Gambling comes in many forms. And each variety tends to appeal to certain people. For some, betting on sports events such as a horse race, for example, involves knowledge of the niche. And for this reason, they see it as less of a gamble and more of an educated guess.
For others, they simply want to wager some cash on a game of chance and roll the dice or spin the wheel. It involves very little understanding of the concept. And this just adds to the excitement and random enjoyment of the situation.
Some gambling enthusiasts will attempt to make a living out of their favourite hobby. While others are happy to get involved every so often.
In the past, it was only possible for sports betting fans to go trackside to place their bets. And for lovers of the games of chance, they would have to put on a smart jacket and head down to the nearest casino. But that all began to change around the mid-90s.
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Rise of Internet gambling
Online casinos started to appear slowly at first. The concept was developed as an online club where customers could enjoy a primitive form of slots. But it didn’t take long for many companies to spot the potential.
Thousands of online casinos began to open all over the world. And the same happened with sports betting and bingo sites as well.
Problem gambling solutions
With any form of gambling, there is always a risk. There is a chance that you will lose your money when placing a bet or playing cards, for example.
But for most people, they can assess the risk and accept that if they lose, then they enjoyed the game anyway. And the loss of money was already accepted from the beginning of the event. If they win then that is fantastic. But losing that amount of cash was never going to cause them a big problem.
However, the same cannot be said for everybody. Some betting fans may play games of chance or place sports bets for the wrong reason in the first place.
They may be doing it purely for the cash. And they think that a casino game may be the easiest way to get it. And there are others who start with good intentions but losing their money becomes too difficult to accept. So each time they gamble they are trying to recover the loss from the previous game. And this sets a dangerous precedent.
Help and advice
At this point, it is time for them to seek help. And luckily, in the UK, there are several places where you can go for help and advice. Charities and other groups are available all over the UK. And here they can begin the process of recovering from a gambling problem.
Time out
One option is to take a short break from a gambling account. This may be for a few days or a couple of weeks. Most casino sites will offer this type of facility.
Self-exclusion
For a slightly longer break, self-exclusion is the next step. You can request that your account be blocked for a few months or even a few years. This is helpful for players who feel that they require more time to get their gambling habit under control.
Gamstop self-exclusion
To create yourself a UK-wide ban from gambling, there is a solution. Gamstop brings together all of the gambling operators in the UK. You will not be able to create an account with any of them during your exclusion period.
Gamstop self-exclusion only includes UK based casinos, so players can still access casino games at non-UK gambling sites.
And after a quick search, you’ll notice that there are thousands of casinos not on Gamstop.
Non Gamstop casinos
Casinos not on Gamstop are hosted overseas. They are perfectly legal and most of them hold valid licences in other gambling zones.
A casino not on Gamstop may accept registrations from UK players. And this can be a problem if the player in question is seeking them out for the wrong reason.
But there are other reasons why somebody may choose to access offshore casinos. Often the welcome bonuses are much larger than those in the UK. And there is also a game selection that is not accessible in the UK.
Should players use casinos not on Gamstop?
It is up to you if you choose to play at a non Gamstop casino. If you are doing so to simply avoid a valid self-exclusion, then no. You should stick to your program of recovery and not play at any casino site.
But if you are looking for a bigger game selection or a large welcome deal, then there seems to be little problem with playing at gambling sites not on Gamstop as long as they have a valid licence.
