Everybody loves the thought of winning a million dollar jackpot, but the most important question of them all is, are you gambling safely?
With thousands of dollars in real money wins players get more and more attached to the thought of winning rather than playing for the joy of it. Gambling was originally created as a form of entertainment to bring everyone together and the plus side was winning a tiny gift. People weren’t as bothered of winning the prizes but rather they wanted to win to have the title of being a winner and that was fun. Winning a title was also more important due to the winning prizes didn’t use to be so exciting as nowadays. When gambling was first introduced into the world the prizes were only gum or a bottle of coca cola.
Ask yourself, would you still play if you could only win a fizzy drink? If the answer is yes, then you are playing for all the right reasons.
Unfortunately, due to having an addiction, gambling has become one too. People also seem to think gambling is a solution to their financial problems which is never the right reason. As going online and spending more money that you don’t have is a very irresponsible way of playing and avoiding to do so can save a lot of heartaches. Players that play in desperation, seem to forget that the chance of winning are very slim.
Luckily, most reputable gambling operators follow a system that picks up on addictive gambling signs that the legislators have made sure that licensed casino or sportsbook companies follow tightly. If you recognize any of these signs, it is most likely that you have a gambling addiction:
❖ Losing interest in your own personal and work life
❖ Constantly gambling and trying to find the next opportunity to gamble
❖ Trying to find money elsewhere due to own financial losses to gamble
❖ Withdrawing from your loved ones
❖ Constantly borrowing money to back to someone else for borrowing money
❖ Making excuses and lying about where the money has gone
❖ Going into serious financial debt due to not being able to pay bills or mortgages
❖ Becoming depressed in between episodes of not gambling
❖ Drinking more due to not gambling
❖ Spending wins on gambling again to try and win more each time
If you see a friend or a family member suffering from these signs, reach out and make sure that they get help. There have been cases where addictive gamblers have been so addicted to gambling that they’ve lost their houses and have in some rare cases led to suicide due to the inability to pay back debts and the shame of losing their finances. Make sure an addicted gambler enters self-excludes themselves from all gambling operators and enters a Responsible Gambling Program. It could also be a good idea that they go to counseling.
To make sure you keep your gaming responsible and exciting, this is what you can do:
❖ Always budget carefully by setting a limit on how much you’re allowed to gamble. Never gamble beyond what you can afford. If you can’t afford to wager at the moment then you can play on the ‘test’ mode where you get a ‘fake’ amount to play with. Or you can put away small bits to save each week and allow yourself to gamble once a month. Online operators tend to have a system that you can follow too so you are always making sure you have limits set. If you’re playing offline, take an affordable amount of money out of your account and leave your bank card at home.
❖ Make sure you always gamble in social circumstances as gambling alone can be a sign of being addicted.
❖ Set a betting amount, a certain amount of time and a day where you’re allowed to gamble. By doing so you’ll be looking forward to the next time you can enjoy your hobby.
❖ Never ever try to win back losses.
❖ Never try to win money because you need to pay back debts.
❖ Avoid gambling and drinking alcohol. Being drunk impairs your decision making and can lead to spending too much money.
❖ By opening up a separate account where you can save bits of money into allows you to gamble without worry as you can’t overspend if you decide to continue to play.
❖ Play one pokies game at the time as otherwise, you can possibly overspend if you’re playing multiple games.
❖ “Don’t play with money that you don’t have” – Never ever borrow money to gamble with.
❖ Always gamble when you’re happy to celebrate good times. If you gamble when depressed or angry you can cause yourself to make irrational decisions.
By constraining your spending and following a system or a set of rules, your gambling becomes much more fun and without worry.
It’s important to share your experience if you are suffering from a gambling addiction. The shame of debt can make it hard to reach out to people. But remember that the people who love you will always want to help you to get better. Trust that your loved ones are there for you rather than suffer alone.
If you still feel like you can’t reach out to your friends or family members, then reaching out to other gamblers in forums can be a good idea. By talking to someone who has gone through the same experience as you can be very reassuring as they’ll understand what you are feeling. If you don’t want to reach out to other gamblers via forums then you can reach out to the gambling operators customer support team via their live chat that is open 24/7h. They are always online and happy to help if you are having worries and they never judge. The people on the live chat are very friendly and will happily listen to your issues. By asking the person behind the live chat to go through the self-exclusion process is the best way to start your process to become a happier and more responsible gambler.
Always remember that you should never feel pressured to gamble. Gambling is a personal choice where he or she should never feel forced to do. If you feel like the only way to make friends or to see your friends is through gambling then you are probably not meeting the right kind of people. Never get sad if you lose, losing is part of the game. Winning is the most exciting thought but remembers it is a very slim chance to take home a jackpot. To make sure you are betting your money on the right kind of real money pokies game, check what RTP (Return To Player) percentage the game has as the higher the percentage is, the better (we would recommend that you play with a Return To Player percentage of 99%, as that is the maximum).
If you can see that a gambling operator is allowing people underage to gamble, contact the authorities. Always make sure that people are gambling at a minimum of 18 years of age.
Most casinos have a team of experts available to help a gambling addict instantly. We are committed to informing our readers to help themselves and other players to gamble responsibly. By taking some of our written information onboard you could save yourself or someone else from some serious financial loss. Always be willing to help your fellow gambler as it doesn’t hurt to make sure that gambling continues to be harmless and fun.
Making sure that you feel in control is the best piece of advice that we can give. If you feel unsure in any way, don’t play. Never put yourself in a risky situation by taking chances. Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Although gambling can be harmful, it is very much the opposite as there are millions of people who gamble daily all across the globe. There is no reason why you can’t gamble if you have a healthy relationship with your finances and expenditure.
If you treat gambling as a form of entertainment then you are actually more likely to win. This means that you can play more regularly and one day, out of the blue, win thousands of dollars of happy and responsible money.
The number of gamblers that profit from gambling is very small and the gamblers that take home a jackpot is even smaller.
To improve your chances of winning smaller amounts, you can follow certain tips such as mentioned play a high Return To Player game, play on maximum pay lines, always use your bonus and promotion offers, use your free spins rounds, play on progressive jackpots and join in on casino tournaments.
By avoiding to play often you lose the expectation and the feel to need to win. So pacing yourself and only playing so often is a brilliant way to keep it being entertaining. It says it all if you are not enjoying gambling anymore because when the fun stops, it is time to stop altogether.
Something that many people don’t talk about is the amount of time addictive gamblers can spend on gambling games. You don’t have to lose money and get into financial difficulty to become a gambling addict, you can also become an addict by spending too much time on casinos or at a sportsbook. It’s not a hobby anymore if you are starting to avoid your friends or family members. There are addicts who spend a great deal of their time playing on the ‘test’ pokies versions where no money needs to be spent. So keep an eye out for the addicts that start avoiding their responsibilities and loved ones because this is most likely the beginning before they start spending money on the gambling games. Make sure you help them by controlling the amount of they spend on gambling.
Keep in mind it is equally important to control how much time you spend on gambling in the same way you control how much you spend. Taking regular breaks is more than sensible and keeps your gameplay exciting as you might start itching to play until next time.