One of the biggest challenges for online poker and gambling participants is knowing how to balance both entertainment and risk. The joy and excitement of playing these games needs to be seriously considered with the potential of financial loss. As the number of serious addictive gambling problems rises, poker sites in the USA are being urged to do more and more to help combat this.
Which sites and platforms are adhering to Responsible Gaming?
Responsible Gaming is most prevalent on betting platforms that operate and are licensed by authorities in the United Kingdom. Since 2019 the government has stepped up its efforts to ensure that any site with gambling aspects must provide tools to help its customers from excessive or harmful gambling. States in the European Union must also operate with specific requirements. Other governments from countries like the United States and Australia are currently drafting their own versions of laws and initiatives to help combat problem gambling.
Deposit Limits
When playing on your Android or another device, most poker sites will use a deposit limit function. This ensures that users can only deposit a specific amount of money into their account within a specific duration. The thinking is that people cannot lose money if it is not available to gamble away. The limits are set in place and can’t be changed within 30 days of prior changes, meaning that players can’t simply add funds after a bad beat if they’re out of cash.
Reality Check Alerts
When a user has been signed into a gambling site or app for an extended period of time, usually for an hour or so, they will be greeted with a pop-up. This serves as a reminder that they are gambling. Some users might not appreciate that they’ve been gambling for a long time and will welcome the reality check and log out promptly.
Android App Settings
Android devices are very useful in allowing users to fine-tune their digital lifestyle. Android users can navigate to the settings section of the device, specifically to the App page, and determine specific time limits for each and every app. In theory, users can set their responsible gambling measures by setting time allowances on poker sites.
Self-Exclusion or Permanent Account Closure
Some problem gamblers need severe action to help them go forward. This means having less or no access to poker sites. A lot of the top sites will allow players to ‘self-exclude’ themselves so that their account with the company will be closed and can never be re-activated. It’s a severe process but can help those who need to take drastic action.
Identification Verification
Gambling sites want to ensure that only adults are able to access their services, therefore upon sign-up, the majority of poker and online casino apps will require any prospective user to upload a photograph of a government-issued identification document. This can be a passport, driver’s license, or other ID. This ensures that they are protecting minors from using the sites.
Stopping credit card usage
In April 2020, the UK government made the landmark decision to forbid all online gambling sites licensed in the country from accepting payments via credit card. This was a huge step in protecting customers from financial harm. The problem was that by allowing credit card usage, they were gambling with money they didn’t even possess – making it very dangerous. If you’re not in the UK, it might still be a good practice to avoid using your credit card on such sites as it could lead to serious repercussions with repayments.
Recognizing a gambling problem
While the features of poker apps on an Android device can help people reduce their gambling habits and problems, there are still human elements that can help spot problem behavior. Whether it’s yourself or someone else, if a person is continually on the poker or gambling platform, it’s worth asking them if they understand how much they are using it. If it’s yourself, maybe try to put some distance between you and your device.
Remember what poker should be about…fun
Online poker should be a fun activity. It should be seen as a harmless pastime in which you can enjoy the experience of playing the card game without dire financial peril. No amateur player should look at online poker or gambling as an income stream. For newcomers, we find that these poker sites work well for usa players but it’s important to ensure it’s only about fun and not going to cause any long-lasting problems.
