One thing there is no shortage of on the internet is opportunities to gamble. We have been spoilt for choice, whether your fancy is for betting on sports, playing virtual card games or bingo. One of the things that makes internet gambling so potentially dangerous is that it’s easily available every day and night a day.
The real danger comes once you combine this factor with the truth that it is so easy to feel detached from the reality of money spent online. Gradually racking up a debt online does not feel the same as handing over money from our wallet, so it’s 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 this posting I hope to clarify a few of the legal issues around online gambling, and providing some advice on dealing with the underlying problem and the debts that result from it.
LEGALITIES Around Gambling Debts
When we discuss debt from online gambling it is important to be clear about the nature of your 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 is not then enforceable through regulations.
However, there is a significant point to make here, which is that this only applies while you are using credit extended by the business offering the gambling (casino, bookie, etc) . If you use a credit card company to pay for internet gambling, that is a legally enforceable debt exactly like it would be in any other circumstance, as 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 lots of credit cards will regard a payment to an internet gambling website as a advance loan. This is then clearly borrowing money from the card issuer and the debt you incur can be pursued through legal action. Should you choose use a credit card to pay for online gambling this way, you ought to know that cash advances on bank cards are almost always charged at a higher rate of interest than normal credit for purchases.
How To Deal With Debts Caused By Gambling
In working with gambling debts, there are two separate issues to tackle. One may be the debt itself, and another may be the habit of gambling that resulted in the debt. Even if your debt is dealt with, chances are to develop again if the primary cause is not tackled too. Let us first consider the issue of paying off the debt.
The principles for tackling debt are nearly always the same, irrespective of the sources of the debt. To permanently cope with debt you should not be considering borrowing more income or paying anyone to cope with your debt for you personally. These courses of action are likely to deepen your debt in the end.
With a little advice, you can deal with your financial situation yourself, by contacting your creditors and agreeing terms for repayment you can 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 get back control of your finances.
