While the UK has a particularly good record when it comes to addressing problem gambling, in the last 6 months in particular, the topic has been in the minds of many in the industry. With tightening regulation focusing on the way casino promote themselves the onus has been – rightly – on the operators to address the problem.
It is also the case, however, that there are things that all players can do to ensure they don’t fall into unhealthy gambling behaviours, and one of the main ways to do this is to interrogate how long they’re spending at online and mobile casinos. The real question here being: how long is too long?
Time Rather Than Cost
When people talk about problem gambling, it’s often assumed that it’s ok unless people are spending more than they can afford to lose. The typical stereotype of a gambling addict is someone who squanders their life savings, and begs, borrows or steals to feed their habit. The truth is, however, problem gambling can actually prove to be more insidious than even this.
While players might gamble relatively small amounts of money relative to what they can afford to lose, and might even play on high RTP games which allow them to make more out of a game and play for longer, there may still be an underlying issue of them spending too much time gambling, even if they’re not really spending too much money
Why Spending Too Long Gambling can be an Issue
When it comes to spending lots of money gambling, the issue is obvious – you need money for other things in life, and wasting it gambling when you can’t afford to (always set a gambling budget guys!) can cause you real hardship. However, what’s the problem if you want to spend more of your time gambling?
There’s two main issues here. Gambling too much can make the behaviour compulsive, can stop you enjoying the pastime, and can desensitise you to the idea that you’re taking a risk when you play. Moreover, when you’re spending more and more of your time gambling, you run the risk of failing to live up to the other responsibilities you have in life; you might miss work or family engagements, putting your career and personal relationships on the line.
How Long is Too Long?
There’s no single figure to tell you how much time is too much time to spend gambling, as the issue is subjective, and what’s too long for one person might be just right for another. The best way to get an idea of whether you’re spending too much of your time gambling is to work out whether you’re taking time out of other parts of your life in order to gamble. If, for instance, you’re simply gambling in your leisure time to relax and have fun, this is ok, but if you’re changing plans, cancelling on friend an family, or missing work to gamble, it’s a sure fire sign you might want to consider gambling a little less.
