There are many top-quality online casinos all across the world today offering great games to players. However, some people struggle to control their gambling and they can get into trouble. GamCare helps these people by providing them with the help and resources that they need.
What is GamCare?
GamCare was started in 1997 and it is the number one destination for advice, formation, and support for anyone who is dealing with gambling-related harm. It is the operator of the National Gambling Helpline in the UK. It also helps to provide treatment for any person who is suffering from gambling harm, as well as helping raise awareness about gambling addiction issues.
It also seeks to encourage a more effective approach to the topic of safer gambling inside the gambling sector. GamCare issues a certificate to online casinos that pass their standards for responsible gambling.
Why play at non-GamCare casinos?
For one reason or another, some people prefer to play at casinos that are not certified by GamCare. As the casinos with GamCare certification are usually always UK-based, they will often carry with them a lot of restrictions that have been imposed by the likes of the UK Gambling Commission. This can include tight rules on verifying the source of funds and strict betting limits.
Therefore, a lot of people prefer to have more flexibility when playing at online casinos. The GamCare casinos often have strict rules on the likes of slot games, such as slow spin speeds, no auto-play, and limits on stakes. Bonus offers can often be a lot better at non-GamCare casinos also.
Is it safe to play on non-GamCare casinos?
There are definitely plenty of non-GamCare casinos out there today that are safe to play. While they mightn’t hold a license in the UK, they often will have a license from another respected authority somewhere else in the world. This ensures that the casino is meeting some sort of compliance standards.
If you are using non-GamCare casinos, it is important that you do your research and make sure that you are dealing with a legit offering. This can be done by looking at expert reviews and by seeing what certifications the platform holds. You should look to see what sort of encryption technology is used to keep player data safe. Also, make sure that there is a good record of GamCare paying out withdrawals on time and that there are no red flags about their operations.
What is the difference between GamCare and GamStop?
GamCare is an organization that aims to raise awareness about problem gambling and to promote responsible gambling across the sector. It currently does not offer a self-exclusion program. Instead, it provides resources to teach people about problem gambling and to help them get treatment for these issues.
When GamCare certifies a casino, this means that they follow responsible gambling guidelines. GamStop on the other hand is a self-exclusion list that you can join in order to block yourself from using the participating online casinos. All online casinos that are licensed in the UK need to be a part of GamStop.
Pros and Cons of non-GamCare casinos
Pros
- Limited verifications: While there is a need for a certain level of identity verification in a lot of online casinos, oftentimes the GamCare casinos do too much verification checks and KYC procedures. This is not something you need to deal with when using non-GamCare casinos.
- Credit Cards: GamCare casinos do not allow you to use credit cards to make deposits. There is no such restriction in place on non-GamCare casinos, which is going to be a draw for a lot of players.
- Fewer restrictions: With non-GamCare casinos, you often do not have many limits on bet sizes and bonuses, meaning that you can enjoy your gambling a lot better in many cases. It will often be easier to cash out bonus offers and to play bigger stakes on games.
Cons
- No GamStop: With non-GamCare casinos, there will not be any GamStop self-exclusion possible. This is because GamStop only covers UK-licensed casinos.
- Some missing options: With non-GamCare, there will often be some major game developers that will not supply games to these sites. There may also be some payment methods that are unavailable, such as PayPal.
Other Self-Exclusion schemes
GamStop is not the only self-exclusion scheme in the world today. As it only covers UK-licensed casinos, there are different self-exclusion options on offer for non-UK casinos. A lot of the non-GamStop casinos have their own self-exclusion schemes that you can join.
Other regulatory authorities are also in the process of developing similar large self-exclusion programs. Finally, you can use certain software like Gamban to block the likes of online casino apps and websites from your different devices.
Conclusion
GamCare definitely does a lot of good with its work in helping people to deal with their gambling problems. They also help to create awareness around the topic, with the goal of protecting people as much as possible. GamCare certified casinos take responsible gambling seriously. However, this does not mean that every casino that is not certified by GamCare does not do the same.
There are many non-GamCare and non GamStop casinos out there today that promote responsible gambling at the same time as not putting a lot of restrictions on your playing experience. There are many safe and secure platforms for you to check out and get started with playing your favorite online casino games.
Leave a Reply