Self-Exclusion Casinos

Gambling is one of those hobbies that can quietly turn from entertainment and pastime into a harmful habit and even develop into a psychological illness – ludomania, which can hurt not only the player but also the people around them. When you start to notice that you spend too much time on online casinos and put more money into the game than you should, but can’t do anything about it, it’s time to think about how to block your access to gambling sites. Blocking online casinos is one of those ways.

⚠ Reason to self-exclude from a casino and the main problem

Noticing that playing 🎰 slots, 🃏 poker and other 🎲 gambling entertainments online has crossed the line of common sense and admitting to yourself that you’ve been struck by 🤪 ludomania is already a sure step toward beating the condition.

But admitting the problem doesn’t mean the player will close the casino site and never return, because they know they have trouble controlling their money management. That’s the core of the issue: the voice 💭 inside convinces you that there’s just a little left until a spin with a 💰 big hit or a 💎 lucky deal that will at least let you break even or even come out ahead. The mind paints pictures of 🏆🏆🏆 winning combinations and outcomes of 🎆🎆🎆 bonus rounds with 💵💵💵 big prizes. Those images aren’t baseless-casino streamers and regular players post screenshots and 🎥 videos of wins online.

The growing passion for gambling convinces the player that 👉 they themselves are about to get such a hit,🙆 while it keeps quiet about how 🔣 tiny the chances actually are of catching a prize even on a x200 – x300 bet,😞 not to mention x1000 and above. So the hardest thing is to silence that voice that demands play, insisting that the next thousand is all that stands between you and the jackpot, maybe two… three… and so on.  Before the player knows it, the money that should never have been touched is gone from the casino. 

⛔ How to block your own access to a casino

Unplanned deposits and likely losses are aided by the fact that online gambling is very accessible, especially when the user is already registered on a gambling site, has passed verification, and accumulated certain loyalty points that occasionally trigger bonuses. A couple of clicks in the browser and they’re already in an online casino, and payment systems make it quick to top up the gambling account – a couple more clicks and the funds are available for bets in seconds.

❗So a person who has trouble controlling their gambling – a ludomaniac – can, giving in to a brief impulse, lose funds not intended for gambling in just a few minutes.😟

For example, in the following casinos adapted for Russian users you can block your account as follows:

• in Argo casino you need to write a request email and mention the reason. Support says the issue is handled “as letters are received and does not take long”;
• in Pin-Up Casino you must send the request and reason directly in the support chat and they will deactivate the player’s account within a few minutes;
• in WinRate casino they took a more careful approach to handling self-exclusion. On that site, to limit your access you should click on your nickname to go to the profile page and then press the “Responsible gaming” button, where access to the account is blocked for several days or removed completely.

After you indicate by any available method that you want to 🛑 limit your gambling, casinos stop sending you emails and SMS messages inviting you to play and informing you about current promotions. Also, funds will not be accepted from payment methods you’ve verified to top up the casino account.

Even big operators have problems, glitches, and unintentional rule breaches. But a reputable operator will take responsibility for allowed play during the agreed exclusion period and compensate losses, while if a casino is licensed in Curaçao there’s no guarantee the player’s rights will be fully respected. In that case you can only hope the casino cares about its reputation.
👉 So it’s better to choose high-rated casinos from the gambling sites rating.

And the 🤵 representatives of establishments who ignore such requests usually 👄👂 will tell you that luck will come back, that it’s just a short unlucky streak that will end soon, and offer extra deposit bonuses or no-deposit freebies as support. In short,  their aim is to delay the exclusion as long as possible  while hoping the person will leave more money with them.

Here 👀 is an example 📄 of such a complaint, showing how a player tried to limit themselves but the casino obstructed it.

If you have complaints about a casino, not only about exclusions but also other conflicts, you can file your complaint in the relevant section, and leave your review under the specific casino review from the list of all online casinos.

But we’ve covered blocking access to gambling on one gambling resource; there are about a thousand of them online. Nothing prevents a ludomaniac from registering at another online casino and continuing to deposit for bets. There are dozens of higher-rated sites to choose from, hundreds with average real-player ratings, and thousands of low-rated ones.

