Disclaimer: gambling may cause addiction. If you or your loved ones spotted symptoms of gambling addiction, immediately ask for help at international – GamCare, BeGambleAware, Gamblers Anonymous, etc. – or local problem gambling organizations.
Accelerated by the unceasing pandemic, online gambling is on a crazy run: evaluated at approximately $75 billion, the global online gambling market is expected to double by 2025 and triple by the end of the decade. The rapid technological advancement paved the way to the diversity of options: from the simplest one-reel fruit pokies to sophisticated 3D slots, live casinos, and virtual reality, you can easily find the entertainment for your taste.
But the broad choice of options has a single yet highly intimidating downside: addiction. According to different sources, 1% to 2% of the population suffers from gambling addiction, and none of them could have anticipated it in the first place. Likewise, none of them knew the tricks of responsible gambling – that is, how you can gambling sensibly and avoid addiction.
In the lines below, Aleksandra Maj, a gambling expert from KasynoHEX, elaborates on the very mechanism of gambling addiction and the tools that can help you to keep your mind safe. Without further ado, let’s dig into it!
How Does a Gambling Addict Become an Addict?
To understand how you can withstand gambling addiction, you have to know how it works. Gambling addiction was underestimated for decades – either outright rejected or classified as an inability to resist the temptation – before it was found that the brain of gambling addicts is similar to that of a drug addict. Both addictions develop in the brain, rewiring it so that it requires more and more stimulus to release dopamine, the hormone of euphoria that controls the addict. In drug addiction, the release of dopamine is achieved by intaking cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, and other drugs; in gambling addiction, it is achieved through continuous gambling. The more the addict plays today, the more he needs to play tomorrow to satisfy his hunger.
Spotting gambling addiction isn’t that hard. Ever-increasing bets, spendthrift gambling, revenge gambling, sore losing – neither of these signs alone is enough to state that the person is an addict, but all of them combined almost always signify the problem.
How to Fight Gambling Addiction?
Since only 20% of gambling addicts can recognize their state, the very identification of addiction is an accomplishment itself. The earlier you were able to spot it, the better. In some cases, you can even overcome it with no side help. Here are a few things you can do:
- Shorten the length of your gambling session gradually. Do not try to break the habit instantly – although it would be perfect, an astonishing amount of willpower would be required, so relapses are likely – instead, cut off a few minutes from your gambling pastime day by day until there’s no more left.
- Look for anti-gambling addiction groups. Chances are you won’t want to go public – even telling the truth to your loved ones might seem a terrible idea – so anonymous anti-gambling addiction groups would be perfect to enjoy the camaraderie of fighting gambling addiction and making sure that you’re not alone.
- Identify the real problem behind your addiction. Oftentimes, gambling is just a substitute for real problems in your life. The unwillingness to deal with the reality converts millions of problem gamblers into strong addicts, but sometimes it is possible to eradicate the very root of evil instead of battling its consequences.
How to Enter the Gambling World so That You Could Avoid Gambling Addiction?
There’s no universal recipe to avoid gambling addiction, but there are various things that may work in combination:
- Deliberately choose your casino. Reputable sites like, for example, Vulkan Vegas Casino, Slottica, and Vulkan Vegas do everything required to make players aware of the threat of addiction, whereas shady platforms might use some dirty tricks to lure you into spending more money and time with them.
- Define your budget and do not exceed it. When it comes to conscious gambling, you don’t have to play by year – it would be much better if you had a predetermined budget and terminate your gambling session immediately after you’re out of funds.
- Take advantage of bonuses to get free money. Now, you might think all bonuses require a real-money deposit, but that’s not true: there is at least one reward that does not oblige you to deposit – a registration, or no-deposit bonus. To get it, though, you will have to provide some personal details upon registration – name, surname, address, etc. – so it’s up to your assessment whether to accept the risk.
With that, it’s time to wrap it up. Wish you happy and more importantly conscious gambling!