Responsible Gambling
Effective Date: 2022-09-01
The Importance of Keeping Things Fun
For most people, online gambling is nothing more than a fun way to spend one’s free time. However, some people who gamble – be it online or in real life – can develop a problem. That’s why we firmly believe that responsible gambling is something everyone should embrace, regardless of whether or not they suspect they might develop a problem.
On all of our websites, we are committed to “keeping things fun.” In fact, we only promote gambling sites that have safe and responsible online gambling practices and provide tools and information to players who might develop an issue.
Preventing Problem Gambling
Responsible Gambling has always been important, but now that it’s easier than ever to access gambling websites, it’s crucial that you also be able to access problem gambling tools. Responsible Gambling legislation encourages operators to include certain safeguards on their platforms to protect vulnerable players. More specifically, they should provide tools that help players set boundaries to minimize the negative aspects of gambling and keep things fun. This page will explain these tools and tell you what you can do if you or a friend suspects they have an issue with gambling addiction.
What is Responsible Gambling?
Responsible Gambling encompasses an array of policies and requirements designed to compel industry stakeholders to do the right thing. Its main goal is to ensure a safe user experience that protects players from potential problem gambling.
Under the Responsible Gambling initiative, players are encouraged to treat gambling as a leisure activity rather than a means of income. Though this is not an issue for most, some players are inclined toward addictive gambling practices, which can affect their lives (and those of their loved ones) in many ways.
In Canada, licensed online casino operators and game providers must always adhere to the principles of Responsible Gambling. In total, there are seven main areas of Responsible Gambling. They are:
- Protecting vulnerable players
- Preventing underage gamblers from accessing
- Protecting against criminal activity
- Protecting online payments
- Fostering a safe online environment
- Maintaining personal data privacy
- Responsible and ethical marketing
Each online gambling platform operating in Canada must provide a dedicated Responsible Gambling page. This page should serve as a point of reference for all players who either want to know more about the subject or who suspect they have a problem.
However, these pages vary dramatically from site to site, both in quality and information presented. Ideally, they will provide information about various gambling tools, offer a self-assessment test, have tools for the protection of minors, and link to third parties’ sites that deal with gambling addiction.
How to Identify if You Have a Gambling Problem
An excellent way to gauge whether your gambling has turned into a problem is to ask yourself this list of questions:
- Do you gamble alone, for long periods, avoiding other responsibilities at the same time?
- Have you needed to increase your stakes more and more over time?
- Do you suffer from mood swings, irritability, and agitation due to your gambling?
- Do you feel you might gamble to avoid other issues or problems in your life?
- Do you feel compelled to hide your gambling losses from others?
- Have you tried to reduce the time or money that you spend gambling before but failed?
- Have you ever been tempted to do something dishonest in order to finance your gambling?
- Have you ever logged onto a gambling site in order to try and “recoup” your losses from a previous day?
- Have you ever felt compelled to hide your gambling from people who are important to you?
- Have you borrowed money and been unable to pay it back due to gambling? Are you otherwise in debt due to gambling?
- Have you ever sold anything to get gambling money?
- Do you find breaking promises for friends and family so that you can spend more time gambling?
- Do you feel isolated because of your gambling?
Now, if you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, it may be time to take control of your Gambling habit. If you want to know more, you can take this 100% confidential ‘Concerned about your gambling’ quiz on the BeGambleaware website.
How to Help Someone with a Gambling Addiction
If you’re concerned that someone you know might have a gambling problem but don’t know what to do about it. This page has a number of resources to help. One of the first things you should do is familiarize yourself with the warning signs of problem gambling. For instance, one of the first signs is a change in the person’s financial situation, mood, and how they spend their time. Below, we’ll list the various types of signs in greater detail:
Financial Signs
- Missing money
- Missing valuables in the home
- Regularly short on money with no explanation
- Having multiple new loans
- Having multiple unpaid bills
- Regularly borrowing money
- Lack of food in the house
- Secrecy when talking about finances
Lifestyle Signs
- Spending more time gambling
- Arriving late for meetings and appointments
- Taking days off / taking extra sick days
- Taking a long time to complete tasks
- Unexplained absences
Behavioural Signs
- Poor work performance
- Becoming withdrawn
- Losing interest in things they once enjoyed
- Always worried, upset, or agitated
- Personality changes
- Manipulative behaviour
- Expressing hopelessness or frustration
Although all of these signs can point to a gambling problem, they can also indicate many other issues completely unrelated to gambling. People suffering from gambling addiction often lie and hide their feelings. They may even become angry when asked about their behaviour. For a friend or family member, it can be hard to admit when someone you love has a problem. You can also feel guilty or angry yourself.
