One thing there is no shortage of on the net is opportunities to gamble. We have been spoilt for choice, whether your fancy is for betting on sports, playing virtual cards or bingo. One of the items that makes internet gambling so potentially dangerous is that it’s easily available for 24 hours a day.
The real danger comes when you combine this factor with the fact that it is very easy to feel detached from the reality of money spent online. Gradually racking up a debt online does not feel the identical to handing over money from our wallet, so it is that much easier to reduce track of how your online spending is mounting up.
Therefore, debt problems from internet gambling are on the increase. In the following paragraphs I hope to clarify a number of the legal issues around online gambling, and providing some advice on coping with the underlying problem and the debts that derive from it.
seven4d Around Gambling Debts
When we talk about debt from online gambling it is very important be clear about the nature of the debt, because who the amount of money is owed to does change lives. People are often unsure about the legality of debts from online gambling. In the UK it is possible to gamble legally on credit and incur a debt, but this debt isn’t then enforceable through regulations.
However, there is a significant point to make here, that is that this only applies while you are using credit extended by the business offering the gambling (casino, bookie, etc). If you are using a credit card company to pay for internet gambling, that is a legally enforceable debt the same as it would be in virtually any other circumstance, because you have borrowed money from the charge card company, not the casino. It is now against the law in the US to use a credit card to pay for online gambling.
You will find that many credit cards will regard a payment to an internet gambling website as a advance loan. That is then clearly borrowing money from the card issuer and your debt you incur can be pursued through legal action. If you do use a credit card to cover online gambling this way, you should be aware that cash advances on credit cards are nearly always charged at a much higher interest than normal credit for purchases.
HOW TO APPROACH Debts Caused By Gambling
In working with gambling debts, you can find two separate issues to tackle. One is the debt itself, and the other may be the habit of gambling that resulted in the debt. Even if your debt is dealt with, it is likely to build up again if the root cause is not tackled too. Why don’t we first consider the problem of paying off the debt.
The principles for tackling debt are often the same, irrespective of the sources of the debt. To permanently deal with debt you should not be considering borrowing more money or paying anyone to deal with your debt for you personally. These courses of action will probably deepen your debt in the long run.
With a little advice, you can deal with your financial situation yourself, by contacting your creditors and agreeing terms for repayment you could afford. There’s clearly more to it than that, but it is beyond the scope of this particular article. The process is straightforward and allows you to take back control of your finances.