How Lock Withdrawals Can Help Prevent
Gambling Addiction
Gambling can be a fun little hobby for many people but for others, it can severely impact their mental health. People develop gambling addictions when they can no longer control their impulses and gamble recklessly, affecting their finances, work and general day-to-day life as well as their relationship with family and friends. And with the rising popularity of online gambling, it’s never been easier to develop an addiction.
Gambling Addictions
Reports have shown that around three to four percent of all Americans have a gambling problem and men are more likely to develop an addiction than women. Meanwhile, it was reported in 2018 that a record number of gambling addicts in the UK were hospitalised in 2017 for their disorder.
According to studies, gambling addictions are linked to the release of dopamine in the brain, where users experience a pleasurable feeling or a rush. The release of dopamine can result in some people wanting more of it, leading them to develop an addiction to the experience where the release of dopamine can be 10 times higher than in normal brains.
This shows just how much of a problem a gambling addiction can be. It can happen to anyone but how can you tell if you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction? According to most reports, users with gambling addictions will feel an urge to spend and wager more in order to experience the release of dopamine. Other addicts may become anxious, irritable or restless when not gambling or reducing their activity. Meanwhile, other people cannot stop thinking about gambling and can even begin to lie and borrow money to continue playing or to pay off debts.
While many websites have shared tips and hints, and even contact information to organisations that can help problem gamblers, there is one method some online casino operators have begun to implement that can keep impulses under control; lock withdrawals.
What are Lock Withdrawals?
Lock withdrawals are a special feature that allows gamers to lock their withdrawals in, preventing them or staff at the online casino from reversing or cancelling withdrawals.
Many online casinos take a long period of time to process withdrawals, causing players to reverse or cancel the transaction to keep the money in their casino account and use it on other games. While this may not sound problematic on the surface, it’s actually dangerous. Numerous gamers have been left frustrated and disappointed with themselves after landing a big win, requesting a withdrawal, cancelling it after several days and gambling everything away. It’s incredibly easy for someone to reverse or cancel a withdrawal and many players fall into the trap because they become impatient. This causes them to use their winnings to experience the rush while potentially losing their winnings and real money along the way.
This is why lock withdrawals are great, they stop customers and casino staff from reversing a withdrawal. This means that once a withdrawal has been requested, it will need to be paid out, allowing players to regulate and control their gambling behaviour.
Online Casinos with Lock Withdrawals
At the time of writing, only select online casinos offer the feature. It can actually be quite hard to find a casino that offers this extra security measure, but they are out there. One of the most popular casinos offering lock withdrawals is Casumo, and all users need to do is request their withdrawal as normal and then load up their recent transactions and hit the lock button. It’s as simple as that, and something this small will end up helping dozens of players from gambling recklessly and possibly even developing an addiction.
The features have been praised by gamers all over the internet and many have called on more casino operators to follow suit. This has led Rizk Casino and Slots Million to also adopt the feature, promoting responsible gambling and preventing any future problems.
The Future of Lock Withdrawals
The rules and regulations of online gambling have continued to tighten. The UK Gambling Commission, the organisation responsible for the regulation of real-life and online casinos, has pledged to continue making gambling fair and safe for players, and since so many users struggle with withdrawal reversals, could the UK Gambling Commission eventually make this feature mandatory?
It’s thought this would clamp down on the number of gamers who develop addictions due to reckless gambling. If this is the case, it’d be great to see this become a permanent feature at all online casinos.