All of these feelings are normal, but that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. Hopefully, by doing your best to understand the gambler’s situation, you can create a safe dialogue where they feel compelled to open up to you. Together you can make plans to get them help.
Gambling Age and Protecting Minors
One of the focuses of Responsible Gambling is protecting underage people. In Canada, gambling laws are governed on a provincial level, so the minimum age varies from state to state. In most cases, however, the age is 19 years old. You can see the full chart below for any outliers:
Province | Legal Gambling Age |
---|---|
Alberta | 18 |
British Colombia | 19 |
Manitoba | 18 |
New Brunswick | 19 |
Newfoundland | 19 |
Northern | 19 |
Nova Scotia | 19 |
Nunavut | 19 |
Nova Scotia | 19 |
Ontario | 19 |
Prince Edward Island | 19 |
Quebec | 18 |
Saskatchewan | 19 |
To prevent underage gambling, online casino operators are obligated to have age verification procedures in place whenever someone attempts to access their site. This can either be done electronically or by requesting verification documents.
However, it’s important to understand that the responsibility does not rely on gambling sites alone. Those homes with underage family members need to ensure they aren’t accessing another person’s account without permission. Here are some additional tips to help you keep minors safe:
- Keep all casino login details confidential
- Don’t save passwords for online casinos on your computer
- Educate your children about gambling and its potential issues
- Use parental tools on all your devices
- Install software to block access to certain websites
Some tools you might find useful when attempting to secure your site from minors include:
- BetFilter
- GamBan
- NetNanny
- GamBlock
- CYBERsitter
- CYBER PATROL
Responsible Gambling Tools
One of the primary criteria for an effective Responsible Gambling page is tools that help players regulate their activity, track their betting, and – when needed – limit their activity. Below we’ll list these tools and discuss how they work.
Deposit Limit
This tool allows players to limit the amount of money they can deposit on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Once the limit is reached, they won’t be able to add funds until a specified time has elapsed.
Loss Limit
Instead of limiting how much you deposit, this tool sets daily, weekly, or monthly limits on how much users can lose. Once a user hits the limit, they won’t be able to place any more bets until a specified time has passed.
Session Limit
This tool helps players take better stock of how much time they spend gambling. This can be a real reality check for players who are unaware of how long their sessions last. Once you hit your allotted amount, you’ll be automatically logged out.
Wagering Limit
The wagering limit tool reduces the amount of money a user can bet in a given round or by the day, week, or month. This is another tool that’s just as useful for problem gambling as it is for keeping track of one’s spending online.
Transaction History
This tool provides users with a summary of all the transactions on their accounts. It includes bets, results, deposits, withdrawals and more. Not only is this helpful for all players, but it can be a real wake-up call to those who might be suffering from gambling addiction.
Time Alert
The Time Alert tool is essentially a notification that reminds users how long they’ve been playing from time to time. It can serve as a little wake-up call to those that might not realize how long they’ve been playing (or how much they’ve spent).
Self-Exclusion
The Self-Exclusion tool allows players to close their accounts for a short amount of time. During this period, they won’t be able to log in or do anything gambling related on that platform. You can set limits of a day, a week, or up to six months. You can even exclude yourself permanently.
Self-Assessment
The Self-Assessment tool is essentially a set of statements where players can get a better idea of their overall gambling situation. After taking the test, users will be presented with a summary showing how their life is being impacted by gambling and a list of tools to help them minimize that impact.
What if I Think I Have a Gambling Problem?
The first step in taking back control is to be honest with yourself. This can be the hardest step, sure, but it is by far the most important. Sometimes it’s as simple as standing back and observing your actual behaviour. There are also lots of options for support, which we will outline below.
Practical Steps You Can Take Alone
- Limit your deposits or the amount of time you allow yourself to spend online. Most of the sites we recommend provide tools to help you impose your own limits.
- Stop altogether. Self-exclusion is often the hardest but most effective way to stop yourself from gambling.
- Visit www.gamblock.com, where you can prevent access to other gaming, wagering, or gambling sites.
- Track your progress by using a calendar to mark each day you don’t gamble. It helps to have a goal and track it regularly.
