Football 
Tennis 
Horse Racing Best Safer Gambling Apps, Tools And Resources
While betting on sport and racing is a fun pastime for most, for others gambling can lead to great harm, including great personal turmoil and even financial ruin.
Many argue that more can be done to protect those most vulnerable to a gambling disorder. While the discussion evolves and measures to limit harm are implemented, bookmakers are currently required by law to promote safer gambling and provide customers with a range of tools and resources to help them manage their gambling.
Safer gambling regulations are designed and implemented to provide customers with the tools to help them manage their spend when it comes to gambling and to ensure they have access to services that can help them if they feel their gambling is beginning to impact their lives negatively.
Some argue that bookmakers design their products to promote reckless gambling. Yes, bookmakers are like any other business and as such operate to earn a profit and yes, bookmakers do indeed promote their products with the aim of encouraging gambling. But the aggressive business model as suggested by the cynics is not feasible long term. Bookmakers want customers to continue to frequent their product over the long term and as such see safer gambling not only as a social responsibility but also as fundamental to their long term business model.
How do bookmakers encourage safer gambling?
Bookmakers offer many features to help customers manage their gambling. Some of these features are mandated by law while others are optional. In the UK bookmakers must abide by regulations stipulated in the 2014 Gambling Act. These regulations are enforced by the UK Gambling commission. All bookmakers must have a license obtained through the gambling commission. Without a license it is illegal to make financial transactions through and to advertise betting products in the UK.
While all bookmakers are required by law to provide a number of safer gambling features, a number of bookmakers including the likes of Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power have developed their own voluntary code. These bookmakers have made a commitment to encourage safer gambling beyond that which is required by law.
Similarly a number of the industry’s biggest betting affiliates, Better Collective, Oddschecker and Racing Post have joined together to form RAIG, Responsible Affiliates In Gambling. RAIG looks to encourage safer gambling initiatives in the gambling affiliate and marketing industry with each member of the association subject to an independent audit of their practices each year..
Tools Offered To Help Customers Bet Safer
There are a number of ways bookmakers are required to protect their customers. These include:
- Self exclusion
- Deposit limits
- Time limits
Self-Exclusion
Self-exclusion is a mandatory feature across the industry.
What is self-exclusion? Self-exclusion provides customers the ability to exclude themselves from betting with a given bookmaker. Users can exclude themselves across a given period or permanently. Bookmakers must provide users the ability to exclude themselves from their platform from anywhere between 24 hours to five years. Once a customer has set their exclusion period, they will not be able to bet again with that bookmaker during that set period. The bookmaker may not lift the exclusion period even if the customer requests it.
While self-exclusion is useful for customers who wish to take a definitive break from their betting, there is also the option of shorter exclusion periods. With this feature, customers can take a break of, for example, ten minutes. Taking a shorter break from wagering can help customers who are caught up in the heat of the moment to detach, gather themselves and reflect upon their wagering. It’s the betting equivalent of ‘taking a walk around the block’.
Some bookmakers also provide a feature that allows customers to exclude themselves from certain gambling products. For example, I may realise that while I primarily enjoy betting on football, I have begun to lose money betting on casino products offered by my bookmaker. I can then exclude myself from the casino platform so as to limit my overall losses.
Deposit Limits
Like self exclusion, the ability to set deposit limits is a mandatory feature across the industry.
What are deposit limits? Deposit limits allow customers to set a limit to the amount they can deposit into their betting account over a given period of time. Once you have reached the limit, you will not be able to deposit any further funds into your account. So for example, I may set a deposit limit of £25 a week. Once I have met that limit I will not be able to deposit any further funds until the period of the week has ended.
Some bookmakers also provide access to setting loss limits. This works in the same way as deposit limits, except that rather than limiting your deposits it limits your betting losses. So for example, if I limit my losses to £50 a month, once I have lost £50 during the period of the month, I will not be able to wager again until the period of the month has ended.
Using both deposit and loss limits in tandem can often be the best way to manage your betting spend.
It should also be noted that although as of April 2020, the UK Gambling Commission has banned gambling with credit cards, it is also possible to have your debit card blocked from making payments to betting sites. This essentially means that if a deposit is attempted on a blocked debit card, the transaction will fail.
Timers
Timers allow customers to set a given amount of time they will be able to wager with. Customers can set session periods or overall time during a given day.
For example, I may want to limit my betting to 30 minutes a day. If I set this limit I will only be able to bet with the bookmaker for a total of 30 minutes each day. I may also wish to limit the amount of time I spend during a given session. So for example, while I may set my total daily limit to one hour, I can also limit my session times to say for example, 15 minutes.
Take a self assessment test
Safer gambling means playing responsibly. While bookmakers offer features that help users keep their betting within their means and safer gambling organisations continue to push for the implementation of further measures and policy aimed at limiting harm, responsibility ultimately comes down to the user to make use of these features and to play responsibly.
The first step to taking control of any aspect of our lives is to be honest with ourselves and develop a self awareness that will lead us to making better decisions. Self assessment is something all bettors should do, regardless of whether or not they feel they have a gambling disorder. Being aware of how and why you gamble can help lower the chances of your gambling getting out of hand.
GamCare offers an online self assessment test. We thoroughly recommend everyone reading this to take the test and get an assessment of their gambling habits. While for most of us our gambling is under control, the reality is that there will be some of you reading that are showing signs of developing a gambling disorder. The GamCare test consists of 16 questions and takes about 5 minutes to complete and will help you understand how your gambling may be having a negative impact on your life.
You will also find an online self assessment test at BeGambleAware.
Gamalyze from Mindway AI
Gamalyze is a self test tool developed by Mindway AI to help users understand how they gamble, in particular, how risk averse or risk prone they are in their gambling.
How does it work?
Gamalyze is presented as a card game where the user turns 80 cards over with the goal of maximising their profit. As the game is played, the user’s decision making is analysed, particularly how the user reacts to wins and losses of varying size.
Through this analysis, the user’s risk profile is assessed. You can learn more about Gamalyze and how it can help you here.
Blocking apps
This issue with each of the tools and features discussed above is obvious. While you may restrict your betting with one bookmaker, there is nothing to stop you setting up an account and wagering with another bookmaker.
Fortunately there are an increasing number of tools available that allow users to block themselves from betting sites across the web.
Gamban is software that is installed onto your phone or computer and blocks access to thousands of betting sites and apps as well as providing additional Gamban resources.
There are a number of other filters available. These include:
Register with GamStop
GamStop is not an app but rather a service you can register with that will exclude you from signing up or wagering with all gambling companies licensed in the UK. To register with GamStop you simply provide them with all the usual personal information you would use to sign up with a bookmaker. You can then choose to be excluded for a period either six months, one year or five years.
Online Safer Gambling Resources
There are a number of online resources available for those of you who think you may have a gambling disorder or know someone you believe may be suffering from a gambling disorder.
GamCare is a great resource for both people with a gambling disorder and those impacted by them.
GamCare provides live chat 24 hours a day, group discussion chat rooms where you can talk with others in similar situations as yourself and lastly, the GamCare Forum.
GamCare also offers their Recovery Toolkit. The Gamcare Recovery Toolkit provides a number of great guides and tools including the GameChange course to help you understand why you gamble and how it is impacting your life and those around you negatively.
BeGambleAware also provides free phone and online assistance for those struggling with a gambling disorder. If you prefer you can access assistance via their live chat. You will also find a number of additional resources including their self assessment test as well as guides for both people with gambling disorders as well as those impacted by gambling disorders.
National Gambling Helpline
If you are in the UK you can also free call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
Safer Gambling Week at bettingexpert
