Rules of responsible gambling-rules that every LEGAL bookmaker must apply

The rules of responsible gambling must be found on the website of every LEGAL bookmaker in Poland. What does this document cover, what type of records should it contain and how does it actually improve the safety of online bookmakers?

Rules of the responsible game – what does the law say?

The obligation to create and implement special rules of responsible gaming is imposed on each entity that organizes online gambling . The need to prepare regulations of this type was introduced by the amendment to the "act of 19 November 2009 on gambling" adopted on 15 December 2020. according to it, the purpose of the regulations is protecting players from the negative effects of gambling , and above all before gambling addiction . Legal bookmakers must prepare the rules of responsible gaming at the stage of applying for a permit to place online betting and submit it to the Minister of Finance for approval. The regulations should contain the following entries :

- requiring the bookmaker to post on the website offering bookmakers do other gambling in a prominent place:

• information about this, who organizes the game and how to contact him,
• information on authorisations (if legally required) for the organisation of the gambling data, together with its expiry date and an indication of which Authority issued it,
• full game rules ,
• information relating to Prohibition of participation in gambling for persons under 18 years of age ,
• information on risks of gambling addiction ,
• information on institutions that provide assistance to people addicted to gambling - the organizer should provide not only their names, but also links to their websites.

- concerning age verification procedures for players (18 years of age.),

- presenting the procedure for creating an individual player account or a temporary account, the possession of which must be a condition for participating in a particular gambling game,

- concerning mechanisms or tools through which players have the ability to control your own activity on the website used for the game,

- defining, what mechanisms will be used to prevent the player from continuing the game when the funds run out collected in his account,

- having regard to the protection of minors in relation to presentation of commercial information on an online service for the organization of gambling.

After approval of the rules of responsible gaming by the Minister of finance, the betting operator must implement its provisions – that is why this document is so important, because it actually affects the appearance and functioning of the website. The regulations themselves should be posted on the website at the latest on the day when the opportunity to participate in a gambling game is made available, so that each player could get acquainted with it before starting the game .

The rules of Responsible Gaming – How does it really support players?

It is worth noting that the rules of Responsible Gaming are not the same as the general rules, which focus on the Basic Rules of participation in betting and technical aspects of the game, such as the rules betting betting, their settlement, making payments, coupon content, taxes, etc. The rules of responsible gaming apply rules that players should follow in order to avoid dependence on sports betting , and also determines, what methods and tools will be used bookmaker to help them in this. As a rule, at the beginning of such rules, the bookmaker defines betting as a form of entertainment, and not a way to make a living, and warns of the consequences of an incorrect approach to the game. The following points of the rules relate primarily to the various solutions used on the website, which are aimed at protecting players from addiction. They can be divided into several groups discussed below.

Age control of players

The rules of responsible gambling specify how the online bookmaker will check whether the person who wants to bet on the bookmaker is already 18 years old. If, in the case of placing bets at ground points, the employee of the premises can" by eye " assess the age of the client and, in case of any doubts, request an identity document, bookmakers offering odds on the Internet they must ensure reliable verification procedure ages of all players . This implies the need to organize the system of registration of personal accounts of players , during which you not only need to provide data confirming your age, but also send a scan or photo of your ID card, which is the final confirmation. In case of suspicion of the falsity of the provided data or documents, in order to activate the account, it may be necessary, for example, to send additional documents.

Registration of an individual player account

The rules of the responsible gaming must therefore always include a description of the account registration process and a record that it is subject to the possibility to start betting bookmakers in a given online service. Registration of a personal player account involves the need to verify the age of majority of users, but also serves to verify their identity. This is an important issue, because, for example, some players in Poland are prohibited from entering the premises where they are organized gambling and participate in such games in a different way. On the other hand, identity verification carried out through the introduction of a procedure for creating individual accounts allows you to prevent such people from playing online.

Tools to support player self-control

The rules of Responsible Gaming also usually contain a separate chapter in which the bookmaker presents how to make it easier for players to control their own game, i.e. controlling the amount of time the typer spends on betting and the amounts it allocates to betting . First, legal bookmakers use for this purpose bet and time limits . Both players can set a daily and monthly time limit, and if one of the limits is exceeded, the possibility of further play is temporarily blocked until a new "period" begins (in the case of a daily limit, it is another day, and a monthly one – another month). The player can change his individual limit, but most often such a change must be approved by an employee of the betting company. Another way to control your game is self-hanging option your account for a specified time, after which it is automatically suspended, you can also decide to definitively account closure . In addition, if the funds accumulated in the account run out, further play is impossible until the deposit is made, which means that you can not play "on the roof" . Often, the rules of Responsible Gaming also provide for the placement on the site offering betting a clock that measures the time that has elapsed since the player logged in .

Help for addicts

A separate part of the responsible gaming rules concerns assistance to persons who are addicted to gambling or who suspect that they may be addicted. Here, as a rule, you can find specialized test , thanks to which the player can independently check whether he is at risk of addiction to betting. It is enough to answer a dozen questions, choosing the answer "yes "or" no", and in the case of giving a certain number of affirmative answers, it is suggested that you contact an addiction specialist. At the same time, the bookmaker provides names of institutions dealing with the problem of gambling addiction and the addresses of their websites.

Rules of responsible gaming-summary

In conclusion, each responsible gaming policy must take into account various mechanisms that serve to prevent gambling addiction on various levels and tools that allow players to improve self-control of their activity on the betting site. However, the bookmaker must not only prepare good rules of responsible gaming – after approval by the Minister of finance, it must first implement the solutions provided for in it on its website.