iGaming sites have become the favourite venue for casinos in today’s world, thanks to the convenience and simplicity they provide. However, the digital landscape is one of the biggest hubs for fraudulent and criminal activities, making it a friend and an enemy in this scenario. Introducing policies, such as those concerning safe and responsible gambling, aims to protect both players and operators from potential threats posed by the online space.
These policies are solutions that support and assist gamblers, protect the authenticity of gambling and prevent fraudulent activities, thus assuring players of safety at online gambling sites. They are necessary for every online gaming company, and players must adhere to them. This article will cover some of the regulations related to safe gambling and their significance in ensuring the safety of both parties in online casinos.
What is safe gambling?
Responsible or safe gambling practices essentially mean managing risks and making informed and moderate decisions while participating in gaming activities. There are other solutions that accommodate appropriate gambling into your wider lifestyle. It’s all about protecting yourself from gambling-related harm through education and cultivating mindfulness of potential risks.
Safe gambling initiatives are all about prevention. The Safer Gambling Week is one of the top gambling events. Safer Gambling Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about safer gambling and educate the masses about tools and support protocols for problem gamblers¹.
Responsible gambling encompasses several policies and requirements that apply to all gambling stakeholders. They are there to ensure that operators adhere to the highest standard of quality while providing a safe user experience that safeguards them from the potential negative consequences of gambling online.
Here is a list of what operators should be aware of and implement to meet responsible gaming requirements:
The above practices majorly drive the importance of safe gambling. Therefore, companies in the online gambling industry that implement the above measures serve as role models when it comes to the significance of responsible gambling. Some of the roles they play include:
The vital significance of safe gambling practices
Gambling retains entertainment value only if practised responsibly. Responsible gambling practices maintain their role as a recreational activity rather than a detrimental means of suffering. This responsibility falls on gamblers and operators alike. Here are some elements of importance to both parties:
1. Protection of vulnerable gamblers
An important aspect of responsible gambling is the protection of vulnerable players. Some players are at risk of becoming addicted to casino games activities. The consequences usually lead to financial difficulties that may affect their normal life.
Part of the measures imposed by most regulators in the industry includes self-exclusion programs. You can ask to be self-excluded if you think that you are spending too much time or money on gambling, whether online or in gambling premises³.
At the same time, each country imposes its own regulations, such as the UK’s reality check functionality that applies to all licensed vendors. This reality check feature enables players to set a frequency to know the time elapsed since the session started, offering gamblers the chance to set a specific limit to their losses and exit the gaming website.
Another self-exclusion-related aspect that has been implemented in countries like Denmark involves the possibility of excluding yourself from all online gambling-related activities in the country. Players may achieve this by registering with ROFUS, the self-exclusion scheme regulated by Spillemyndigheden⁴.
Other measures include operators displaying information about special organisations and NGOs that can provide support to players affected by gambling addictions.
2. Protecting against criminal activities
Gambling websites are often a target of online criminals, just like any other sites dealing with financial transactions or e-commerce. Cybercriminals deploy malicious strategies targeting websites’ vulnerabilities to achieve their goals and obtain private and financial data.
Therefore, in a bid to stop this growing tendency, operators are encouraged to include procedures and software programs that detect and block suspicious or fraudulent activities and hacking attempts.
3. Information privacy and data protection
Online operators are responsible for protecting their customers’ private details from the general public. This is connected to the need to keep players’ private information safe from unauthorised access that may occur as a result of illegal online criminal attacks.
By introducing several effective policies to control access to important private data, such as gamblers’ names, their phone numbers and addresses, operators can ensure players’ information privacy is respected and that they are compliant with most regulators’ requirements.
4. Prevention of underage gambling
Measures to prevent underage gaming are one of the most important aspects of responsible gambling. The policy preventing individuals who have not reached the legal age of 18 (or 21 for some countries) from gambling for real money can never be over-emphasised.
Online gaming operators in turn must take all the necessary measures to ensure that underage gambling activities are not condoned on their websites. Similarly, they must ensure that the laws protecting minors in their jurisdictions are respected.
Furthermore, operators must present a clear registration process for all players, as well as mandatory verification procedures to be followed to ensure the age of gamblers.
At the same time, parents are encouraged to monitor and take all the necessary means to prevent access by installing parental control apps and/or software on their devices.
5. Ensuring a secure online casino environment
One of the most significant principles of safe gambling requires operators to formulate a series of controls and mechanisms to create a framework for a secure online gaming environment.
To this end, operators must ensure that their websites adhere to safety requirements for players to have fun in a safe gambling environment. Also, all payments and technical processes must be developed in a secure fashion.
6. Online payment security
Another vulnerable means through which cybercriminals or hackers can exploit gamblers is via payment mediums. Therefore, operators must ensure that players deposit to a secure and reliable payment platform that protects their financial and personal details.
This is why you will have noticed that casinos are selective when it comes to deposit, withdrawal and transfer solutions. Sometimes, you may not even find your preferred payment methods – this could be because the gambling site deems it to be insecure.
In recent years, the adoption of Bitcoin payments on iGaming sites has increased. The incorporation of cryptocurrencies into payment gateways enables businesses to directly accept cryptocurrency payments⁵.
7. Ethical and responsible marketing
Another important area of safe gambling is ensuring compliance with ethical standards. Operators must comply with the regulatory advertising codes of practice. They typically ensure that adverts are factually correct and do not target underage or vulnerable gamblers, such as players who have decided to self-exclude themselves from gambling⁶.
A major part of this regulation is that operators must seek the permission of the customer before engaging in direct marketing by using the customer’s personal details.
Tools for enforcing responsible gambling
Online casinos are equipped with tools that bar illegal players from playing automatically if they go against responsible or safe gaming regulations. Even if they want to keep going, casinos will not permit that. Here are some of the common tools used to enforce this:
Safe gambling is an important online casino initiative
The importance of responsible gambling features for a safe environment for gambling sites cannot be overstated. They protect players from harm, support at-risk individuals, promote healthy gambling habits and ensure fair play while complying with regulations.
Additionally, they build a positive reputation, improve user experience, safeguard against cybercriminals, prevent financial frustration and encourage social responsibility. By prioritising these initiatives, casino sites create a safer, more entertaining gaming environment that benefits players and the industry.
