Why Responsible Gaming Tools Should Be Available in Every Poker Room

Why Not Every Room Has Tools for Responsible Gaming in Poker

What makes poker different from almost any other casino games? There are three major differences:

1. Competing against other people, not a casino
2. Rule complexity 
3. The need to make thoughtful decisions during a game

That’s why poker is not considered a true form of gambling. People don’t just throw money around in hopes of hitting a jackpot or stack continuous wins due to some good luck. Another argument is that poker variance makes gamblers less identifiable.

For example, from the poker room’s perspective, it can be difficult to determine if a poker player is an actual gambler or if they just:

• Have aggressive bankroll management
• Have a massive downswing or winner’s tilt
• Have a period of rapidly moving up the stakes

Of course, certain countries require licensed poker rooms to restrict their promotions, inform players about problem gambling and responsible gaming, follow players’ patterns to identify gamblers and take measures to help them, all while providing players with tools for self-regulation.

However, an abundance of online poker rooms can’t meet all of these demands. On the one hand, some simply don’t have the budget for it. Others can’t alter their software to make all the needed adjustments — especially when they have regional skins with different law regulations. In the end, most online poker rooms seem to expect gamblers to seek help by themselves without depending or involving the the room in question.

With that said, there are a few points most rooms will agree on when it comes to sharing responsibility regarding responsible gaming. There are constant reminders about signs of problem gambling, the meaning of responsible gaming, and availability of different tools for self-regulation. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Signs of Problem or Compulsive Gambling in Poker

Problem gamblers in poker are similar to the ones found in casinos. According to  U.S. National Council on Problem Gambling, the two groups share similar gambling-related struggles:

1. Constant thinking and talking about the game followed by decreasing other interests.
2. Using gambling to reduce stress on a regular basis.
3. Strong urge to play ignoring any negative consequences.
4. Intensive emotional reaction on trying to stop or interrupt playing during the game.
5. Having financial problems from gambling and tendency to chase losses.

However, unlike casino gamblers — who often blame their failures on pure luck and try to win their money back by increasing the game volume — poker gamblers have a deeper emotional involvement in their addiction due to three reasons:

• Ego attached to skills and abilities: They see themselves as skillful sportsmen who can’t have problems with gambling because they do not gamble, they compete in sports. 
• Long sessions: The majority of poker games, especially tournaments, require players to spend significantly more time on one game than any casino games.
• High engagement: Poker players need to make decisions and think, they don’t just pull the lever or place a bet and wait for the slot or wheel to spin.

Because of this, poker gamblers are more prone to deep tilt and risky playing on loaned money or participating in illegal games.

Meaning of Responsible Gaming in Poker

In poker, responsible gaming means participating in games with complete awareness of the risks and the ability to self-regulate emotionally, mentally and physically.

A poker player can consider themselves a responsible gamer if they:

• Have an ability not to make bets in an attempt to just win back their recent losses.
• Have enough self-awareness to notice the first signs of problem gambling and even stop playing if possible.
• Have decent bankroll management, meaning spending only part of their budget, which hey are prepared to lose without getting into financial problems.
• Have a clear perception of poker as either entertainment or a long-term job and not a way to quickly become rich.
• Understand the consequences of playing under the influence of alcohol or other substances — but also tilt or tiredness — and being able to abstain from playing in this state.
• Have and periodically update knowledge about available responsible gaming tools in any chosen poker rooms and are also not afraid to use them when needed.

Responsible Gaming Tools for Poker Players

Depending on a poker operator’s rules and country of residency, poker rooms have different tools for responsible gaming.

We listed the most common below. More often than not, their use requires sending requests to the customer support team. However, in certain rooms, these tools can be activated manually in the lobby or on the website:

• Self-exclusion: Gives players the opportunity to restrict or fully block their access to the room or even all rooms and skins of the network for some time or indefinitely.
• Time Limit or Time Breaks: Gives players an opportunity to restrict the time spent on poker sessions and temporarily blocks access to the room until sufficient time has passed since the end of the last session.
• Financial Limits: Give players an opportunity to limit the amount of deposits or losses daily, weekly, or monthly to prevent excessive spending and a total loss of bankroll.

Besides these tools, some poker rooms also have more complex options for more precise self-regulation:

• Reality Checks: Give players an opportunity to set up the pop-ups of personal notifications about the duration of the session directly at the table or in the lobby.
• Panic Button: Gives players an opportunity to immediately interrupt the game and block access to the room’s interface until enough time has passed.
• Monitoring of activity and habits: Gives players an opportunity to request receiving reports from the poker room’s team after discovering any problematic patterns in their play and transactions.

Unfortunately, these responsible gaming tools can be found in different combinations only in poker rooms such as PokerStars, Unibet Poker, 888poker, GGPoker.