Is player protection better than a total gambling ban?

[Russlenat]

This type of regulation will probably result in the improvement of the gambling industry, and I wish more countries would follow this instead of thinking about banning gambling, because gambling addiction has become rampant and already out of control.

These are the exact words that I believe could be part of the solution:

https://sigma.world/news/jresponsible-gambling-betting-customer-experience/

“In this context, tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, temporary breaks and self-exclusion mechanisms have become part of the customer journey. When signs of vulnerability are identified, customer support can direct users to organisations specialising in psychological support and treatment for gambling addiction.

The director explained that the objective is to build a relationship based on trust and support, free of judgement, while providing resources to help players maintain control over their gambling activity. This approach follows a trend observed in more mature regulated markets, such as the United Kingdom and other European countries, where consumer protection policies are already part of the business strategy of major operators.”

Aside from the country mentioned in this article, what other countries do you know that are following this kind of approach?

[stompix]

You can't cure addiction with limits!
All those players who will hit their limits will just move to a new platform that doesn't enforce those limits.

So what will you have to do to stop them from doing it? Oh, BAN that platform!
And now that we have the first two steps of the problem, can you see where this will lead?
Regulated platforms going bankrupt because people don't play as much on them with limits and an influx of platforms that don't respect anything, so, congratulations, you now have a far bigger problem than you had before when you still had regulated casinos in your jurisdiction!

[Orpichukwu]

I don’t know any country in particular, but I thought player protection is supposed to be something the casino should adhere to and that should be something compulsory and not one country mandating it and other countries' players being treated less.

And I will always support strict rules being put in place that will help gamblers from getting addicted rather than banning it and preventing those who are supposed to be gambling freely from accessing it.

[Cantsay]

And I will always support strict rules being put in place that will help gamblers from getting addicted rather than banning it and preventing those who are supposed to be gambling freely from accessing it.

Strict sounds more reasonable, but the reality is that gambling platforms are not going to respect it. They would also look for ways to make the gambler deposit more so that they can have better profits.

Even as simple as self-exclusion, there are still some platforms that don't do it properly, not to mention all of these rules that have to do with them limiting the gambler in a way that would make them not deposit and lose large amounts to them.

[Agbamoni]

Addiction is a general problem. I know that only a few percent of gamblers are not addicted. Instead of player protection, I would prefer a temporary ban for all gamblers until addiction is reduced. And if there is no positive change, a permanent ban should be given. For player protection to be effective, each regulated casino or sportsbook will give a report of addicted gamblers to the technical team, which will take a while.

[Odusko]

Players limit and exclusion from the platform is already what is operational in many casino already and the law covers thoe st of rules for consumer protection and the license of those casinos most especially the one's that got license within he country their operates all have those demands well spelt out for them, is not only in the United Kingdom as mentioned but also even in my country we have some thoe laws guiding casinos to protect gamblers against addiction.

[knuckey]

In my country, the prohibition on gambling is still being implemented, the results are very ineffective. Personally, I really support player protection and collecting taxes from casinos. Everyone will feel profitable and not burden any party, so users can play comfortably and fairly, and the country benefits, while casinos get a good reputation that is protected by the government.

[Versatile_choice]

It's almost impossible to protect a gambling addict, unless you will have to ban gamble. Although this could work for some gamblers I mean protecting them than a total gambling ban and that's if their mind is made up to stop gambling. but as for those gamblers who are addicted and haven't realize that they are addicted, the only way to protect This set of gamblers from gambling is to give it a total gambling ban if not that, they will still come back to gamble even though they are aware of the danger.

[Cointxz]

I fully agree on player protection over total ban especially if gambling is not ban initially which means there’s already a lot of people already a gambler. It’s hard to stop a gambling urge if there’s a lot of alternative casino accessible via internet and VPN to bypass IPS restrictions.

I’m using a casino limits setup which helps me to slow down gambling without the need to fully stop just to listen my gambling urge. It’s much better that way because I still have freedom and at the same time save money from my casino expenses.

[Sanitough]

Well honestly, it is easy to make a law like that, but the difference is on the implementation side. For instance, if a country is corrupt, they might not implement it strictly because those who are running casinos and getting licenses are probably connected to their business partners.

If a government really cares for the people, they should compel casinos to strictly monitor gamblers and find patterns that may lead to gambling addiction, then act on it timely.

Because if they ban gambling completely, that would also kill livelihoods, especially for those working in casinos, and the government would no longer receive taxes from that. That is cutting revenue, which can also be bad for a country.

[EFS]

A ban doesn't solve anything. At most, it makes things harder. Anyone who wants to gamble will find a way. There are countless platforms out there. There's always a way around restrictions. People who still think bans can solve problems are completely out of touch with reality. In my country gambling is illegal except through one official platform, yet millions of people still gamble through various other ways. They haven't been able to solve anything with bans, they never will.

[Findingnemo]

Let me tell you the real truth, countries don't ban the gambling or any other thing when it becomes a danger to their people, they will try banning it when they are not making enough revenue and the system is too complicated to handle for them so they simply choose ban over the regulation. And I am sure protecting the players is better than ban but it is not for the addicted ones but there are more responsible players who will not be affected with this move.

[Woodie]

This type of regulation will probably result in the improvement of the gambling industry, and I wish more countries would follow this instead of thinking about banning gambling, because gambling addiction has become rampant and already out of control.

Honestly sometimes I think these Bans are cosmetic, we all know that if it's at county level many prefer to tax gamblers and the betting companies to raise revenue and hope gamblers stop/minimise their gambling habits because of the taxes, otherwise so many options available to players to avoid bans or paying taxes so whatever the regulators choose to do.. gamblers will always be 2steps ahead as they know where they can play with full freedom.