Independent Organisations That Can Help
Below, we’ll provide you with a list of organisations dedicated to helping people with gambling addictions, as well as their families and loved ones. Fortunately, Canadian players have a lot of options they can rely on nowadays. In fact, most of these organisations are run by professionals that have lots of experience – some of whom have been through the process themselves.
Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)
The RGC is an independent non-profit organization. They have been a leader in problem gambling prevention throughout Canada for more than 35 years. Their staff is dedicated to Promoting the well-being of people and the overall community by ensuring all the proper gambling safeguards are in place. Canadians who wish to learn more about the RGC can visit their website or contact them here:
Website: www.responsiblegambling.org
Phone: +1 (416) 499-9800
Canada Safety Council
The Canada Safety Council is an independent, charitable organization focused on all forms of safety. They are the national leaders in providing information, education, and resources about gambling addiction as well as a host of other social problems. The Canada Safety Council can be reached as follows:
Website: www.canadasafetycouncil.org
Email: csc@safety-council.org
Phone: 613-739-1535
CAMH
CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health education hospital. The group is dedicated to setting new standards for care, education, and research that can facilitate social change. Apart from mental health, the hospital also deals with addictions of all kinds, including gambling addiction.
The CAMH has a dedicated problem gambling page on its site and offers counselling services for players and their families.
Website: www.camh.ca
Phone: 416 535-8501 or 1 800 463-2338 toll-free, staffed 24/7.
BeGambleAware
GambleAware is an independent organization partnered with the UK Gambling Commission. Its goal is to improve international strategies for Responsible Gambling and reduce problem gambling (and the issues it causes). The group takes a public health approach to the issue of gambling, participating in integrated prevention services on the national level. You can learn more about GambleAware by visiting their website.
Website: www.gambleaware.org
If you are looking for direct help, please visit: BeGambleAware.org.
Email: info@gambleaware.org
Helpline: +44 0808 8020 133
Live Chat: Yes
GamCare
GamCare was founded in 1997. Since then, it has grown to become a leading provider of information, advice and support for problem gamblers. The organization operates a UK national helpline and provides comprehensive treatment for players and families. It is reserved for UK residents, but Canadian players may find the organization via websites based in that region.
Website: www.gamcare.org.uk
Email: info@gamcare.org.uk
Helpline: (+44) 0808 8020 133
Live Chat: Yes
Gambling Therapy
Gambling Therapy offers a wide variety of online services for problem gamblers and their families. The organization provides a safe platform for meetup groups as well as a resource database, e-mail support, and communication forums. The site provides support for those located anywhere in North America and boasts multilingual live support, online therapy groups, and much more.
Website: www.gamblingtherapy.org
Email: support@gamblingtherapy.org
Live Chat: Yes
Gamblers Anonymous (GA)
Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who have personally experienced problem gambling to a certain degree. These folks work to help others by sharing their experiences with one another with the goal of providing hope and strength. The site offers a variety of tools, as well as a chat room, forum, and meeting locator.
Website: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk
Email: info@gamblersanonymous.org.uk
Whatever You Do – Please Play Responsibly
Sometimes even the most innocent of pastimes can become dangerous addictions. Remember that gambling is supposed to be fun and – more importantly – safe. We do our best to facilitate that type of environment throughout our website, just as we only try to promote online casinos that do the same. If you ever need to talk, please feel free to reach out to us as well.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the very best online casinos in Canada?
The best online casinos for Canadian players must be licensed in a reputable and well-known jurisdiction, such as the UK or Malta. They should also offer a large section of games from a variety of providers. Of course, a nice welcome bonus for Canadian players is always welcome!
How secure are most online casino games?
Modern online casino games are extremely secure. Providing the website is a reputable one, they will provide proof that all of their games have been tested for fairness and use an RNG (Random Number Generator) to produce the outcome.
Where can I play mobile casino games in Canada?
We review the mobile versions of all the online casinos that provide them. So far, some of the best are LeoVegas, Mr Green, CampoBet, Unibet, ComeOn and PlayOJO.
Can I play any online casino games for free?
Most Canadian online casinos will allow you to try out their table games and slots without having to wager or make a deposit. You may have to set up an account to get access, but you do NOT have to put any money on the line to play FREE games.
What do the new Canada casinos offer?
The latest and greatest new online casinos provide their players with the most popular games, biggest promotions, and fun challenges and tournaments. However, they should also ensure a safe place for you to gamble from anywhere you’d like.