Responsible Gambling: Tips for Safer Gambling

Responsible gambling refers to the art of putting measures in place to ensure you have control over your gambling habits. It is a set of processes and practices that help you gamble safely and in a controlled manner.

Mindful gambling practices typically include setting limits, making informed decisions, and understanding the risks associated with different gambling activities. In this guide, we explain these practices in detail and show how to apply them to your own betting habits.

The Risks of Problem Gambling and Addiction

All forms of gambling, from sports betting to casinos, come with different risks. A 2023 survey by GambleAlert shows that 19% of Nigerian bettors are high on the problem gambling scale.

At the same time, 48% and 33% are at the medium and low levels, respectively, on the same scale. The same survey also shows that 26% of punters have lost something significant due to gambling activities, indicating potential addiction and associated welfare losses.

Hence, it is important for you to always protect yourself by being responsible so that you maintain as much control as possible. Always remember that gambling is supposed to be a hobby. When it stops being a source of entertainment, consider taking a few steps back.

Responsible Gambling Tips

Here are some tips to help you practice mindful gambling:

1. Understand the Basics of Gambling

There are various games, events, and betting options available to punters across different platforms. Aside from betting options, it is also necessary to understand how odds work and how these sites calculate potential payouts. A functional understanding of these options and odds helps you make informed decisions and ensure you put your money where you intended.

We understand that we have a responsibility to educate our members to help them make the best decisions when betting. Hence, our experts have provided guides that simplify complex betting options and explain how odds work in gambling.

Our extensive guides cover a variety of topics, from helping you choose the right bookmaker to explaining how corner betting works in a football match. We also have guides that help you understand unconventional betting options, such as handicaps.

2. Recognise and Manage your Emotions

Recognising and managing your emotions is an essential part of mindful gambling. When playing, ensure you maintain the highest level of self-control. Avoid letting your emotions determine your actions. Emotions can influence your judgement, causing you to make impulsive decisions, such as betting more than you intended or chasing your losses.

In addition, avoid using gambling as an emotion regulator. For example, gambling when you’re angry or stressed can lead to an unhealthy dependency, which may cause you to be irresponsible.

Consider taking short breaks when you feel overwhelmed or if you notice a change in your emotional state. This helps you manage your emotions, ensuring gambling remains safe and within your control.

3. Ensure your Safety and Security

When registering with bookmakers, especially online bookies, ensure you choose licensed sites that comply with betting regulations. Playing on trusted, licensed sites can help protect you against fraud. Additionally, when playing online, ensure the sites have secure payment options to safeguard your transactions.

These steps are essential to protect your personal and financial information while creating a safe environment for gambling.

4. Set Limits

A responsible gambling strategy treats gambling as a form of entertainment and a way to pass time. Setting limits on how much time and money you spend on gambling can help you remain responsible and prevent gambling from affecting other aspects of your life.

Consider scheduling your gambling session around other activities and hobbies to ensure it does not interfere with your job or prevent you from spending time with others. Also, treating gambling as a scheduled activity helps prevent excess play and guarantees that you stick to the allocated time. You can also create reminders to help you better manage your time.

Similarly, setting financial boundaries helps you protect your resources and prevent gambling from affecting your finances. Always gamble what you can afford to lose. Never chase losses or gamble with funds allocated to other aspects of your life. You can create an entertainment budget for gambling and use budget tools to ensure you do not exceed your limit.

5. Know When to Seek Help

Seeking help does not always mean professional help. If your gambling habit bothers you, consider speaking to people about it. You can foster a safe gambling environment by creating safe spaces with trusted friends or family members.

These safe spaces help keep you accountable and ensure you adhere to your time and financial limits. Friends and family can also offer advice or different perspectives that will help improve your gambling habits.

At AfrikFoot NG, we understand that gambling is a recreational activity, which is why we encourage and promote responsible gambling.

However, if you notice a change in your attitude towards gambling and it becomes a problem, please reach out to people or organisations that can help you. Here are some professional organisations available to assist problem gamblers in Nigeria:

Gamble Pause: https://gamblepause.com/
Gamble Alert: https://gamblealert.org/
Find a Helpline: https://findahelpline.com/countries/ng/topics/gambling/
Gambling Therapy: https://gamblingtherapy.org/

Common Signs of Gambling Addiction

If you are worried about your gambling habits, you should consider taking time to review your behaviour and check for addiction signs. Here are some common signs that may indicate problem gambling:

Chasing losses and spending more money on gambling than you can afford.
Constantly thinking or talking about gambling.
Struggling to take breaks from gambling.
Arguing about gambling habits with friends and family.
Lying about your gambling habits and losses.
Stress, anxiety or any worrying feelings while gambling.
Using gambling as an escape from your life or as a cure for boredom, stress, and anger.
Multiple failed attempts to stop gambling.
Stealing, borrowing money, or selling your property to fund your gambling habit.
Neglecting work, school, friends, family, or responsibilities due to gambling.

Responsible Gambling Tools for Nigerian Bookmakers

Our experts have curated a list of the best betting sites in Nigeria, all of which provide responsible gambling tools in accordance with Nigerian regulations. These tools include:

Session Limits

Most online betting sites, particularly casino betting sites, have a feature that lets you limit the hours you can spend gambling per session. Once you exceed your session limit, the app automatically logs you out. You can customise your sessions to match your preference. BC Game and Stake.com are bookies that let you customise your session lengths.

Deposit Limits

Some gambling platforms help you regulate how much you spend on gambling by imposing deposit limits. These limits restrict how much you can deposit into your betting account for a pre-determined period. You can set daily, weekly, or monthly limits depending on your preference.
You can change your deposit limit at any time. However, a mandatory 24-hour cooling period is necessary for any increase.

Some sites may require longer cooling periods for higher limits. Some bookies offer unique deposit limits. For instance, Stake only offers daily deposit limits for local and crypto deposits. The platform also provides a “withholding balance” for crypto funds that exceed your daily limits. After your limit resets, the app automatically deposits an amount equal to your daily limit to your playing account.

Self Evaluation

If you have concerns about your betting habits, all the best betting sites provide you with a set of questions to determine whether or not you are a problem gambler. Ensure you answer the questions honestly to get the best results. Some self-evaluation questions include:

How often do you gamble?
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 your gambling habits?
Do you gamble even when you don’t plan to?

Account History

The best online betting platforms usually provide bettors with a dedicated page that highlights deposits, bets, wins, losses, and withdrawals. Some bookies, such as Betano, take this feature a step further by including tools that show your profit and loss history, excluding your deposits and withdrawals. A detailed account of your activities on the platform can help you monitor your behaviour and ensure you practice responsible gambling.

Self Exclusion

You can disable your account’s login option if necessary. This exclusion is typically a temporary solution. The duration varies depending on the bookmaker. However, you can request permanent account closure if required. All the best betting sites in Nigeria offer self-exclusion tools to encourage responsible gambling.