[Lida93]

I don’t know any country in particular, but I thought player protection is supposed to be something the casino should adhere to and that should be something compulsory and not one country mandating it and other countries' players being treated less.

And I will always support strict rules being put in place that will help gamblers from getting addicted rather than banning it and preventing those who are supposed to be gambling freely from accessing it.

I was actually wondering how this could be rightfully handled for customers playing from overseas and how can they really know that anyone from outside their jurisdictions has gotten beyond his gambling limits. It might be a good initiative to protect gambling addicts but can we really control a full grown adult without them checking for an alternative to corner all efforts.

[lombok]

Honestly sometimes I think these Bans are cosmetic, we all know that if it's at county level many prefer to tax gamblers and the betting companies to raise revenue and hope gamblers stop/minimise their gambling habits because of the taxes, otherwise so many options available to players to avoid bans or paying taxes so whatever the regulators choose to do.. gamblers will always be 2steps ahead as they know where they can play with full freedom.

Taxes are convenient method used by governments on increasing funds instead of completely prohibiting gambling. Irrespective of the existing regulations, the users will find a way to use the restricted sites. This discrepancy between the law and the facts is real, and therefore prompting gambling reason is never going to be eliminated until loopholes to engage in this indulgence are eliminated.

[Natalim]

I am not so familiar with other countries that are also adapting this kind of approach. But one thing is for sure, if one country apply this approach and it succeed, other countries will definitely follow the lead.

Setting limits for a gambler does not actually make gambling addiction totally eradicate, but it can minimize the rate of people falling into the trap of gambling addiction. Most especially if there are certain organizations in the government that would monitor this gambling approach, I bet we will see positive effects in less time. Gamblers can be blinded by the different gambling ads, bonuses and promotions, so its important to have this player protection so they won't end up  seeing theirselves deeply addicted into gambling.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

This type of regulation will probably result in the improvement of the gambling industry, and I wish more countries would follow this instead of thinking about banning gambling, because gambling addiction has become rampant and already out of control.

These are the exact words that I believe could be part of the solution:

https://sigma.world/news/jresponsible-gambling-betting-customer-experience/

“In this context, tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, temporary breaks and self-exclusion mechanisms have become part of the customer journey. When signs of vulnerability are identified, customer support can direct users to organisations specialising in psychological support and treatment for gambling addiction.

The director explained that the objective is to build a relationship based on trust and support, free of judgement, while providing resources to help players maintain control over their gambling activity. This approach follows a trend observed in more mature regulated markets, such as the United Kingdom and other European countries, where consumer protection policies are already part of the business strategy of major operators.”

Aside from the country mentioned in this article, what other countries do you know that are following this kind of approach?

Well, the approach is good, and I honestly don't know about countries that follow the approach, infact, I wouldnt even have known something like this existed if not for this thread but thats by the way..

I am always happy when I any government around the world doing all it can to help the citizens of the country live a better and more peaceful life, but I honestly do not see any thing so special about this approach of gamblers protection, because if anything, this could actually lead more and more people to gambling addiction, where the government have allowed everyone to gamble as much as they want to and are even setting up facilities that could help care for the gamblers if they get addicted is not really nice from my own perspective.

I am not saying that government should ban gambling but they need to become proactive in speaking against gambling until one becomes addicted, because whether we like it or not, when one becomes addicted to gambling and needs help, both the casino and the government can't refund the victim all that he or she has lost.

[salad daging]

Indeed, a total ban won't solve the problem, the level of gambling addiction is already high, and this is difficult for any agency to address, Even with a government ban, many people still gamble.

The context mentioned in the article doesn't guarantee self-exclusion for them, Are there any casinos that limit deposits? Or are gamblers experiencing significant losses and the casinos telling you about it? No, right?

The problem of gambling is too complex and difficult to solve, The addiction can worsen, but solutions are few and far between, and the industry continues to thrive.

[freedomgo]

Honestly sometimes I think these Bans are cosmetic, we all know that if it's at county level many prefer to tax gamblers and the betting companies to raise revenue and hope gamblers stop/minimise their gambling habits because of the taxes, otherwise so many options available to players to avoid bans or paying taxes so whatever the regulators choose to do.. gamblers will always be 2steps ahead as they know where they can play with full freedom.

For now, countries that think of banning gambling are just throwing money away because once gamblers have already started, they will not easily stop. With many offshore casinos allowing players even without KYC, it is not hard for them to continue gambling.

Some will say that player protection is gone once they access illegal casinos, but many gamblers do not care much about that. They believe that a reputable casino will not do something stupid and risk its name. So for me, government banning is not really the best solution. It only looks like they are admitting that they are not competent enough to regulate the gambling industry effectively.

[AmoreJaz]

I don’t know any country in particular, but I thought player protection is supposed to be something the casino should adhere to and that should be something compulsory and not one country mandating it and other countries' players being treated less.

And I will always support strict rules being put in place that will help gamblers from getting addicted rather than banning it and preventing those who are supposed to be gambling freely from accessing it.

I was actually wondering how this could be rightfully handled for customers playing from overseas and how can they really know that anyone from outside their jurisdictions has gotten beyond his gambling limits. It might be a good initiative to protect gambling addicts but can we really control a full grown adult without them checking for an alternative to corner all efforts.

This is quite hard to implement but at least, they have some protocol to follow. And it will give their people the idea that their government is doing something for these players. And with such, the people will also be cautious on what they do when they gamble.