How to help gamblers realize and admit they have a problem?
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The number of gamblers is increasing constantly, and for good reason. In addition to the many new online casinos, even old-school operators decide to improve their services and add new options and features. This attracts more people, many of whom have no experience with iGaming.
Many gamblers play for fun, but the bad news is that some can develop problems. We won’t go too deep into the medical terminology, but the reality is that there are different kinds of problems with gambling. Sadly, most people who are struggling with them fail to realize that they’re in such a position, or they just don’t want to admit it.
We believe it’s important to help these kinds of people because they can end up with many problems. Doing that is not that easy, but we are about to show you a few useful tips that will allow you to be more successful.
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You need to have “the talk”
No matter what kind of “addiction” someone is struggling it, one of the hardest parts in the path to recovery is admitting that there is a problem. This is not easy, and it can often take a lot of time, but the only way to do it is by talking to a specific person.
You will need to find the right time and be extremely careful about approaching the conversation. According to multiple experts, you have to focus on the positives and point out the fixes that a specific person can make in his life. Blaming someone is never a good idea, and it’s not the correct approach.
After helping people realize that something is not okay, you can also explain your feelings and how it all affects you. While doing it, pay attention to what the person has to say and react accordingly.
In an ideal situation, the person will realize that something is not right and will want your help. This is where you can talk to professionals.
Find a professional
It goes without saying, but confronting someone about a given problem is not easy, and many people do not wish to do that. Instead, we decide to trust professionals, especially in areas such as online gambling.
Today, there are loads of institutions (both online and offline) that offer specialized help to users who have issues with gambling. Aside from the big international help centers, almost all countries have their own responsible authority. There are different opinions about those places, but most people tend to agree that they can help.
The financial side of things
When trying to help gamblers realize that they have problems with gambling, some people decide to help them with money. Even though this sounds like a good idea, from our experience, it is not the way to go.
Helping someone with money can do more harm than good. Assuming the person you want to help with is addicted, the first thing he will do is use the money to gamble. In other words, you are actually fueling his gambling addiction.
Many gamblers who may have issues with iGaming will not remember the specialized information they’ve learned before and use a lot more money than they can afford. So, once you give them your financial support, they know that they can rely on you and will use even more money.
Instead of giving them money, you should try to cut down their finances. Gambling is expensive, especially if you are doing it every day and you don’t win a lot. Even though this is not always the case, a lot of people decide to stop gambling when they run out of money.
Try introducing him to different things
One way that you can help someone who has problems with gambling is by introducing him to different things. This does not work all the time, but there are many instances where people have stopped gambling because they’ve found something else to do.
We’ve read stories of people who had gambling issues and resolved them by getting involved in the stock market. Trading stocks is also not the safest financial activity you can do, but once you become good at it, it is possible to secure profits. Also, the “thrill” of having the ability to win something is still there.
Use the responsible gambling features
Alongside everything mentioned so far, another way to help people with gambling issues is to show them the different features of responsible gambling. For example, you could start with the self-assessment test, which will give the person a good idea of where they are.
Once they know this, the next step is to examine the different features offered by the online casino. The deposit limit, for example, can be a pretty good tool for those who don’t want to overspend. However, some users may need to rely on other features.
A couple of other things deserve more attention, such as self-exclusion, a tool you can find in many parts of the world. As its name suggests, allows users to exclude themselves from using a specific website for a certain period of time. Usually, this is considered to the most impactful option because it allows people to stop using a given operator.
Final Thoughts
Many people from all over the world struggle with different problems related to gambling. Even though it’s not easy, we have to try to help them because their state does not allow them to enjoy the benefits of iGaming. Instead of having fun, they think about different things that ruin their experience.
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