Online bingo is extremely popular in the UK and provides a great outlet for fabulous entertainment and fun, as long as it is enjoyed responsibly. Irresponsible play can affect your livelihood in the long run, so make sure that it is something you enjoy doing rather than something you are addicted to.
If bingo is something you want to continue enjoying, we advise that you manage your gameplay adequately to avoid adopting some bad habits along the way. Here is a trio of helpful tips you can use to keep your bingo gameplay responsible at all times.
Budget Your Bankroll
The first rule of responsible gambling is to never bet more than you can afford to lose. This remains true for bingo. Once you have reached your limit, pull out of your session and do not buy another card.
Budget for the amount you want to gamble each week/month. Once you have reached the budget, be resilient and keep to your self-commitment.
All Gambling Commission licensed casinos and UK bingo sites will offer you helpful tools to aid you in managing your budget. You can set deposit and wager limits at most sites to help you remain responsible.
Keep an Eye on your Clock
Playing bingo can be so immersive and hours can pass without you realising it. You need to formulate a plan to manage your gambling time more effectively. You can start by comparing how much time you spend playing bingo vs your time spent on other important things in your life. This way you can structure a healthy schedule for your gambling.
If you need a little help to break you out of the ‘zone’ when playing, you can set up a Reality Check alert in your casino account settings. This will pop up now and then to inform you of how long you have been playing.
Take Breaks Now and Then
When playing for hours on end, day after day, your mind can become quite immersed in the game. Online casinos and bingo sites are conveniently available 24/7, which means you need to be more disciplined to resist the temptation to play every time you are bored.
If you need to take a break for a day or two, your casino will be able to help you with that. You can opt for one of two options:
- Cool Off: This can be implemented if you want to take a temporary break from playing. You can request a playing holiday for between 24 to 72 hours in most cases. You will not be able to log in to your account and play bingo until the cool off period is over.
- Self-Exclusion: You can take longer breaks from playing bingo by opting for self-exclusion. You will need to contact your casino’s customer support team to implement this though. Here, you can take a break for several weeks, months, or even years, if you feel like your gambling habits are spiralling out of control.
Gamstop is an organisation in the UK dedicated to enforcing exclusions. Once you self-exclude on one casino site, they will make sure that all casinos and gambling sites within the UK network uphold the exclusion on their sites too.
Practice Makes Perfect
Implementing and practising just these three healthy and responsible steps above will marginalise your chances of gambling addiction and will stand you in good stead to enjoy online bingo for years to come.