One thing there is no shortage of on the internet is opportunities to gamble. We are spoilt for choice, whether your fancy is for betting on sports, playing virtual cards or bingo. One of the things that makes internet gambling so potentially dangerous is that it is easily available for 24 hours a day.
The real danger comes once you combine this factor with the truth that it is very easy to feel detached from the truth of money spent online. Gradually racking up a debt online does not feel the same as handing over hard earned cash from our wallet, so it is that much easier to lose track of how your online spending is mounting up.
For these reasons, debt problems from internet gambling are on the increase. In this posting I hope to clarify a few of the legalities around online gambling, and also providing some advice on dealing with the underlying problem and the debts that derive from it.
Legal Issues Around Gambling Debts
When we talk about debt from online gambling you should be clear concerning the nature of your debt, because who the amount of money is owed to does change lives. People are often unsure concerning the legality of debts from online gambling. In the UK you can gamble legally on credit and incur a debt, but this debt isn’t then enforceable through the law.
However, there is a significant point to make here, that is that this only applies while you are using credit extended by the company offering the gambling (casino, bookie, etc). If you are using a credit card company to cover internet gambling, that is a legally enforceable debt exactly like it would be in any other circumstance, because you have borrowed money from the charge card company, not the casino. It is now against the law in america to use a charge card to pay for online gambling.
You will find that many credit cards will regard a payment to an internet gambling website as a cash advance. This is then clearly borrowing money from the card issuer and the debt you incur could be pursued through legal action. If you do use a credit card to pay for online gambling this way, you should be aware that cash advances on credit cards are almost always charged at a much higher interest than normal credit for purchases.
HOW TO APPROACH Debts Caused By Gambling
In working with gambling debts, there are two separate issues to tackle. One may be the debt itself, and the other is the habit of gambling that resulted in the debt. Even if bucin4d is dealt with, it is likely to build up again if the primary cause is not tackled too. Let us 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 income or paying anyone to cope with your debt for you. These courses of action will probably deepen your debt in the long term.
With a little advice, it is possible to deal with your financial situation yourself, by contacting creditors and agreeing terms for repayment that 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.