In recent years it is evident that online gambling has exploded in popularity across the world. This includes both gambling on sporting events like football and cricket and playing casino games like slots and table games and not to mention esports games. You can basically bet on anything you want right now.

With the growth in popularity of online gambling it has raised questions around the safety of gambling online. With being able to play at any time and without anyone knowing, people can end up spending hours gambling online. In some cases people end up gambling too much and developing gambling problems.

Gambling operators who are licenced and regulated have reacted to this concern, with pressure from the regulators and put a number of safety and responsible gambling features in place. These include things like;

• Loss Limits – You cannot lose more than what you set as your loss limit
• Deposit limit – You cannot deposit more than what you set your deposit limit for a set period of time
• Session Reminder – You can set a timeframe where you are reminded how long you are been playing
• Time-Out – If you think you are playing too much you can opt to close your account for a set period of time.
• Self Exclude – If you don’t want to gamble anymore you can self exclude and close your account permanently. This cannot be reversed.

It is worth noting that some regulators are a lot stricter than others and it is important that when you do decide to gamble online that you play with a reputable brand.

Outside of making use of the responsible gambling features that are available online it is important that customers also monitor their behavior themselves. Some signs of problem gambling are listed below but this is not an exhaustive list.

• Gambling for extended periods of time
• Hiding your gambling from family or friends
• Getting upset when your bets lose
• Gambling instead of paying bills
• Opting to gamble instead of meeting friends or family
• Feeling anxious or nervous after gambling.

It is important that if you enjoy a sport like cricket and online cricket betting that you do not take away the enjoyment of watching a sport by gambling too much. Remember gambling in moderation is best and once the fun stops you should stop.

It is worth pointing out that gambling operators that are committed to responsible gambling will request customers to submit proof that they can afford to play on site. Not all customers are asked to do this but normally when you hit certain thresholds a brand will ask you to confirm how you fund your account. If you for example state that you fund your account with your salary you may be asked to submit a bank statement or payslips to prove this. Although this may seem intrusive and you may not want to share sensitive information, the operator is just confirming that you can afford to play on site. If it appears you are gambling more than you earn they could opt to deposit limit your account or block you completely.

In recent times operators have received massive fines for not enforcing and managing responsible gambling practices properly along with anti money laundering responsibilities. In quarter 1 20202 various gambling operators were fined more than 25 million according to the latest data industry. In total 5 companies in quarter 1 received this gut wrenching penalties between January and March. The breaches were from various time frames but the regulators have no issue reviewing years of data to ensure operators who were in breach in the past are held accountable.

On a final note, while there are practices and features in place to help protect you as a customer you need to also look after yourself. The majority of online gambling operators are trying to offer and entertainment service and protect their customers but there are those who are just trying to take advantage of people. Before you join an online gambling operator make sure you review multiple review sites and get an understanding of what other people think about the brand.

Always remember to gamble responsibly and when the fun stops you should stop.