Responsible gambling is betting for entertainment’s sake. In short, it’s gambling for fun. When it becomes gambling for money, it begins to become a problem and a risk. When it’s for fun, the entertainment factor is euphoric. When you gamble in a responsible way, you are enjoying a form of entertainment or fun. It’s not a job. It’s not a quick way to make money. It’s a shot in the dark that could win you some money, but most likely won’t.
Gambling becomes a problem when people use it as a means to earn income. Instead, gambling responsibly means taking breaks from wagering, knowing how much you can afford to bet, and setting strict limits for yourself. When this happens, you can have fun gambling, and it becomes more of an enjoyable social activity you can partake in with friends and family. That’s what USA Legal Betting is here for: to teach you about responsible gambling in the US.
Let’s look at a few simple steps of what responsible gambling is:
- Set limits for yourself
- Don’t gamble with money you can’t lose
- Don’t borrow money to gamble
- Take breaks
- Set a loss limit
- Balance gambling with other activities
- Expect to lose
- When it stops being fun, stop gambling
With these steps to responsible gaming, you should feel far more confident making a choice as to if you want to gamble and, if so, what to gamble on. Regardless of your choice, your bets will most likely be placed through a bookmaker.
The Bookmakers’ Responsibility
Many people don’t know this, but bookmakers have a huge responsibility to provide bettors with the proper resources for gambling problems and addictions. Keep this in mind when choosing a bookmaker, as some do not accept this responsibility nearly as much as others.
For instance, every major bookmaker will have a gambling addiction number and website displayed on their home page. For any bookmaker that does not, we suggest looking elsewhere. Again, all bookmakers have an obligation to provide resources for problem gambling. If they do not, they’re being irresponsible. Simple as that.
Part of responsible gambling is also knowing which betting site site to pick. Below is a list of legitimate bookmakers that comply with the responsibilities of the industry:
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- FanDuel
- DraftKings
- Caesar’s
- Borgata
What the aforementioned bookmakers have that many other books don’t is an “RG” logo clearly visible somewhere on their homepage. This is crucial as the RG stands for Responsible Gaming and is compliant with industry regulations.
When you finally choose the right bookmaker for you, you will then have to decide what kind of betting piques your interest. As mentioned before, there are card games like Poker or Blackjack.
If you’re not much of a card player, there are slot machines, thousands of different kinds, from 3-line slot machines to 10-20-30-line slots. There is a multitude of different slot machines, both in-person and online, some that take as little as one cent to play and others that have a minimum of $1 or higher. When playing slots, it’s best to set a dollar limit and walk away once you lose it.
Perhaps you’re someone that feels they would do well betting on sports. Just like card games and slot machines, sports betting can be done both in-person and online. With team events, there is usually a spread, showing that one team is favored over the other. There will most likely be a total amount scored as well. Either way, just as you would with slot machines, set a dollar limit and walk away when it’s over.