Gambling online is a form of entertainment but it’s one that can very easily spiral out of control if you don’t approach it in the right way.

We’re going to take a look at some of the measures you should take before gambling online.

Get in the right headspace

When you gamble, it is important that you’re in a good place mentally before starting – you shouldn’t gamble if you are drunk or feeling depressed/low. You must understand that the odds are stacked in the casino’s favour and there is a very, very high chance that you will lose your deposit.

You must play casino games for entertainment and NOT as a way to earn money or to try and dig yourself out of a financial crisis – this is essential. Really understanding this point is absolutely crucial.

If you are experiencing financial problems, please check out the Money Advice Service website for help.

Set your limits

This should be the first thing you do whenever you create a new account or when you log in.

Setting it early stops you chasing losses and if you get particularly triggered playing a game, it can stop you from chasing a bonus round or something similar.

Get yourself verified

Before you stake a penny, get your account verified. We cannot stress enough how important this is.

It is expected to soon become law that verification must be made before a deposit – at the moment the casinos are perfectly able to take a deposit from you without verifying your account but as soon as you want to withdraw they must verify the account, meaning you need to send it documents to prove you are who you say you are.

By pre-empting this move, you’ll save yourself time when you want to make a withdrawal so you’ll get your money faster and it may stop you reversing a withdrawal whilst you await verification.

If you have self excluded at a different casino to the one you’re playing at, it’s always worth getting verified before playing just in case the casino is part of the same group, most of the time this is picked up during registration but there is nothing worse that winning something nice then being told you cannot withdraw because you’re self excluded at a sister casino.

Take a timeout, especially after a big win or loss

Good casinos, such as Videoslots, will allow a player to take a short time out without having to self exclude.

This is particularly good advice when you have either just suffered a big loss and also when you’ve had a good win.

If you win big, withdraw your money and just take a break for 24 hours or so – let it sink in, don’t be tempted to think you’re on an unstoppable streak so you must keep going for more. Timing yourself out after a big win also stops you logging back in and reversing the withdrawal.

If you lose big, it may be time to consider using Gamstop or permanently excluding yourself from the casino.

Understand how Video Slots work

Online slot games are not like pub fruit machines – there are no tricks or cheats, you cannot ‘force’ it to pay out.

Slots work using random number generators, every single spin is random and there are hundreds of millions of spins over a slots lifetime which help it to achieve its targeted RTP.

You can have, although unlikely, 100 losing spins in a row just like you could have 100 winning spins in a row. You could trigger the bonus on your first and second spin, or you may not trigger it for 500 spins.

There are no ‘rules’ for online slot games other than it must meet its RTP. It doesn’t have to give you a bonus after 1000 spins, the chance of you hitting a bonus on your 1000th spin is exactly the same as it was on your first spin, it’s never ‘due’ – this is why you simply should not chase bonus rounds or losses. Plus, even when it does come it doesn’t mean it will pay well.

Please click the button below to visit Gamstop if you feel that you are not in control of your gambling.