💾 Programs to block access to online casinos

Seasoned players know that if ludomania pushes you to play, it’s very hard to resist those urges, and as an alternative to blocked sites they will likely pick other casinos, maybe not the worst in the ratings but mid-tier ones that seem trustworthy and unlikely to cause payout problems. So  for those who want to maximally limit access to gambling platforms, special software can be additional help. 

🆓 Free program to block gambling sites

To make it impossible to visit several hundred or even thousands of online casinos, the  BetBlocker program was developed. The creators’ main goal was to help gamblers protect themselves from the excessive influence of gambling establishments, not to make money.  Therefore the program is free, contains no ads or unnecessary elements, and, according to the developers, no user data is collected.

The program interface is in English, but it’s easy to understand, at least with an online translator. In the main settings you should indicate for how long – from a day to indefinitely – you want to ban yourself from gambling sites and the block is applied for the selected period. The program’s database contains several thousand online casinos and related gambling resources that can also trigger play, and sites that are missing can be added manually.

❕👍➡ Moreover,  if you decide to play and try to remove the block, you won’t succeed.  Restrictions remain in effect until the expiry of the term even if you uninstall BetBlocker. This is very important because when intoxicated or under strong urges to play there may be attempts to place bets you will later regret. Also, if the self-exclusion period is over two months, it does not end automatically. Self-exclusion must be disabled manually and then you must wait another week.

The BetBlocker program is available on the developers’ official site: https://betblocker.org, where you can download it for free.

💵 Paid programs to block casinos

Of course, with a good free program that limits access to gambling sites you’re unlikely to want paid software. But some people may like a paid solution, especially if the fee [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅10)̲̅$̲̅] is not that large compared to the amount they risk losing.

Among paid programs to block online casinos, ✔ Gamban stands out, if only because it was tested by the British organization GambleAware, which fights 🎰 ludomania and selected this program from several options. And by the way, people who turn to that organization for help are allowed to use this software product for free.

There are other software solutions online that prevent access to gambling sites, topping up accounts with real money and playing in casinos.

Of course, if you want to find places to play you can even after blocking online casinos. For example, you could go to real gambling halls. Although gambling is banned in the Russian Federation, underground gambling clubs continue to operate, and in some Ukrainian cities such places used to be nearly on every corner under the signs of sports prediction clubs and lottery associations. But the fact that you have to go somewhere, and to a place that could be raided by law enforcement at any moment, already reduces the urge to gamble.

📑 Additional tips to limit gambling spending

If you realize you can’t control your urges and spend too much on casinos, it’s quite possible that a close person can help by controlling your funds. That can be a friend, brother or sister, girlfriend, wife or even a parent. It’s possible someone in your circle will understand and support the decision to cut down.

🎁 No-deposit bonuses

Many online casinos offer no-deposit bonuses. Using such offers can take the edge off the craving to play and even give you a chance to win money.

Of course, over time, when the no-deposit has been claimed at all known high-rated casinos, that freebie will be limited to offers from new gambling sites. But it doesn’t hurt to check your 📫 inbox, because casinos you deposited at before may add free spins or extra no-deposit offers. If you’re not sure you can resist depositing, it’s best to use casino-blocking software.

ℹ To get points you just need to be active on the site, participate in the forum, leave your opinion about gambling sites and online games, or even run a blog on gambling-related topics.

🔽 Games with tiny bets

♠ Poker freerolls and among friends

Although many poker proponents insist it’s more of a sport and try to exclude it from the gambling category, it still contains elements of chance and moments that cause excitement and an adrenaline rush.  Someone who wants to step away from online slots can consider poker as a distraction  and without spending money.

Also as an option, gather friends and play poker with negligible penny stakes. That’s a fun way to spend time without visiting online casinos.

There are ways to limit or even completely stop gambling. 😊 They vary. The main thing is that the gambler must have at least a small desire to stop 🙃 and a sober assessment of what’s happening. If you have something to 💬 say on this topic, you can post it on the forum, in your personal blog or as a comment under this article. Maybe your words will be very useful to someone. 🤗