Responsible gambling

Responsible gambling can be considered from several points of view. On the part of casino operators, it is the responsible provision of gambling, which primarily includes the interaction of operators with regulatory authorities. On the other hand, it is the conscious and responsible behavior of the casino users themselves.

In this article, we will consider responsible gambling only from the operator’s side, in particular, we’ll talk about online casino operators. Currently, online casino licensing authorities are rightly requiring operators to comply with Responsible Gambling policies. This is primarily due to the established legal regulation of this issue in several countries of the world (Denmark, Great Britain, Australia), as well as to the worldwide trend towards transparency and compliance with the principles of responsible gambling.

Responsible gambling principles for the operator include:

• informing players about the nature of gambling as entertainment associated with certain risks, and not as a way to generate income;
• encouraging players to bet within reasonable limits;
• providing sufficient information about the games so that players can assess the risk of participation in them.

In addition to the general and rather vague principles, which are usually described in the Responsible Gambling section of the operator’s website, one of the most effective ways is to establish mechanisms for restricting participation and ensuring player self-exclusion from the online casino platform.

Restricting account recovery is one way in which a customer can combat gambling addiction. Unfortunately, this tool can only work effectively if the prohibition is extended to the maximum possible number of platforms with similar games. However, regulators require the inclusion of self-exclusion opportunities for players on the sites of licensed operators.

As a rule, online casino operators are required to include several levels of “disconnecting” a player from the game in time: a short break (period of “cooling”), temporary self-exclusion (at least 1 month) and irrevocable self-exclusion.

During the period selected by the user, the Platform Operator must comply with the “disconnect” mode of the player and refuse to restore the current account or create a new one.

It is also possible to limit the amount of money that a player can spend in a casino or the time that a player spends on an online platform site.

Each online casino operator on the site should have a “Responsible Gambling” section covering self-exclusion issues, offering options for temporarily and permanently logging out of an account, restricting funds, blocking a card, and providing information about resources for helping people with gaming addiction.

In addition, there are also independent platforms and services with which the player can make self-exclusion from several online casino sites in one region, for example, in the UK (private operator), or in Denmark (https://www.spillemyndigheden.dk/en/rofus#rofus - the state register of self-excluded persons, also includes a ban on visiting land-based casinos).

However, the existence of such platforms does not exempt site operators from complying with the requirements of Responsible Gambling and is not a reason for the lack of mechanisms to ensure Responsible Gaming on the Operator’s site.

Deviation from the established standard and violation of the requirements of responsible gambling entails the application of administrative responsibility up to the revocation of a license in any jurisdiction, be it Curacao, Malta, Great Britain or others.

The main requirements for the online casino operator, regardless of the jurisdiction of registration are:

1. Creation of the “Responsible Gambling” section on the website with the description of the Responsible Gambling policy.
2. Implementation of the Responsible Gambling policy and implementation of its requirements, in particular:

• Creation of mechanisms for monitoring the stay of users (a timer indicating the time that the user spent on the platform);
• Creation of restriction mechanisms for users (limiting the size of deposit for bets, limiting the time spent on the platform);
• Creation of self-exclusion mechanisms for users (for 1 month, for 1 year, forever).

Thus, compliance with the rules of responsible gambling cannot be avoided, no matter where your company is registered. It is also worth remembering that the largest share of responsibility for the implementation of this policy lies with the operators of sites for online gambling.

To obtain more detailed information on compliance with the requirements of Responsible Gambling and the correct preparation of the necessary documents, as well as the implementation of related mechanisms, you can contact the specialists of our company