The Addiction Of Online Gambling
What starts out as a harmless pastime can often turn into a uncontrollable spiral of debt and depression. Identifying signs of betting addiction is an important step to ensuring that you stay ahead of the curb and out of harm’s way. Betting addictions can happen to anyone, whether you are an experienced bookie or a complete newcomer, and the signs of a gambling problem are often very similar to that of any other addiction.
In order to ensure you stay safe online and continue to enjoy the leisure aspect of online sports betting we have listed some of the early signs you should look out for to ensure you don’t get caught in an unhealthy betting trap:
- Feeling the need to be secretive about gambling
- Having trouble controlling gambling habits
- Gambling when you cannot afford to
- Your friends and family expressing concerns about your gambling
- Of course, as with any other addiction, the hallmark sign of a gambling problem is that you feel you cannot stop.
- If you feel like you need to try just one more time, or if you feel anxious when you think about quitting, it is highly likely you are suffering from a gambling addiction.
Having an addiction to online betting is nothing to be ashamed of and it is something that can be repaired, we recommend that at any point in time when you feel you may have lost control of your betting behaviour seek help from a professional immediately.
For further assistance you can contact one of the following:
The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation
The SARGF is a public-private initiative between the government gambling regulators and the gambling industry in South Africa, and as such is funded by voluntary contributions from the South African gambling industry.
The SARGF aims to Build a recognised knowledge hub for research and intelligence on responsible gambling and problem gambling that informs evidence-based decision making; Providing comprehensive treatment and counselling services for those affected by problem gambling, that are confidential, compassionate and free to the user; Providing broad access to information, education and public-awareness programmes that grow awareness of responsible gambling; Empowering industry role-players to understand, identify and respond to incidents of problem gambling; and Ensuring sound governance and the optimal utilisation of available resources.
National Gambling Board
The National Gambling Board (NGB), an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, was established in terms of the National Gambling Act, Act No 33 of 1996 which was repealed on 01 November 2004 by the National Gambling Act, 2004, (Act No 7 of 2004) (‘the Act’).
The Act makes provision for the oversight of matters relating to casinos, gambling, betting and wagering and promotes uniform norms and standards in relation to gambling throughout South Africa. Their mission is to Lead the regulation of the gambling industry in the fulfilment of the National Gambling Act, 2004, through an effectively regulated and supervised gambling industry that upholds domestic, continental and internationally recognised standards of compliance.