Dependence on sports betting

Sports betting is something that must always remain a pleasurable experience rather than seriously affecting your life. SportyTrader is committed to supporting authorities that help people fight against sports betting addiction. On this page, you will find information that can help you protect yourself against such a situation developing.

What is addiction?

Addiction is a state characterized by the inevitable need to achieve something, to increase the frequency or even prolong the effects. In the context of online betting, addiction can be characterized by the difficulty of limiting the number of bets that you place. You can find yourself gambling money that you cannot afford to lose. Continuing to gamble and try to win back amounts lost is another problem. When these situations arise, betting is no longer a pleasure, it becomes a necessity.

How to spot addiction?

To find out if you are addicted to sports betting, it is imperative that you take a good look at just how you gamble. Above all, you must determine whether you are a recreational gambler or an excessive gambler.

In the case of a recreational gambler, which makes up around 99% of those concerned, online betting remains a fun activity. It is a pleasure that allows you to live out your passion for sport intensely. You love betting on sport and are not using it as a way of providing you with income. In this particular case, the danger remains absent, and you know perfectly well how to limit your bets to a reasonable amount.

In the case of an excessive player, online betting becomes dangerous, and can lead to uncontrolled betting of large sums of money. You will find that gambling takes over your life and seriously affects your behaviour. This is called problem gambling.

According to the reference site https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/about-the-national-problem-gambling-helpline/, problem gambling is characterized by a negative practice that can lead to serious consequences, such as financial indebtedness, withdrawal or psychological problems. There are several signs that can help you determine whether or not you are addicted to sports betting:

You are spending money that you cannot afford to lose and needs to be spent on essential items.
Your state of mind is influenced by your results (gains or losses)
You regularly lie about your bets
You no longer take pleasure in gambling, but you still bet…
You try to solve your financial problems with sports betting

If you unfortunately detect these signs in your gambling practices, then you may be addicted to gambling. To help you get out of this addiction, there are many organizations that are available to help you.

What should you do if you think you are possibly addicted to gambling?

If your gambling reaches excessive levels, there are a few solutions available to you before contacting a specialized organization.

Setting limits

If the amounts you gamble are beginning to affect your spending on essential items, this is a problem. Money that should be spent on food, clothing or paying your rent end up being wagered on sporting events and that is not good. It is possible for you to set limits on the amount of money that you can place in your account. This could be a daily, weekly or monthly amount. This allows you to limit your betting expenditure levels.

Self-exclusion

Do you feel that your gambling practice has evolved in recent weeks from a simple pleasure to a need to win? If that is the case, then you do need to take some action to ensure the situation doesn’t get any worse. You are able to self-exclude yourself from a sports betting site that you have registered with.

This is a simple process and the site will offer assistance on what is needed. You can set how long you can self-exclude yourself and this can be for up to a period of three years. Once you have self-excluded yourself, it will not be possible to bet on the sportsbook. All sites are obliged to clearly offer you this option. Don’t just self-exclude yourself from one site and then go and join another.

Voluntary gambling ban

Do you think you have become addicted to sports betting? You can also take steps to ensure that you are banned from creating new accounts and also not be able to go to a casino. To proceed, simply follow the government instructions dictated on this page. Legally, this voluntary gambling ban is for a period of three years, and will be renewed without any protest on your part.

Organizations to contact

When you accept the fact that you have become addicted to gambling, there are specialized organisations that can offer you a great deal of help with this problem. Here are some of the most important ones.

In the USA

The National Council on Problem Gambling

https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/

Give them a call at 1-800-GAMBLER

Help is available 24/7 and is 100% confidential.