Limits and Bans: Real Help or Just the Illusion of Safety?
Every time I come across deposit limits that are supposed to help fight gambling addiction, I’m convinced these measures bring more harm than good.
In the UK and many European countries — for example in the Netherlands, Sweden, or Belgium — regulators impose strict caps on deposits and stakes, demanding more and more documents to “prove” that a player can afford to gamble.
The result is predictable: irritated players move to offshore operators where there’s no regulation, no requirements, and no protection. Here’s a recent report on the growing popularity of the offshore market in the Netherlands.
Who Decides How Much I’m Allowed to Lose?
Why should anyone else decide how much of my own money I can lose? If I consciously choose to spend part of my income on casino play, the regulator shouldn’t interfere.
Yes, this opens up a minefield: how can we be sure a person really understands what they’re doing and doesn’t suffer from addiction? But gambling addiction is far from the only form of dependency.
The Addictions Nobody Talks About
Loot boxes in video games. Teenagers spend real money chasing random digital prizes. It’s gambling in its purest form, with no clear RTP and zero oversight. In Belgium loot boxes are officially recognized as gambling.
Scrolling in social media. Algorithms keep us hooked for hours, fragmenting our attention — completely unregulated.
Food and sugar addiction. Millions die every year from diabetes and related diseases. Entirely legal, hard to diagnose early, and the damage shows up decades later.
In the UK there’s a slogan: When Fun Stops, Stop. But in reality this applies to everything — alcohol, smoking, gambling, food, even sports. Any activity can become a way to escape real problems.
Treat the Disease, Not the Symptoms
We shouldn’t focus on banning behaviors and creating restrictions. What actually works is education from early childhood: developing critical thinking, discipline, self-control, financial literacy, and health awareness.
Teaching people how to recognize problems and seek help, instead of creating an illusion of safety through limits and paperwork.
Regulation in the U.S.
I like how some U.S. states approach regulated gambling. They provide voluntary tools for self-control, and you decide whether to use them. Players get reminders about their results every hour. Nobody asks where your money comes from or whether you can afford to play.
If the money is already in the bank, it’s the bank’s job to verify its source. Deciding whether you can afford it or not is your responsibility. This way, players stay in the regulated market instead of leaving for offshore. But for these tools to truly help against addiction, education is still necessary.
One of my friends lost $500k in just two days at a New Jersey–licensed online casino. He knew exactly what he was doing — chasing a jackpot with positive expected value. The casino didn’t intervene, and in an ideal world that’s how it should be.
The Power of Education
One of my favorite books is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It tells the story of an American mountaineer who got lost in the mountains of Pakistan and ended up in a village where children were studying outdoors, scratching letters in the dirt with sticks.
Without schools, many of them would have been sent to madrassas where kids were turned into fanatics. Mortenson built a school there and devoted his life to education projects in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He understood that only knowledge and education could become a real alternative to extremism.
Conclusion
Bans and restrictions create nothing more than an illusion of safety. Real protection lies in education — teaching people from an early age to understand their weaknesses, control impulses, and make conscious choices. This applies not only to gambling but to life itself.
What do you think? Should regulators keep tightening control, or should we invest in education instead? Share your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear your perspective.