One thing there is absolutely no shortage of on the net is opportunities to gamble. We are spoilt for choice, whether your fancy is for betting on sports, playing virtual card games or bingo. One of the items 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 fact that it is very easy to feel detached from the reality of investment property 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.
For these reasons, debt problems from internet gambling are on the increase. In this posting I hope to clarify a number of the legal issues around online gambling, along with providing some advice on dealing with the underlying problem and the debts that result from it.
LEGALITIES Around Gambling Debts
When we talk about debt from online gambling it is very important be clear concerning the nature of the debt, because who the amount of money is owed to does make a difference. 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 an important point to make here, that is that this only applies when you are using credit extended by the business offering the gambling (casino, bookie, etc). If you are using a credit card company to cover internet gambling, that is clearly a legally enforceable debt the same as it would be in any other circumstance, because you have borrowed money from the credit card company, not the casino. It really is now against the law in the US to use a charge card to cover 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 company and your debt you incur can be pursued through legal action. If slot do use a credit card to cover online gambling this way, you should be aware that cash advances on bank cards are nearly always charged at a much 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 is the debt itself, and the other is the habit of gambling that led to 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 problem of paying off the debt.
The principles for tackling debt are nearly always the same, irrespective of the sources of the debt. To permanently deal with debt you should not be considering borrowing additional money or paying anyone to deal with your debt for you. These courses of action are likely to deepen your debt in the long term.
With a little advice, it is possible to deal with your debts yourself, by contacting your creditors and agreeing terms for repayment that you could afford. There is clearly more to it than that, but it is beyond the scope of the particular article. The process is easy and allows you to get back control of your finances.