Online Gambling: Issues, Concerns And Management

The influence of technology in the field of gambling is increasing at an alarming rate. We can see the effect of technology on each and every kind of gambling activities like virtual poker, online lotteries, racing forms and sports betting. A person with an access of an internet and an electronic device can easily start betting within matter of seconds. The law is a long way behind the technology in most instances; this makes the regulation of this sector difficult. This topic talks about the issues, concern and challenges that the fusion of gambling and internet has manifested.

Issues and Concerns

The development in technology has created new opportunities for online gambling. It seems that all around the globe, gambling activities are gradually taking place in home and workplace rather than gambling environment. We can say that with the increase in accessibility of online gambling it will increase the potential issues and concerns linked with online gambling. There are various factors like convenience, accessibility, anonymity, immersion or dissociation that makes online gambling very addictive and tempting. Some of the major issues and concerns relating to online gambling are discussed below.

Security:

There is no presence of consolidated regulation of online gambling, and it is not supervised by any government authority. This has prompted the increase of crime, hacking, tricking, and beguiling practices. Bank and credit card numbers are especially defenseless against programmers; online gambling clubs might not have the most recent or most secure technology. Some online club may use ‘poker bots’ posing as human players, customized for ideal play and to drive up the wagering sums. With very slim probability even if you do win and do not get paid the money then there is no one to complain about it.

Accessibility:

People who want to gamble nowadays don’t even have to step outside their house or even move a feet. People who have gambling problems can avoid casinos but it is difficult to get away from internet. It is difficult for underage or people with known gambling problem to enter a casino but they can far easily access the gambling sites. We can easily conclude that the internet has increased the gambling opportunities and due to the increase in opportunities it has led to increased accessibility. The increase in accessibility ultimately increases the number of gamblers resulting higher probability of gambling problems.

Inconspicuous:

Betting has been known as the ‘silent fixation’ since it’s generally simple to cover up — no proof on your breath unlike as with liquor, no medical problems identified like drugs. If you go to a casino for three or four days in a row then someone can spot you but an online gambler can stay at home or work can continue to bet on their cell phones and no one will can even have the slightest idea that they are gambling. Experts are worried that the predominance of web based betting could make betting addicts considerably harder to analyze and treat. People will be able to indulge in gambling privately without the fear of being judged.

Electronic money:

It can sometimes feel like spending money in Monopoly while you are spending money in the internet. A great example in this case can be getting caught up in the bidding war in EBay. The probability of impulse wagering and pursuing losses is greater when access to your bank balance and credit cards is only a mouse click away, rather than having to physically go to an ATM and withdrawing money from it. The psychological worth of electronic money can be less than real cash or physical cash to many gamblers. The banks use credit or debit cards, while the casinos use chips and tokens because it is easier to spend the money as it disguises the true value of the money.

Affordability:

Due to the vast accessibility of internet, the price of internet services is becoming cheaper and cheaper. In today’s world almost everybody has access to an internet. So getting access to online gambling portals and sites is usually free of cost if you have an internet connection.

Escape and immersion or dissociation:

For some people, the primary reinforcement to indulge in online gambling can be the satisfaction they experience on the web. They may be able to escape from their real life stresses and struggles through the help of the web. But continuous and excessive involvement in such activities may lead to addiction. The mode of the internet can give emotions of immersion and inundation and may encourage sentiments of escape. Immersion and dissociation can include bunches of various sorts of sentiments. It can be forgetting about time, feeling like you are another person, passing out, not reviewing how you got some place or what you did, and being in a stupor like state. In outrageous structures it might include multi-personality issue. These emotions when betting on the internet may prompt longer play time either since ‘time passes quickly when you are having a great time’ or since the mental state of being in an immersive or dissociative state is strengthened.

Management

We can see that online gambling can create many issues which need to be tackled appropriately. There has been a great change in the nature and field of gambling due to the technological advancements all around the globe. While there are presently no signs that the expanded accessibility and utilization of online betting has influenced prevalence rates for betting problems, concerns still remain that online betting will have critical effects as far as betting problems and related wellbeing and emotional wellness. In any case, this method of betting is probably going to be appealing to people who are vulnerable to having betting problems and, thusly, it is critical to think about how to best limit betting related damages.

Although people having online gambling problem are like land-based gambling problems, consideration should be paid to creating distinctive treatment and avoidance methods. Dedicated counteractive action and mediation arrangements and practices are required to address online betting issues. Technological advances gives way to improvement of latest problem decrease and mindful betting techniques. We can create new ways to handle the problems effectively. Making people aware about the dangers of using and offshore betting portals can also be effective. Specifically:

• Since many people may prefer taking the option of using online platforms to solve their gambling problem and due to very low rate of people actually seeking for help, we can create or develop online treatment and brief intercessions as an alternative to up close and personal advising like face-to-face counseling.
• Prevention methods need to be devised and it should primarily focus on the people who are at high risk.
• More awareness should be provided to people about the dangers and risks of online gambling, especially among youngsters who are commonly more internet associated and inclined to unsafe practices.

