Online betting has become such an established practice that one wonders how we ever coped without it. It has revolutionised gambling and altered it forever. Now it really is accessible to everyone, everywhere seven days of the week.
This is in fact of the biggest concerns when looking at the social impact of online betting. In fairness to the companies involved in online betting, they do try and curb abuse as best they can, or do they?
Age verification is a major problem because most teenagers have either figured how to get around it, or knows someone who does. Parents are expected to implement controls in the home regarding access to the internet, but we live in a time where school assignments take for granted that people have access to the net. Added to this is the fact that most computer literate teenagers know more about IT than their parents.
One of the things that are truly, cynically laughable about online betting is the “warning” at the bottom of the page that cautions you against gambling abuse and irresponsibility. The very nature of gambling is irresponsible, but that’s half the fun of it too.
Einstein showed that the only game in a casino where you had an even (not good) chance is Blackjack and let be realistic: anyone suffering from gambling addiction is hardly going heed the caution, written in small letters, at the bottom of the page when it is competing against more colour and sound than a merry-go-round.
While it is not fair to only focus on the negative side of online betting, it is hard to find too many positives. One has to acknowledge the technical genius that makes it all feasible and user friendly. Ask yourself: how would online betting perform in an honest social cost/ social benefit analysis? We all know the answer yet our behaviour reflects something different. As people we are attracted to various behaviours that often are hard to understand yet they more than persist, they flourish.
Hence, we live in an age that says: “give them what they want” and this is clearly what we want.
Online betting and gambling is fast becoming the norm. Why bother with the inconvenience of having to travel to land-based casinos and bookmakers to enjoy the thrill and excitement of gambling when you can just log onto your computer and have it ready at your fingertips? There are many benefits associated with online betting and gambling but these can only be truly enjoyed if you take the necessary safety precautions.
Advice And Warnings
The very first thing that you need to do if you decide to gamble online is to check the authenticity and legitimacy of the website. It is not uncommon for gamblers to come across online scams. Never divulge any of your personal information such as your identity number and banking details until you are completely sure that the website is secure.
Another good habit would be to research the reputation of a particular online casino before you gamble there. This way you will be able to find out what type of experience other bettors had when gambling there. This will give you a basic idea of what you can expect if you choose to wager with that particular online casino. If an online casino has more than a few bad reputations then you would be better off steering clear of it. This is because it would tell you that the casino has very poor customer service standards.
One of the great advantages that come with online betting is the fact that you can play with fake money. This is an opportunity that bettors should take advantage of. You can bet and wager at an online casino with this fake money and win and lose fake money as well. This is the perfect way of “test driving” a casino to see if you enjoy gambling there. You wouldn’t have to risk any of your actual money. When you do find an online casino that you really like then you can switch over to betting with real money.
By taking the above advice into account you would be safeguarding yourself and it could end up saving you a lot of effort and money in the long run.
