Gambling can be a fun and exciting form of entertainment – but it can also be harmful if you lose control. Responsible gambling is about balancing your gambling with other activities and responsibilities in life.
Time seems to move differently when you’re gambling, so it’s important to set and stick to a time limit. You should also avoid chasing your losses by betting more to make back the money you’ve lost.
Know your limits
Gambling is an enjoyable form of entertainment but it is important to know your limits and stick to them. If gambling starts to interfere with your relationships, work or general health then it may be time to seek help.
It is important to set a money limit before you start gambling and only play with money that you can afford to lose. It’s also a good idea to use tools like bet trackers and betting diaries to keep an eye on how much you’re spending.
People who gamble regularly are more likely to experience harms but even occasional gamblers can still suffer from problems. There are many different types of harms caused by gambling and the risk increases with certain traits or circumstances. These include:
Set a time limit
A time limit is a tool that helps you keep gambling from taking over your life. Gambling should never become a substitute for things like paying bills, getting work done, or socializing with friends and family. By setting a daily time limit, you can stop yourself from becoming addicted to gambling.
Keeping track of how much time you spend gambling is important for a number of reasons, and there are many tools available to help you do this. However, the most important thing to remember is that gambling should be used for entertainment only – it should never become a way to cope with emotional or physical pain. Thankfully, most reputable online casinos have built-in responsible gambling tools that allow players to set and adhere to their own limits. These include deposit, loss, and betting limits. They also often offer 24-hour cooling off periods.
Don’t chase losses
When gambling, it’s important to know that you will have great winning streaks and some harsh losing ones – this is the nature of variance. If you find yourself tempted to chase your losses, that’s the time to walk away and have a break from gambling.
Attempting to win back money you’ve lost is an indication that gambling is no longer a fun and entertaining form of entertainment but instead a compulsive behavior that has serious consequences. This behaviour can lead to debt, relationship problems, loss of employment and depression – all things that can have negative long-term effects on your life.
To avoid this, always gamble with money that you can afford to lose and never bet more than you can comfortably lose. It’s also a good idea to mix up your leisure activities so that gambling isn’t the only thing you do for entertainment. In addition, it’s important to understand the odds when placing a bet.
Don’t gamble when you’re under the influence
Gambling can be a lot of fun, but it is important to treat it like entertainment and indulge only in moderation. It’s also important not to gamble when you’re feeling angry, lonely, depressed, or upset. This can lead to making bad decisions that result in bigger losses, and can even cause suicidal thoughts. It’s also important to never gamble when you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This can impair your judgement and make it difficult to resist the temptation to continue gambling in order to recoup your losses.
If you’re struggling with a gambling addiction, it’s important to recognize your triggers and seek help as soon as possible. For many people, problem gambling is a serious issue that interferes with their goals and relationships and may even threaten their life. In some cases, it’s more than just a gambling addiction – it can also be a problem with alcohol or other drugs. If this is the case, you should seek treatment at a specialist clinic.
