In years gone by, gambling and bingo sites had a bit of a bad reputation. To try to get rid of this stigma, many bingo operators are going down the route of providing responsible gambling, but what does this mean?
Clear Terms and Conditions
Advertising Standards and regulators are cracking down on the T&Cs that we see on bingo sites. Unclear terms or misleading advertising is definitely not responsible and sites should always explain the terms of their offers. The image below shows how one of the more prominent bingo sites, Rocket Bingo, displays welcome offer T&C’s in a highly visible way to those wanted to play their casino and bingo games.
Some brands will provide you with additional information in their bid to be ethical and responsible. If you think terms are unclear on a site or they’ve advertised falsely then you can make a complaint to the regulator.
Links for Support
There are many bodies that have been set up to provide information and support to problem gamblers. Part of the remit of a responsible bingo site is being watchful and providing links to these organisations. There should also be the option to ‘self-exclude’ from a site, which is a measure players can take to block themselves if they think they have a problem.
You may think an operator would be happy with a player suddenly splashing out a lot more than usual, but this is a clear red flag and cue for them to step in. The negative press that surrounds bingo sites that don’t protect their players is huge, so it’s in their best interest to provide this support.
Security Checks
The last thing a responsible bingo site wants is someone using a payment method or identity fraudulently to play with them. They should ask for identification and require users to pass checks to be able to play or withdraw money. Some players feel these measures are restrictive but the fact is that they help prevent fraud.
For bingo sites to continue to operate, they also have to take a stand against underage gambling. This has become a hot topic in recent years, prompting more stringent proof of identification checks.
Great Customer Service
Let’s face it, no matter how hard a bingo site tries to prevent it – sometimes mistakes are made. This is where customer service should step in and help the player, rather than just banning them. Lots of players don’t realise that a bingo site can ban you at any time, something which less responsible sites have used to deal with players in the past.
Support teams should be up front and inform a player of what’s going on from the start. We’ve seen sites in the past attempting to cover up errors or ignoring players, neither of which are useful.
The industry is moving towards more ethical and responsible gambling which is great news. This means bingo sites will be allowed to operate with less hindrance and for longer.