Responsible Gambling During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Given the current state of the global crisis that is the COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware that many players are finding themselves with more time on their hands. However, our CasinoTop experts urge you to engage in online gaming responsibly and ensure that you’re practicing safe and responsible practices.

Since many countries have enforced varying degrees of shut down or lockdown measures, land-based casinos have been closed to the public to mitigate the spread of this virus. Millions of players have made online casino sites their preferred method of playing since.
If you are concerned or want to ensure that you don’t financially overextend yourself during this time, take a look at some of our tips below.

Responsible Gambling During Self-Isolation or Lockdown

Governments from all over the world have imposed lockdowns or self-isolation to keep citizens safe and attempt to keep them COVID-19-free. Initially, the closure of businesses and entire sectors was novel but as time has worn on, it has become clear that this unchartered territory for billions.

If you find yourself at home during this time and you’re bored, lonely and always connected to the internet, you’re likely to be looking for ways and hobbies to keep yourself entertained and productive. While CasinoTop promotes gaming as a hobby, we are always mindful of sharing safe gambling practices and encourage our players to engage responsibly.

The pandemic has had many negative effects on people and their lifestyles. One of these effects is that the closure of industries had led to many companies being forced to shut down. This has resulted in the unemployment rate increasing on a global scale. For those who have lost their jobs, online gambling could seem like an easy way to make money. However, we would never recommend viewing online gaming this way.

To serve as a reality-check, CasinoTop has shared tips, tools and information that are aimed at educating our players on how to enjoy their favourite games responsibly and safely.

Playing for Entertainment

If you’ve turned to online gaming as a means to entertain yourself, take a look at the following recommendations below that have less of a financial impact:

• If you’re playing online because you love a specific game or genre, we suggest that you try playing for free. In this way, you are still entertained but there is no risk attached to this activity.
• If you’re truly passionate about gaming, you can write a few blogs and features for online sites that provide advice, such as CasinoTop, or general updates on gaming and entertainment.
• For those who love playing and watching others play games, twitch streaming is a great option. There are tons of great streamers who are worth looking out for and some of them post videos on online casino games.
• Join a play for fun gaming site that does not tempt you to deposit real money and does not offer real money gambling facilities.
• Search for the board games you used to play when you were younger, or even a deck of cards, and challenge yourself to achieve greater results each time without risking any money.

While these suggestions are perfect for you if gaming is your primary hobby, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many other things to do for fun instead that have nothing to do with gambling. For example, you could discover a new hobby, try working out at home or even catch up on tasks that you’ve been putting off because you were too busy.

Gambling While Unemployed

Before you resort to gambling as a means to make money and survive during your unemployment, take a moment to consider whether you can really afford to place that wager. It’s important that you’re aware of the house edge, how it works and the outcome of the house always winning in the end.

In addition, not earning money from a job any longer doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to win the online games you are playing. The reality is that once your place a wager, that money is gone and cannot be recovered. Since the Coronavirus pandemic began, health experts and governments have noted that there is no definite timeline for when the pandemic will be over, it would be wise to save as much as you can to prepare for any eventuality and budget accordingly.

Managing Your Bankroll

Here at CasinoTop, we always encourage our players to manage their bankrolls to ensure that they are not spending more than they can comfortably afford to lose. If you’re struggling to manage your bankroll effectively during isolation or unemployment, here are some tips:

• Make use of the limiting tools provided by the site and set a daily or weekly deposit limit and/or a time limit to play
• Remove gambling and casino apps from your mobile device to make them less accessible during this time
  While we usually encourage taking advantage of bonus offers, don’t be tempted into depositing to claim promotional credits, or other perks, during this time.
• Before you play, consider the RTP for the title you want to play and whether or not betting on this game will be worthwhile

Be Wary of Shady Operations

As this crisis continues and changes on a daily basis, scammers have taken advantage of the situation and are targeting players who are looking to make money or have fun playing at online casino sites. These scammers are aware that more players are migrating to online sites and are trying to win them over. As a result, it is important that you are aware of these activities and only deposit funds and play at licensed and trusted casino sites.

Scammers and their phishing schemes are targeting players that they consider to be financially or emotionally vulnerable after experiencing the negative effects of the pandemic. Make sure that you’re not easily fooled.

Please Note:

If you start to notice that you are receiving many phishing emails, remain vigilant and proceed with caution. Scammers are developing new ways to attract people and their methods can be very creative at times.

Signs of a Scam

If you happen to receive an SMS or email with a casino offer, be wary if it doesn’t come from the official customer service team’s email address or contact details. Even if the offer seems reasonable and believable, do not click on any information in the email that will lead you to another site or share your login details. There is a chance that this could be a virus for your device that will allow hackers to gain access to your personal information, thereby allowing them to assume your identity and steal your funds. We implore you to also be mindful of emails that appear legitimate but offer unrealistic deals.

The key to remaining ahead of scams is to get into the mind of scammers. To do this, we recommend that you search for more information and read articles from experts who have seen how scammers operate and communicate.

Make sure that you are aware of all the signs of a scam or illegal site, and that you know how to identify this. If you’ve just started playing online, we recommend that you check out our list of blacklisted sites to avoid becoming a victim.

Problem Gambling

Some sites might only focus on the good things about online gambling but here at CasinoTop, we believe that educating our players about the good and bad will go a long way in preventing compulsive gambling disorders and addictions. Before you place your first bet, it is useful to read up on the signs of problem gambling, safe practices, the tools available to help you stay in control and the help that’s out there.

We implore our players to remember that gambling should always be fun, and nothing more. If the fun element of the experience disappears, we recommend that you stop playing. It is never worth it to simply follow streaks or try to win back your losses.

Setting Limits

Our recommended casino sites provide our players with useful measures and tools that can be used to limit their gaming activities. These tools and services are available from the moment your account is activated and are sometimes called self-exclusion tools and/or measures. We recommend that players educate themselves about these tools, especially during lockdown periods of self-isolation. Below you will find some of the self-exclusion methods that are available:

Deposit Limits

This is a limit that players set for themselves when they are making deposits. It allows players to choose the maximum amount that they should be allowed to deposit on a daily, weekly, monthly or even annual basis.

Cool-off Period

This is a period that players can set for themselves whereby they will be unable to access the online casino site. To remove the limit, players will need to pay and this price is not low since it is meant to be a deterrent.

Profit and Loss Data

Some online casino sites provide players with data that shows them how much they’ve wagered, their overall losses and their profits. Taking note of this data can be vital to identifying any issues or responsible behaviours.

Reality Check

This is a pop-up reminder that can be set according to the players’ preferred intervals. The pop-up will remind players of how long they’ve been gambling and ask whether they would like to continue anyway.

Complete Self-Exclusion

This is a more serious version of the cool-off period. Players will not be allowed to access the online gaming site until they have gone through the tedious process of reactivating their accounts. In addition, no promotional offers, emails or other communication will be received from the operator during this time.

Responsible Gambling Information

Online casino operators who have received licensing from reputable authority bodies, such as those that we endorse, are required to have a section that deals with responsible gambling and provide players with contact details for organizations that can provide help and information.

Here at CasinoTop, we make sure to promote responsible gambling practices and activities to keep our players safe. We implore you to remain safe and responsible while playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CasinoTop team would like to wish all of our players well during these trying times and remind them to stay safe, responsible and indoors.