You have seen that online gambling is measuring impressive records. You also saw that some players end up with gambling addiction or similar issues. How technology can help those people? Well, there are 3 ways the technology is useful in this case scenario and each method works well. Today we are going to explain all of these and give you much-needed pieces of information.
Self-Exclusion Platforms Like GamStop
This is the second option and the one that most players refer to at some point if they have a gambling addiction. It is completely free and it works well. The best example is GamStop. So, you will create an account on this platform and you will select the duration of self-exclusion. It can be 6 months, 1 or 5 years. Once done, the platform will block your access to all gambling sites in the UKGC network. No doubt, players who want to continue playing always can choose gaming sites without GamStop that are available in the kingdom, but their options will be limited and it is always better to play on locally-licensed operators. This means that a player from the United Kingdom will not be able to play at UKGC websites that are native to this country and support players from the UK.
Once the self-exclusion expires a player can contact customer support, remove the ban and continue playing. It works perfectly every single time and it is effective. Most players lose the need to gamble simply because they can’t. Some say that they would like permanent and always active self-exclusion. This is not available at the moment.
GamStop doesn’t work with devices and there is no need to install anything. They cooperate with UKGC websites for gambling and betting. According to the law, if a casino has UKGC it must support GamStop. There are a lot of new laws that should make this platform even better and more effective.
Blocking Transactions
This method does work and it is common but not as much as the other two. The goal is simple. You will contact your bank and you will ask them to block your gambling-related transactions. What this means is that you can use normally your debit card. But, when you want to deposit funds to a casino the transaction will be declined.
There is no other way to say this. It is an effective method. You will basically limit yourself from depositing funds hence you cannot gamble, period. Bank accounts and cards are still the most commonly used payment methods at casinos and they have been used for all types of gambling and betting you can imagine. Many other payment methods use these as the primary source of funds hence some of them will become unavailable as well.
It is important to add that not all banks support this option. Some are adding the support as we speak while others are not really interested in doing so. We still believe that all the banks in the United Kingdom and other parts of the globe will start using this option any time soon and they will want to help players as much as they can.
Blocking Software
This is the first and the most commonly used option. Basically, a user has to download the software and install it on the targeted device. It can be a PC, smartphone, or anything in between. As soon as the software is configured it will block access to all gambling and betting websites. With a bit of luck, you can block access to all known websites of this kind. There are many free blockers available for players around the world. Some software will even block access to trading websites.
Once done, you won’t have access to gambling websites, hence you cannot bet and gamble. This is a very appealing method. Another perk here is parental control. You can block access to these sites if you have a teenager who likes to bet or who is curious about it. The only way to gamble is to remove the software and this is not an easy task. You will need to wait for the selected period of time and to have special credentials.
There are many options out there. Some of the most common are Gamban and NetNanny. Of course, you can use countless other software options. Keep in mind that these are paid software options so you will need a monthly subscription. Most of them are not free and they cannot operate as free software.
We must add that all of the software here can be installed on all devices. Others use an algorithm to detect gambling sites and third have a database that contains all banned websites.
The Final Word
You can use all three options. These are all technology-based and we can see how technology can help us and protect us when nothing else does. You can also pick one method that sounds the most appealing to you and that works well in your case. However, you will have to test all of these and see which one works best in your particular case.