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Responsible gambling in Alberta: Tools, limits & support
With Alberta online casinos set to launch on July 13, users would be wise to familiarize themselves with and take advantage of the wide array of responsible gambling tools offered by each mobile casino.
The legal online gambling landscape will soon expand in Canada, with online casinos in Alberta set to launch on July 13. When that day comes, dozens of casino apps will start to go live, offering thousands of popular games for eligible players. While that is certainly something to look forward to, residents should be as prepared as possible – which includes taking full advantage of everything available to help ensure responsible gambling in Alberta, including tools to stay within their limits.
Why practicing responsible gambling is important
The games and various offerings found at real money online casino Canada operators understandably take center stage in the regulated online gambling market.
Frequently overlooked, however, are the seemingly behind-the-scenes traits of online casinos that are arguably the most significant for consumers.
By law, casino apps must offer responsible gambling tools that essentially serve as customer protection measures. At its core, each set of responsible gambling tools provides different limits that help users stay within their financial means and gamble only with what they can afford to lose.
Overall, the goal of practicing responsible gambling is maintaining healthy habits and not letting gambling, however entertaining it is, interfere with everyday life. It's about taking breaks, and it's about properly budgeting.
Breaking down popular responsible gambling tools offered by online casinos in Alberta
When Alberta online casinos do launch, each licensed operator will be required to integrate responsible gambling tools within their apps and sites.
Here's a look and some insight into how each tool will work:
- Deposit/loss/wager limits: With this tool, customers can set constraints on how much money they fund their accounts with, how much money they lose or how much money they bet in a given day, week or month.
- Time limits: Similarly, users can set a cap on how much time they spend playing their favorite casino apps, ranging from one to 23 hours per day.
- Cooling-off periods: Also commonly called time-outs, this tool temporarily suspends customers' accounts for a period of time that varies by operator. Essentially, during these periods, users cannot log into their accounts, make deposits or bet at all.
- Reality checks: Along the lines of time limits, this tool, when turned on, triggers a pop-up notification that lets users know how long they've been gambling and offers a reminder to possibly step away from the app.
In addition, many licensed online casinos allow customers to view their transaction history or account activity to view how much time and money they've spent on the platform. This can be beneficial, as it can show trends in gaming activity and even potentially indicate if a gambling problem is looming.
Other responsible gambling resources to consider
On top of all the responsible gambling tools offered by regulated casino apps, users can also request to add themselves to the self-exclusion list. In doing so, customers would be prevented from logging into their accounts, making deposits and gambling at all during a predetermined timeframe that can last several years.
Self-exclusion is ideal for players who believe they might have a gambling problem, not only because they are locked out of their account with their online casino, but also because joining the list prevents them from starting an account with any other operator. What's more, users will not receive online gambling marketing messages during the requested timeframe.
Beyond the in-app tools, Alberta residents can also contact a variety of helplines to seek help with their gambling habits, including:
- Alberta Health Services (AHS) at 1-866-332-2322
- The AGLC GameSense program at gamesenseab.ca
- GameSense Info Line at 1-833-447-7523
Written by Grant Lucas
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