A day does not go by when someone does not contact us about using Optenet PC to control their own Internet problem — gambling problem, pornography addiction, compulsive shopping or just someone who is spending too much time online. Many, want to get help but they are embarrassed and do not want anyone to know about their problem, especially someone close to them.

So while we think it’s possible to benefit from involving a friend or family member in overcoming any addiction problem, we understand, sometimes it is not possible. We have created two new services in order to help adults, who want to be discreet about their problem with Internet use, no matter what type of problem it is — gambling, sex, buying too much, addicted to Facebook . . . Now, we can help you to install and not be tempted to find a way to uninstall or turn off the web filter.

Set and Forget Your Web Filter Password
The Optenet PC web filter uses a password mechanism in order to prevent unauthorized tampering with the web filter settings. When it is installed by the administrator, that person can set it up and later go in and change the settings, turn it off or uninstall. It is important that any software installed on a computer can be uninstalled, if necessary.

With Optenet PC, you can now set the password yourself, even if you have installed it in order to prevent your own access to certain sites. Using a random password generator on our support page, you can create a password that you will not remember. Then copy it to the installation (you are asked to set the password during the installation) and you have a password but you will not remember it and not be able to us it yourself to uninstall the web filter.
In addition, to setting a random password, during the installation, you also need to define an email to which the password will be sent in case there is a need to recover the password. At any time, it is possible to request that the password be sent. Therefore, there are two choices:

1. While you may not want to have someone install the Internet filter for you and to be involved in helping you, you may feel comfortable to ask a friend or family member to use their email for this purpose. By entering their email for the password recovery, it means that IF you ever request the password, it will be sent to them. You only need to provide them with instructions of if and when they should provide the password to you.

2. If such an arrangement, as described above, does not suit you, it is possible to use the Optenet PC Sponsor Service. We will assign you an email to enter during installation and any password recovery email that you will request, will be sent to our staff. This way, you enjoy total discretion in using the web filter to block access to whatever websites or categories of content you need to.

For more information about using the Sponsor Service or questions about how to use Optenet PC to protect yourself, contact us at customersupport@optenetpc.com.

For detailed explanation of how to install Optenet PC and how to set and forget the password, watch the Optenet PC support videos.

I frequently correspond with online gamblers seeking solutions to stop themselves from gambling. They face a difficult situation. They can’t totally eliminate the Internet from their life but the temptation to gamble online can be too hard to resist. Some people are not able to get professional help or if they do, are still faced with the difficulty of having easy access to gambling online wherever they have an Internet connection. It’s just too easy to gamble online whenever you are on the computer. Imagine a recovering alcoholic being forced to be around alcohol while he is just getting started working on recovery. It would make it much harder.

Some customers have reported trying out other software solutions before deciding to use Optenet PC as their gambling filter. I wanted to share the feedback they have offered and to share some of my own insights. It seems like products dedicated solely to filtering gambling sites are using a questionable method of protecting their software from workarounds – -they refuse, under any circumstances, to allow the user to uninstall the software. While I can understand why they do this, as a technology professional, I am concerned about the risk of installing any software that can not be uninstalled. Consider how complicated computers are and the potential problems. Imagine if Bill Gates had a no uninstall policy for Windows! I think such a policy takes advantage of the desperation of the user:

1. I am not going to install one of these other gambling blockers because I know I can’t uninstall it. But I am wondering how clear that is to the users who do install. Do some people install without knowing what they are committing to?
2. Some may think it is a good way to prevent any possible workarounds. First of all, we hear from some of our users that they managed to find a workaround to those other programs. That is not surprising since nothing can truly be 100% full proof. But I think it may be a lazy solution to avoid needing to handle password protection.
3. Those solutions may be most appealing to the gambler who wants to keep his problem quiet and try to solve it on his own. With a gambling block that can not be uninstalled, the gambler does not need to enlist the help of a sponsor or acquaintance. But we actually think it is important to involve a sponsor, even if this causes some initial discomfort for the gambling addict.
4. There are always going to be potential good reasons to uninstall — not satisfied with product, need to move the license to a new computer, need to sell the computer, decision to use another product, software conflict with other applications requires removal . . . If you have a sponsor with the password, that person is capable of deciding if the reason is valid and can reinstall when the time is right.

On one of the sites I reviewed for a Gambling blocker, I could not find a way to contact the company – not by phone and not by email. That really concerned me. I also searched for how to uninstall these programs and found many frustrated users posting on forums. Granted, some are frustrated because they want to gamble and can not but most seemed to have run into genuine problems with no technical support to assist them.
Bottom line — in theory, it may seem like a good idea to help a compulsive gambler by placing a gambling lock on their computer that can absolutely not be removed. But in reality, software has bugs, no one can predict possible problems in a given installation and no matter what the condition of a customer, if they don’t want to use a product, they need to have the right to uninstall. Preventing workarounds can be easily rectified by bringing a sponsor on to help the problem gambler and be responsible for the web filter.

How to stop gambling online

Gambling on the Internet is as easy as playing a video game. A Google search, a click and you are there. It is easy for anyone to start gambling on the internet. No real proof of age is required and all you need is access to a credit card. So it is no surprise that the Internet has inspired a tremendous increase in gambling and in turn, in problem gamblers.
Online casinos, bingo, poker, sports betting, etc. are all available from anywhere at anytime, and it is easy to look get started with gambling without anyone knowing – at school, at home, at work, anywhere. Read the full story

The risks of compulsive gambling are many – losing money, losing friends, losing a job and even losing your family. Google tells the story in a 30 second video – and gives the solution to stop gambling online. Watch the video now!

There is a lot of information offered online about treatment to stop gambling, advice for gamblers that want to quit, gamblers anonymous , stop gambling forums, etc. Ironically,you will find many articles that offer advice to people who want to quit gambling on actual gambling and betting websites.

Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a cynical use of Internet marketing techniques to attract relevant traffic to gambling sites. The casinos know that if someone is addicted to gambling and he lands on their website, he is more likely to gamble on their site than other visitors. Further, when someone is looking for a solution to their gambling problem, they are weak and vulnerable. They are seeking help because they are desperate, but at the same time, all it might take for them to start gambling at that moment is a trigger – like landing on a site where they can gamble.

Don’t be fooled. It’s not that the gambling sites are interested in helping problem gamblers that end up there. It’s precisely the opposite – they are looking to attract people at their most vulnerable moment.  Here is how it works:

Read the full story