The online gaming industry has just hosted Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, so it makes sense to review what this important issue is all about.

Responsible gambling philosophy advocates at the outset that online gambling should be treated as an entertainment activity. In other forms of entertainment you only spend, whereas in online gambling you will win money back from time to time. But do not look at the activity as a source of income.

Responsible gambling begins even before you actually start gambling. You have to assess how much you can afford to spend on the activity based on your income and the other monetary needs of the family. Online casinos that really practice responsible gambling allow you to set limits on your deposits or betting. If the process has not been clearly specified at the web site, you can check with customer support. You also need to set the time that you will spend on gambling. The best online casinos periodically inform you how much time has elapsed and ask you whether you want to continue.

If and when you are unable to adhere to the money and time limits set by yourself, it is the onset of problem or addictive gambling. The big aim of responsible gambling is to protect players from falling into this. Online casinos will include a self-assessment test or check list in their responsible gambling section. All players should go through this at least once every six months. The questions make you aware of the time and money spent on online gambling and the financial and social implications. If you answer yes to any of the questions then you have stepped into problem gambling. A sample of the questions is given below.

• Are you spending more money or time on online gambling than you planned?

• Do you borrow or steal money in order to gamble online?

• Are you diverting funds from household budget to online gambling?

• Are you neglecting your family and friends because of online gambling?

The immediate step is to activate the cooling off facility provided by online casinos. This means that you will instruct the online casino to prevent you from logging in for the specified period. Online casinos usually will offer a choice in the cooling off period that may range from a few days to a few months. Ideally you should opt for the longest period offered. Again, customer support will help you in this. If the cooling off period has not helped then you should take the more drastic step of self-exclusion, which is permanent. You should then seek professional help to overcome the problem.