to use as your gambling budget and never exceed it. If you fund your betting account directly from your bank, check if your bank allows you to limit how much you spend on gambling.
It is crucial to never gamble with money for essential expenses or borrow money to bet. When you realise you're consistently exceeding your budget, it may be time to step back and reassess your spending. Here are some methods to help you monitor your spending:
- Keep a detailed record of all your gambling expenses, including wins, losses, and total amount spent. You can use budgeting apps or other tools to help you monitor your spending.
- Review your gambling budget regularly to ensure you stay within your limit. If you are spending more than you intend, create a plan to cut back as much as needed.
Verify the Site Before You Play
It is essential to protect yourself by verifying the legality of the betting site(s) before you register. Choosing legal sites is important because illegal entities can expose you to various risks without the necessary safeguards to protect you or your money.
When signing up for a betting site, several important factors should be considered, including ensuring it holds the necessary licenses and operates in accordance with Nigerian regulations.
Comply with the Vulnerable and Underage Persons Regulations
Under Nigerian law, it is illegal for a person under 18 to open or operate a betting account. Similarly, there are legal frameworks that require operators to safeguard their customers. These regulations exist to protect you.
Therefore, it is vital to adhere to these guidelines and ensure your gambling activities comply with them. This will help you have a safer gambling experience.
Responsible Gambling Database
At Soccernet, we understand our responsibility to educate and protect our members from gambling hazards. For this purpose, we have undertaken precautions to ensure our members always make informed decisions when gambling.
Trustworthy Betting Sites
At SoccerNet, we pride ourselves on our commitment to highlighting only the most trustworthy betting sites in Nigeria. We test and rank sites by reviewing them against our 8-factor criteria before awarding grades on a 5-point scale. Licensing, a non-negotiable criterion in our review process, helps ensure that all sites we recommend comply with local registration requirements.
As a result, all betting sites on our platform provide some form of responsible gambling tools you can use to regulate your gambling behaviour.
Education and Information
An essential part of responsible gambling is understanding all the information relevant to you and making informed decisions about your picks. We provide guides to help you understand the information you need to remain in control.
Additionally, we are with you every step of your igaming experience, from helping you choose the right bookmaker to becoming a seasoned bettor.
Our experts provide detailed guides that help you understand betting terms like Combo Bet. We also have guides that explain the odds and betting options, so you know everything available to you on betting sites.
Responsible Gambling Tools
Bookmakers and betting sites provide tools to help you manage your betting habits. Most bookies typically offer a variety of simple options to help you manage your account on their platforms. Some of these tools include:
Deposit Limits
A deposit limit is a function that allows you to set an amount and time period for yourself, which determines the total amount of money you can deposit in your betting account over a particular period of time.
Once you reach your limit, the app automatically prevents you from depositing any more money until you adjust your limit. If you choose to change your limit, there is usually a mandatory 24-hour waiting period to confirm the change, giving you time to think it over.
For instance, Betano provide weekly, daily, monthly, or yearly deposit limits. The operator lets you reduce your limit whenever you want. However, requests to increase your deposit limit come into effect after 7 days.
Session Limits
A common feature on most casino sites is a notification that reminds you how long you have been playing. This feature works automatically regardless of your personal time limit. These sites typically come with a default session limit of 60 minutes.
However, you can adjust the limit as you prefer. Casino bookies like Stake offer session time remainders and reality check messages that appear at configured intervals, displaying how much money and time you've spent on your current session.
Account History
Most online gambling platforms provide an extensive record of the deposits, bets, and withdrawals made on your account. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with this tool to help you track and manage your spending.
Self Evaluation
Self-evaluation is a process that involves steps you can take if you become concerned about your betting habits. It can also help you determine if you have a bigger problem that you may not have noticed.
All the best betting sites in Nigeria include self-evaluation questions in their terms of service on their websites. It is important to reflect and answer these questions honestly to ensure you get the best results.
Some questions that help with self-evaluation include:
- Why do you gamble?
- How often do you gamble?
- How do you feel when you lose?
- Do you find yourself chasing losses?
- Have you ever put off seeing family or friends to gamble instead?
- Do you lie to family or friends about how much you've lost to gambling?
- Do you sometimes gamble even though you didn't plan to?
Self Exclusion
The law requires every bookmaker to provide self-exclusion options that allow you to close your account. You can also request that the bookmaker prevent you from opening another account in the future. Each bookmaker has distinct self-exclusion policies.
Most bookies offer temporary self-exclusion, while others may exclude you for life. For example, if you have a 1xBet account, you can restrict your account for 1 month, 6 months, or 1 year.
Furthermore, excluding yourself from one bookmaker may prevent you from opening an account with another bookmaker if they belong to the same group of companies.
DO YOU NEED HELP?
If you need to speak to a professional or require assistance to manage your gambling, please do not hesitate to reach out to someone who can help. Some professional organisations available to Nigerians include:
- Gamble Alert: https://gamblealert.org/
- Gamble Pause: https://gamblepause.com/
- Find a Helpline: https://findahelpline.com/countries/ng/topics/gambling
- Gambling Therapy: https://gamblingtherapy.org/
Taking these steps early and reaching out when you need support will help you maintain a safer, more confident and more enjoyable gambling routine.