Responsible Gambling

The growth and expansion of the online betting market in the United States is a reflection of a culture that values and lives the emotions of sports, as American fans are known worldwide, but it also presents the need to educate our users and the importance of ensuring safety and awareness when adopting online betting practices in a healthy and conscious manner.

Odds Scanner is a platform exclusively intended for users over 21 (twenty-one) years of age in most states. Access and use of our site by minors is expressly prohibited, in accordance with state regulations. For this reason, we do not promote, encourage or allow the use of our services and content by persons under the legal gambling age in their state.

For responsible gambling practice, we remind our users and readers that it is essential to understand the risks involved in betting, so as not to turn what should be entertainment into a habit that harms your health and life. Before placing sports bets, you should:

• Set time and money limits: determine how much time and budget you can dedicate in your daily routine and in weekly and monthly planning. With the increasingly accessible sports events calendar, you can anticipate and organize yourself for sports betting practice, without compromising other important responsibilities in your life, such as work, money and quality time with family and friends.

Explore the tools available on betting platforms and the features available at your trusted bank to set transfer limits on banking apps and organize fixed values for practice.

• If you decide to bet, do it only for fun: betting should be for your entertainment, just like going to the movies or dining out, and not to make money or solve financial problems as a form of leisure and entertainment.

Try to understand if this is an ideal practice for your stage of life and your skills, so that you don’t make impulsive decisions and increase the risk of developing a gambling problem.

• Don’t try to chase your losses: the feeling of frustration when we lose a game is very common, however, trying to recover your losses with new bets can be dangerous. This attitude can lead to more losses, and increasingly larger ones, becoming a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. Don’t increase your bets in the hope of making up for what you lost previously.
• Explore the tools available for Responsible Gambling: betting platforms offer features that can help you keep your gambling conscious, healthy and responsible. Check out some of our favorite features:
  • Deposit limits: Set daily, weekly or monthly limits for the amount you can deposit into your account.
  • Loss limits: Set a maximum amount you are willing to lose in a given period.
  • Activity alerts: Set up alerts to monitor time and money spent on betting.
  • Self-exclusion: If you feel you are losing control, use the self-exclusion tool to temporarily or permanently block access to the platform. Don’t hesitate to use this tool as a preventive measure.

Always prioritize emotional control and the priorities of your routine:

Don’t allow sports betting to become a practice that takes over your thoughts, your routine or affects your personal and professional relationships. Seek out and maintain your other hobbies, maintain your interaction with friends and family and fulfill your obligations. Avoid betting when you’re feeling vulnerable or emotionally affected.

Don’t bet under the influence of alcohol and drugs:

Betting under the influence of alcohol, drugs or at times of great emotional stress can lead to impulsive and irresponsible decisions. Avoid sports betting if you are in these conditions.

Gambling problems can manifest in various ways, affecting not only finances, but also mental health, relationships and personal and professional life.

Be alert if you identify the following signs in yourself or in people close to you:

• Excessive and persistent preoccupation with gambling: Are you planning future bets, recalling past bets or constantly seeking information about games and results? In scenarios where there is excess, gambling becomes a persistent thought, even when you are involved in other activities.
• Difficulty concentrating: Obsession with gambling makes it difficult to concentrate on everyday tasks, such as work, studies or conversations.
• Irritability or anxiety: You may feel irritated, anxious and restless when you are not gambling or when you are prevented from betting. This feeling of emotional withdrawal is a strong indicator of dependence.
• Urgency to bet larger amounts: You perceive a growing need to bet larger amounts of money to feel the same thrill or “recover” previous losses. The initial bet value no longer seems sufficient to satisfy your desire to gamble.
• Persistent attempts to recover losses: After losing, you feel an uncontrollable need to bet immediately to try to recover the lost money. This cycle generally leads to even greater losses.
• Hiding gambling activity: You lie to family, friends or spouse about how often you gamble or about the value of your bets. You try to hide bank statements, deposit slips or online betting history.
• Making up excuses: You create excuses to justify lack of money, delays or absences from commitments, when in reality you were gambling.
• Social isolation: You may begin to distance yourself from friends and activities you previously enjoyed, dedicating more time to gambling and preventing others from perceiving the extent of your problem.
• Difficulty balancing accounts or even indebtedness: You begin to have difficulties in meeting basic expenses, such as rent, electricity, water or food bills, due to gambling losses. You resort to loans, credit cards or borrowing money from friends and family to finance your bets, creating a cycle of growing debt.

There are various resources available to help people with gambling problems. If you identify with one or more of these signs, or if you are concerned about the gambling behavior of someone close to you, it is essential to seek professional help.

Check the available resources:

• National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER): Connects you with local resources and provides support 24/7 via phone, text, or chat.
• National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG): Provides a range of resources, including answers to commonly asked questions, a gambling behavior self-assessment, and information about treatment.
• Gamblers Anonymous: A fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strength, and hope with each other to solve their common problem and help others recover from a gambling problem.
• State-specific resources: Many states have dedicated problem gambling councils and helplines that provide localized support and treatment options.
• American Addiction Centers: Offers specialized treatment programs for gambling addiction.
• Psychology Today Therapist Directory: Helps find therapists specializing in gambling addiction in your area.
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline: A free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders, including gambling problems.

Since May 2018, sports betting has been permitted by the Supreme Court in the United States, provided it is regulated by the states. Currently, 38 states (plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico) offer legal sports betting in some format, with others in the process of legalization.

There are 30 states that have online sports betting via either smartphone apps or websites, including DC and Puerto Rico.

Regulation is state-based rather than federal, creating a fragmented landscape of rules. Each state has its own regulatory body and specific requirements for operators, including responsible gambling measures.

Recent legislative proposals aim to allocate revenue from online sports betting to support responsible gambling and youth sports. The SAFE Bet Act proposes measures such as:

• Prohibition of credit card deposits
• Daily limit of five deposits
• Mandatory financial capacity checks

The regulatory framework continues to evolve as more states legalize online betting, with operators facing new tax rules, compliance requirements, and responsible gambling standards across different jurisdictions.

State gaming commissions work to ensure that licensed operators implement responsible gambling tools, provide clear information about risks, and offer self-exclusion programs to protect vulnerable players.