PGA Tour celebrates start of Responsible Gaming Education Month

Editor’s note: Birches Health is the leading national provider of Problem Gambling treatment and Responsible Gaming resources, offering specialized support from the privacy of home, covered by insurance.

After a thrilling finale to the FedExCup Playoffs, September officially marks the start of Responsible Gaming Education Month. Held every September, this annual campaign led by the American Gaming Association (AGA) aims to educate and empower both customers and employees with the knowledge and tools to engage with sports betting and fantasy sports responsibly.

The PGA Tour’s efforts around Responsible Gaming Education Month are already underway, including a new PSA video that highlights some key tips:

• Whether you're playing golf or placing a bet, luck is part of the game.
• Playing "smart" doesn't happen by chance. Discipline, including sticking to a betting plan and pre-determined budget, are important factors.
• Betting within your means and adhering to a pre-planned strategy are the keys to ensuring a fun experience while playing.

Importance of Responsible Gaming

Encouraging responsible play is a year-round focus of the Golfbet team and the PGA Tour as a whole. Throughout this season, the “Responsible Gaming” section of the site has featured fresh content every month, highlighted by:

• Guide to betting on PGA Tour golf responsibly
• As parlays rise in popularity, moderation remains key
• Signs of problem gambling: Recognizing at-risk behaviors

Top Responsible Gaming tips and best practices

The start of Responsible Gaming Education Month is a great time to run through some reminders about best practices for playing responsibly. These recommendations aim to keep betting healthy and sustainable for those who wish to take part. Let’s run through some of the most important tips.

• Don’t chase losses: Expert therapists at our partner Birches Health have stated that “chasing” losses is the at-risk behavior that they have seen most frequently in individuals in recovery for problem gambling. This generally involves betting more – additional bets and/or larger amounts – in an attempt to win back what had been lost.
• Bankroll management: Your “bankroll” can be thought of as a betting budget and needs to be an amount that you can lose entirely without it impacting your financial wellbeing.
• View sports betting as paid entertainment: Statistically you are likely to lose money in the long term when gambling. Therefore, it’s wise to approach it as an entertainment expense, similar to going to the movies or attending a sporting event. If you end up winning, it can be a pleasant surprise, but winning wagers should never be something you are dependent on financially.

Set limits in your betting apps and sites: Most sportsbooks nowadays allow users to set limits that the app or site will then enforce if you try to go past them. The main limits that you can set are deposit amounts, individual wager amounts and time spent per day on the platform. Limiting features should be utilized by all players, as they can either block or at minimum force you to think twice about taking those actions, acting as an additional set of guardrails to help you keep your play in check.

Gambling addiction treatment and resources

Despite the best efforts to spread awareness about Responsible Gaming in September and throughout the rest of year, there’s still a chance that you or someone you know may end up facing betting-related problems. Therefore, it’s important to know that there are specialized treatment options and programs available.

Birches Health has the leading gambling recovery program in the United States, with the largest nationwide team of therapists who have been specially trained to help individuals dealing with gambling addiction and related mental health challenges. The entire process is quick, confidential and insurance-covered for most clients, thanks to partnerships with the largest insurance companies and state government organizations. The Birches recovery program is available online in all 50 states from the privacy of home.

To connect with a Birches Health care specialist, you can click here or send an email to help@bircheshealth.com.

September is Responsible Gaming Education Month. For more information on how to put together your sports betting game plan, visit haveagameplan.org/pgatour.