Indians love gambling. From Teen Patti to Rummy and from cricket games to football, there are lots of ways of wagering that we love. Now that online betting sites are making it a lot easier to place our stakes, it is important to use them in a sensible way.
Most people enjoy online betting in India with no problems, but there are some signs to look out for. They are the indications that you may need to take more control of your gambling activity. After we have looked at these issues, we will go on to consider some of the ways of getting help if needed.
What Are Some of the Signs That Someone Has a Gambling Problem?
There are usually some tell-tale signs of gambling problems that people show. If you’ve noticed any of these occurring in your betting behavior, you should seek help. In the same way, if you have a friend or relative who seems to be showing signs of a gambling problem, try and give them the help that they need.
- Placing bigger and bigger bets. This type of behaviour is often seen when someone is chasing after losses, betting more money all the time in the hope of recovering what they have lost. It can often be seen too when a gambler finds that smaller bets don’t get them as excited as they used to.
- Spending more on gambling than you should. The idea of online sports betting is to have some fun. If your sports knowledge wins you some money, then so much the better, but it shouldn’t be about spending a lot of money on it. If you are starting to risk more than you can afford, it’s time to take a step back.
- You use betting to try and solve your financial problems. Gambling online shouldn’t be seen as a way of improving a difficult financial situation. If you need to win to pay the bills or meet other commitments, then you are betting for the wrong reasons.
- Another possible problem is when betting is a way of getting away from other types of problems. Maybe you have a difficult situation at home or big problems at work. Using gambling to get away from them isn’t the answer.
- Gambling has caused you to feel depressed or anxious. This isn’t what it should make you feel like, so something is going wrong if betting causes you these problems.
- If betting on sports becomes the major thing in your life and causes you to neglect other areas, it has gotten out of control. This should be a great hobby that you get a lot of pleasure out of, but it can’t become an obsession.
Finally, if you find yourself becoming embarrassed about your gambling and trying not to talk about it, this could be because you know that your current betting activity isn’t healthy. Admitting that something needs to change is the first step towards responsible gambling, so take a look at what can be done to get back on track.
What Can You Do On the Gambling Site You Use?
All responsible gambling sites in India have a section covering the subject we are looking at. It may be called responsible gaming, responsible gambling or by some other name. There are typically some good pieces of advice you can find here.
- A list of responsible gambling organisations. There are many different groups across the world dedicated to helping people with gambling issues. You will links to them on any good betting site.
- Control your deposit limits. Some operators let you set a lower deposit limit, so that you can’t keep on adding more money to your account.
- Freeze your account. You might also have the chance to put your account on hold for a period of time, to let you get your head together and come back to it feeling a lot more in control.
- Set a budget. Be clear about how much you are going to bet with this week or month.
What Organisations Can Help?
The need for responsible gambling is now greater than ever, with so many different ways of betting available on the internet. Because of this, there is a growing number of organisations that offer help to people who need it.
These are professional, helpful groups that operate in the best interests of gamblers. You can expect to get help on an anonymous basis from any of them. You can also look for links to these places at the bottom of the home page of sporting betting sites or in their responsible gambling pages.
- National Council on Problem Gambling
- Gamblers Anonymous Number for Gamblers Anonymous in India: (91) 8826904945
- Gamcare
- BeGambleAware
Conclusion
Betting on sporting events online should be a great hobby that adds something extra to your days. If you feel that there is a danger of it becoming a problem, the quicker you act - the better. Take the right steps and you can start to enjoy gambling in the right way again.