In this article I’d like to share with you the simplest rules by following which you will significantly decrease your chances of suffering from problem gambling.
Problem gambling (ludomania) is an urge to continuously gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. Problem gambling is often defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others, rather than by the gambler’s behavior. Severe problem gambling may be diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets certain criteria. Pathological gambling is a common disorder that is associated with both social and family costs. Problem gambling has F63.0 code in MKB-10 system.
- Before making a deposit at online casino, remember that it’s impossible to always win. In other words, you and the casino have equal chances of winning. The only difference is that the casino has more money. That’s why you must embrace the possibility of losing your money.
- You must decide how much money you can spend on gambling without undermining your budget. Of course, you can lend money from your friends but remember that you will have to give this money back. That’s why you should carefully calculate the amount you can play on. Calculate how much money you spend on food, utility services, and entertainment. If you earn $1000 a month, you can freely spend $100 on gambling. If you would like to play more frequently than once a month, divide this sum by smaller amounts and play every day or every week. As for me, I spend $25-50 on gambling, which doesn’t undermine my financial situation in any way.
- Determine your stop loss. Stop loss is the amount of money you can lose tops before stopping. This term came into casino gambling from poker rules. In fact, stop loss is the amount that you spend according to point 2 (see above). However, many players – especially those in their losing streak – ignore this tip and keep making deposits. As a result, they lose a large sum of money and receive no pleasure. Remember: if you lost – that’s it, game over.
- Determine you stop-win. Wow! Congrats! You won some money! Which means it’s time to withdraw it. Remember one thing: if you keep playing out of greed, the possibility of losing increases with every bet. It is true that the longer you play, the larger are your potential winnings, but these situations are rather rare. Sometimes, if I win $50 on a $50 deposit, I withdraw my $50 and keep playing. If I lose, I keep my money at least.
- Find yourself another hobby. Of course, you may be a person of many interests that gambles from time to time and purely for pleasure. But sometimes your luck seems to have abandoned you: every next deposit results in a loss. In this situation, you should stop playing immediately. Otherwise, you’ll lose control and spend more money on deposits than you are supposed to. Switch to sport, music, parties – whatever works for you!
- Never forget about your loved ones. If you are too submersed in gambling, you may ignore your family – the most important part of every person’s life. Spend as much time as you can with your parents, friends, girlfriend/boyfriend.
- If you won a significant amount of money, buy yourself or your family something useful, something you’ve been dreaming of for a long time. You won’t have the impression that your money is lost without a trace.
- Remember that money is just money. Don’t get upset if you lost (within the pre-set budget, of course). You were prepared to lose and you lost – that’s it!
