Responsible Gambling

Gambling is supposed to be a form of entertainment, but it can be quite addicting. If gambling has become a problem for you, use the following resources to get help and learn how to control it.

Problem Gambling Canada
Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario

Gamblers Anonymous
Contains information about the fellowship support group and its programs for compulsive gamblers.

Gamble Aware
Being responsible about gambling means knowing whether to gamble and how much money or time to spend.

GamCare UK
GamCare provides support, information and advice to anyone suffering through a gambling problem.

Tips for avoiding problems stemming from gambling

• Only gamble for entertainment, when it stops being fun, stop playing.
• Don’t chase your losses, chalk it up to bad luck and walk away.
• Figure out a gambling budget and stick to it.

If you start feeling the urge to gamble, and it’s more of a craving than just wanting to enjoy playing some games, find something else to do for a while. Same goes for when you start losing and getting angry, just walk away and do something else for a while. An angry gambler is not a smart gambler. I know because I used to get very angry, I hate losing, but it’s a downward spiral if you don’t cool down for a bit. The casinos aren’t going anywhere, so there is no need to spend your entire gambling budget for that week/month in one sitting, and the odds of winning aren’t going to change after a couple days. Just because you plugged a bunch of money into one game, doesn’t mean it has to pay you back any time soon. There are payout percentages for each game but they are calculated over a long period of time, or millions of spins in the case of slots (online and slot machines at Brick&Mortar casinos).