Healthy gambling equals responsible gambling. This habit should be your utmost priority whenever you are playing at online or land-based casinos. However, becoming a healthy gambler isn’t that easy — there are principles you must follow. Keep reading this article to learn more about responsible wagering rules.
#1 Set a Budget Before You Start
The first step toward playing in a healthy way is setting a limit. If you want to play online slots, set a budget and a betting cap for each spin. These limits should also correspond to your playing style.
If you want to remain casual, maintain a small bankroll. However, a high-roller would go for a bigger budget and bet limits. Your ability to maintain a budget and not overspend counts positively towards healthy wagering.
#2 Never Chase Your Losses
This rule is important for both low and high-rollers. Gambling results are often down to luck — that’s the truth. For instance, providers use Random Number Generators (RNGs) to determine the results of slot spins. RNG undermines just that — a completely random outcome that cannot be influenced or altered.
So, you will definitely need to be lucky to win slot plays. According to this view, there’s no point in chasing losses if wins stop coming. Instead of trying to win your money back by betting funds repeatedly, you can take a short break and resume play later.
Chasing losses commonly leads to financial ruin. So, to maintain healthy playing, you have to deter this habit.
#3 Treat Gambling as Entertainment, Not Income
The terms and conditions of online casinos often state that these sites are not financial institutions — and that’s how you should treat them to succeed.
Playing is the source of fun and entertainment, not money. When you begin to see online casinos as a way to earn your living, you step on the way of problem wagering. Instead, be realistic and have as much fun as you can.
And, after all, today’s casinos do serve their initial task well and offer plenty of ways to engage you. Let’s take this LuckyOnes casino, for example. It gives you and extra boost of 20,000 AUD as you start playing, engages you with its elegant interface, and keeps you in with an immense number of available games — there are almost 10,000 titles listed.
#4 Set Time Limits
One way to ensure a healthy approach is by utilizing responsible gambling tools. One of the most important measures you can leverage is the time limit. This resource allows you to set the amount of time you wish to spend on your playing activities.
Betting is only a part of your life and shouldn’t take the time meant for family or building your career. Time limits will help you avoid burnout through regular breaks.
Like the idea of responsible gambling tools? There are some other you can leverage, including time-outs and self-exclusion periods.
#5 Avoid Gambling When Emotional
Playing with emotions is pretty much destructive. Whenever you are under stress or pressure, your judgment becomes significantly impaired. This way, you will often make wrong decisions. Doesn’t sound like healthy approach, right?
#6 Know the Odds
You must understand that every online casino has an edge, an advantage over you. The best you can do is bet strategically to combat the effect of that house edge. Once you know the odds stacked for and against you, you can manage your expectations and prevent reckless wagering.
#7 Never Gamble With Borrowed Money
Borrowing money to gamble shows you already have problems. So, it’s the right time to seek help or intervention at this stage.
The golden rule here is to wager only the money (your money) you can afford to lose. Borrowing money to play bets will eventually adversely affect your personal life and relationships.
#8 Balance Your Activities
Maintaining a balance between one’s personal and gambling life is key. Healthy wagering means combining your playing sessions with other real-life activities.
Feeling like you faced imbalance? Start fixing the issue today. Spend more time observing your hobbies and socializing than you gamble. This way, you can keep perspective of how the real world operates. Seek help if your habits start to keep you away from your normal life activities.
#9 Monitor Your Behavior
You must keep track of your habits. Try your best to be honest with yourself. Know what you are doing right or wrong.
Keeping a journal is usually a convenient solution for this purpose. If you notice just a slight trace of problem wagering, seek help immediately.
For healthy play, pay extra attention to the following:
- How long do you spend gambling daily?
- How much do you spend on bets?
The excessiveness of these two factors may be a sign of addiction. Get help immediately.
#10 Know When to Walk Away
You must be able to stop playing, especially when you are on a winning streak. It means you shouldn’t get greedy. If stuck in a loss loop, do not chase it; walk away.
Furthermore, if you have passed your set-budget, quit. Having control is important for maintaining healthy gambling habits. Nevertheless, do not shy away from seeking help if you feel the need to.