The Ukrainian gambling market returned to the legal activity not long ago, more than two years ago. Only in August 2020, the specialized law entered into force, which ended the more than eleven-year of staying of the gambling business "underground".
However, during this long time of operation of the gambling market in the shadows, both players and society in general have formed fairly stable habits and superstitions related to gambling. Currently, when gambling is legalized, we have to gradually eradicate them and bring the perception of the gambling market closer to civilized norms. In particular, this concerns safe and responsible gaming, the concepts that did not make any sense during the underground operation. However, as of today, these are actually the cornerstones of any legal gambling establishment.
That's right, because every sphere of life and activity of a person has its own rules and culture of behaviour. This also applies to gambling. Legal market organizers must guarantee the player the most essential things: safety, convenience and satisfaction with the process of receiving services and the services themselves. And this is not just a whim, but a direct rule of law that all legal gambling companies must follow. In their operation they must adhere to the principles of responsible gambling, which were developed and approved by the national regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, back in September 2021. According to these principles, licensed gambling market operators shall:
· Provide identification of a player or visitor,
· Apply artificial restrictions on the player's participation in gambling to prevent development of gambling addiction (ludomania),
· Guarantee the impossibility of using tools and measures to stimulate the player's loss,
· Promote the improvement of self-control and self-restraint functions of players,
· Provide comprehensive information to the player about the game process and its features,
· Conduct staff training on the mandatory observance of the principles of responsible gambling when working with players and visitors of establishments,
· Establish and maintain decent social interaction with players and visitors.
The implementation of these rules and regulations should guarantee the maximum level of safety and comfort for customers of gambling establishments, because gambling is part of the entertainment industry, and entertainment should not harm people.
Accordingly, if you decide to have fun, do not ignore the main rule of personal safety - always use the services of licensed gambling organizers only.
If you play on illegal platforms or in illegal establishments, then be aware that your personal data is not protected. That is, there is a high risk that information about you, details of your bank cards and accounts can be used for blackmailing, obtaining loans, fraudulent actions. You risk losing money, but you will never cash your winnings. That's how easily and quickly, using, for example, an illegal online platform to play today, you can find out tomorrow that you received a loan and your own real estate is the loan's collateral.
Alternatively, after registering a bank card on an illegal site and making only one transaction in favour of fraudsters, you will soon find out that the balance of the card is zero, and you even lost your overdraft money. And these are only the most common options of what can happen.
I should note that, in addition to commercial gambling companies, which by definition must take care of their own reputation and be responsible for their work, the player must be responsible as well. And responsibility begins with understanding what is legal and what is illegal.