A Complete Guide to Responsible Gambling in Asia

Online casinos and sportsbooks are designed to provide entertainment. The games, bonuses, and entire customer experience is structured to entice users to play games and have fun. Sometimes, such as after playing for too long, the fun can turn into something more serious. This is why responsible gambling is encouraged and supported.

The online gambling industry across Asia is anything but uniform. Whilst it is allowed or accepted in countries such as the Philippines and India, it is completely outlawed in others. Asian countries that do allow some form of online gambling encourage players to play responsibly.

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Introduction

What is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gaming is the process by which gambling does not negatively affect the player or the community around him or her. This is, of course, a simplified definition.

Playing responsibly is important for the player, the friends and family surrounding the player, the wider community, and, perhaps surprisingly, the iGaming industry.

These are the main objectives of responsible gambling:

  1. Players may gamble for fun but understand that the likelihood is that they will lose money. As a result, they only wager what they can afford to lose.
  2. Individuals play for limited amounts of time per week or month.
  3. Gambling is just one form of entertainment for the player. Hobbies and other pastimes provide alternative sources of fun.

Reaching these objectives for every single player requires a continued effort by a network of partners. This network includes casino operators, licensed jurisdictions, professional organisations, friends, families, and, of course, the players.

Gambling Online Comes With Risks

Gambling Online Comes With Risks

One of the biggest risks of online gambling is the belief that you can win more money than you lose. The majority of players understand that online casinos and sportsbooks are entertainment businesses. In the same way that you pay for cinema tickets, you are paying to play online casino games.

Of course, your local cinema does not usually provide bonuses, free spins, and jackpots.

Whilst it is true that some players will win rewards from time to time, statistically, you are much more likely to lose than win. After all, a win for a player is a loss for the casino, and a business can only sustain so many losses.

It’s human nature to keep doing something that brings joy. This is why playing responsibly is so important. By being responsible, you will know when it’s time to stop gambling and do something else. The online casino will be there another day.

By not being responsible, players risk losing a lot of money, possibly more than they can afford. There is also the risk of becoming emotionally compromised and not being able to stop gambling. This can affect the player’s personal and professional life, and can easily get out of control.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to keep on playing responsibly.

How to Practise Responsible Gambling

How to Practise Responsible Gambling

It is very important that every casino player learns the basics of responsible gambling. Here are some of the best ways to do this.

Set Yourself Gambling Limits

Online casinos that take the welfare of their players seriously will offer support for responsible gambling. One of the ways in which they do this is to let you set voluntary limits on gameplay and funds. The main limits you will be able to set are:

  • Deposit limit – With this limit, you will be able to set a cap on the maximum amount of money you can withdraw in a day, week, or month. Some casino operators encourage you to set a voluntary deposit limit as part of the registration process.
  • Wager limit – Similar to the deposit limit, the wager limit sets a cap on the amount of money you can wager within a specified period, such as 24 hours.
  • Game time limit – This limit acts as a gameplay timer that goes off once a certain amount of time has elapsed. You may be able to choose whether to receive a notification of the limit or be automatically removed from the game. Don’t worry, before being removed, all your winnings up to that point will be transferred to your casino account.
  • Self-exclusion – This limit is helpful to keep you away from an online casino for an extended period. You can normally set self-exclusion for one or more months or even a year.
  • Permanent closure – In certain circumstances, you might feel that the best course of action is to close your casino account permanently.

The majority of these limits cannot be changed quickly once set. If you set a game time limit of one hour and the time elapses, you won’t be able to extend this time before 24 hours pass.

Play With The Right Attitude

No matter whether you set voluntary limits or not, it is important that you think before you play.

  1. Before you start playing, decide how much you plan to spend on bets. Similarly, decide how long to play for. The moment you have reached either limit first, stop playing.
  2. Treat any payout or game reward as a surprising bonus. Decide what to do with these rewards beforehand. Should you wager them in this session, or keep them for another time?
  3. Only play if you have energy and can concentrate. You should not play if you are sad, angry, depressed, anxious, or in another state of mind that is unsuitable for online gambling.
  4. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. If you’ve reached a limit, take a deep breath and stop playing. Don’t ever try to chase losses, you will only end up losing more money.

You should always remember that you are playing online for fun. Online casinos and sportsbooks are not a source of income for players.

Look for Licensed Operators

Players in Asia have access to hundreds of online casinos and sportsbooks. A large proportion of these is licensed and regulated by competent authorities. Others may or may not be legitimate, but it’s harder to tell. So what should you look for?

Legitimate casinos that operate under a licence will display it at the bottom of the page. Here they will show which authority has authorised them to operate. They normally show this information in both text and an authority’s logo. To get further information, you should be able to click on this information and be redirected to the casino’s specific licensing details.

Still unsure which licences are trustworthy? Here are some of the best online gambling jurisdictions for Asian markets:

  • Malta Gaming Authority
  • Government of Curacao
  • UK Gambling Commission
  • PAGCOR or Cagayan (Philippines)
  • Alderney Gambling Control Commission
  • Gibraltar Regulatory Authority

In addition to supporting responsible gambling, online casinos licensed by these jurisdictions are much more likely to provide a safe and honest environment for players.

Online Casino’s Responsible Gaming

In line with their operating licences, online casinos are normally required to provide a page entirely dedicated to responsible gaming. It is a good idea for you to visit this page and see what measures are in place to support this practice.

The top online casinos in Asia go one step further and provide a comprehensive guide to playing responsibly.

One of the tools that are commonly found in such pages is a self-assessment questionnaire. This tool comprises a list of questions designed to highlight any signs of problem gambling.

In many cases, any remedies that are required can be carried out by the player. This is often a better awareness of the need to play responsibly and set voluntary limits.

However, such a questionnaire might point towards a more concerning situation. In such cases, it is a good idea to get additional help.

Where To Get Help with Online Gambling in Asia

Where To Get Help with Online Gambling in Asia

One of the most important steps to get help is to admit that you need it. With online gambling being restricted in many countries across Asia, getting local help might be difficult. Fortunately, there are a number of international charities and professional organisations ready to help.

In most cases, the support and guidance provided by these and other charities are free of charge.

The customer support team working at licensed online casinos are normally provided with training on responsible gambling. Although they are not usually trained as well as the staff of the charities, they might be able to help you set limits or contact the most appropriate organisation.

Alternatives to Gambling

Here Are Some Alternatives to Gambling

It is ok to take an extended break from online gambling whenever you need it. There are plenty of other activities you can do to have fun.

If you’re after the adrenaline rush that comes with triggering a round of free spins, you might want to consider practising certain sports, such as mountain biking, surfing, or boxing.

Similarly, players who gamble online in the hope of getting rich should consider taking part-time courses to improve their career prospects. On the other hand, if they have financial trouble, they should get in touch with online charities that are designed to support such difficulties.

If you play online to socialise, consider volunteering with a charity or animal shelter. You’ll get to meet new people and have fun away from your computer or smartphone.

Your Next Steps

Your Next Steps

Now that you have read this guide and hopefully understood the main dangers and remedies of responsible gambling, you are better prepared to play online.

If and when you do, always remember that help is available when you need it.