Advances in innovation can possibly create and actualize progressively successful damage reduction measures. As every online gambler must be enlisted, and their betting is consequently recorded, administrators have the ability to have the option to screen play and proactively recognize possibly unsafe play. Proactive recognition would empower custom-made intercessions, for example, spring up messages about limit setting methods and tools, and would enable administrators to straightforwardly contact players to assess danger of harm. Setting limits and pre-commitment are more readily facilitated in online gambling, as would be self-exclusion methods that could be easily connected over all the administrators. Giving information about the reduction of effects of gambling or responsible way of gambling can be beneficial to both the operators and the gamblers (Gainsbury, Parke & Suhonen, 2013; Wood & Griffiths 2008). People tend to have good image of online gambling operators who provide information to the users of harm reduction or responsible gambling methods. It helps to build their reputation, brand image and gain trust from their customers. There are many unregulated offshore gambling sites and portals which may not promote responsible gambling. So, this can always create additional risks. It is better to discourage the people using offshore sites for gambling as they tend to be more risky. They should be informed about the risks of using an offshore site.

Following points are some steps of managing the online gambling in more responsible way:

• Setting limits on both spending and deposits of your online betting accounts.
• Avoiding intoxication while being involved in gambling activities.
• Disabling all types of notifications and updates from gambling portals.
• Decreasing your limit of bank transfer and debit/credit cards.
• Avoid gambling activities and engage alternative activity.
• Avoid all the materials that promote gambling activities by using software’s that block advertisements and also the pop-up blocker can be enabled.
• Look for materials on internet that help us regarding gambling.
• Disable or deactivate your gambling account.
• Software that blocks gambling website can also be used.

Conclusion

Online gamblers are not completely different from other gamblers but it has some particular features which create additional threats and harm to the gamblers. These risks can be more lethal in case of high risk gamblers. Online gambling is different from land-based gambling principally in terms of its steady accessibility, simple access, and capacity to wager for continuous periods in private, encouraged by the interactive and engaging internet environment. Use of cash online seems to prompt increase in betting and losses, especially for those who have betting problems, as individuals tend to have the feeling that real cash are not being spent. More in depth study, of the impact of technological advancement in the field of gambling is required to broaden our understanding of the issues and concerns associated with it.

There seems to be some distinct features between online gambling and land-based gambling. Most of the study and research that has been carried out regarding gambling problems are mainly focused on land-based gambling, which does not include the issues presented by online gambling. It is essential to re-analyse the works that have already been carried out and make sure that they address the obsessive online problems. Also any new factors or collaborations ought to be incorporated to clarify the rise of betting problems. Research is required to find out how to decrease the probability of individuals progressing to pathological betting. The internet offers a good environment or condition for the arrangement of responsible betting, including player-centered ways and tools for directing play, for example, keeping track of money being spent, self-set spend limits, breaks and data. Upgrading the arrangement of a responsible betting condition will require participation between free analysts, operators and controllers. Independent researchers need to configure, assess and check systems while, operators’ needs to give access to reliable information and implement techniques and controllers are required to implement responsible betting strategies. Treatment and counteractive techniques must be re-analysed to guarantee that these are applicable and effective for internet players. Brief online intercessions and detailed online treatment projects might be significant for internet gamblers.

This report talks in brief about the major issues and concerns that are currently encircling the online gambling. Many people are drawn towards online betting due to its ease of access. It also talks about some of the ways to manage the gambling activities. So, that it does not create any kind of problems.

References

1. Gainsbury, S., Parke, J., & Suhonen, N. (2013).’ Attitudes towards Internet gambling: Perceptions of responsible gambling, consumer protection, and regulation of gambling sites’. Computers in Human Behavior, 29,235-245.
2. Gainsbury, S. M. (2015), ‘Online Gambling Addiction: the Relationship Between Internet Gambling and Disordered Gambling’, Current Addiction Reports, vol. 2, iss. 2, pp. 185-193, viewed on 2 September 2019, .
3. Griffiths, M 2003, ‘Internet Gambling: Issues, Concerns, and Recommendations’, Cyber Psychology & Behaviour, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 557-568,viewed on 29 August 2019, < https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d9a/f281f2af424c2e74fc5bedb6b1134fb252cd.pdf?_ga=2.50907689.1449102727.1566894553-2075181748.1566894553>.
4. Tally, J 2012, The Biggest Problems With Online Gambling, viewed on 1 September 2019, < https://stories.avvo.com/news/politics/the-biggest-problems-with-online-gambling.html>
5. Wood, R. T. A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2008). ‘Why Swedish people play online poker and factors that can increase or decrease trust in poker web sites: A qualitative investigation’. Journal of Gambling Issues, 21, 80-97.