How to Deal With Problem Gambling Issues

Gambling should never be thought of as a way to make money. Instead, gambling should be thought of as an entertainment expense, similar to purchasing a movie ticket.

Gambling should only ever be done with money you’re ready to lose. Always gamble within your weekly entertainment budget, and not with your rent or phone bill budget.

Set a money limit beforehand. Decide the exact amount of money you can afford to lose before playing. If you lose that amount, you stop playing. If you win, consider yourself lucky, but don’t be disappointed if your winning streak ends.

Set a time limit in advance. You can easily lose track of time when gambling. Set an alarm or time limit, and when time is up, quit. Chances are, the time you spend gambling, the more money you will likely lose.

Never chase losses on betting sites. If you lose your set money limit and try winning some of it back before leaving, you actually haven’t set an actual money limit. Chasing losses usually leads to increasingly bigger losses.

Don’t gamble when you are upset or depressed. It can be more difficult to make decisions when you are emotionally upset or stressed. Always ensure that you gamble when you are feeling clear headed and happy.

Balance gambling with other activities. If gambling becomes your only form of entertainment, it’s highly unlikely you are doing it for the fun of it, and it actually might be a problem. Ensure that gambling is not your only pastime.

Never take your bank card with you. This can be a highly effective way to safeguard your money limit and not allow your being “in the moment” cloud your judgment.

If you use the Casino Cash Deck, consider setting daily financial limits within your means by limiting the amount of money that you can withdraw at the cash deck.

Take breaks regularly. Continuous gambling can cause you to lose your perspective and track of time. Step out to eat or get some air at regular intervals.

Take alcohol responsibly. Alcohol can easily cloud your judgment, and good judgment is essentially your main line of defense against allowing your gambling to get out of control.

Self-Exclusion

If you think that you are spending too much time gambling, ask staff for additional information regarding self-exclusion schemes.

Self-exclusion refers to asking to be excluded by the gambling operator from gambling activities with them for a certain period of time, with 6 months being the minimum exclusion period. The vast majority of gambling operators have this option available, which allows any customer that follows the procedure to ask for self-exclusion.

If you decide that self-exclusion is for you, please also consider calling the National Gambling Helpline to speak to an advisor that can offer you free, confidential advice and counseling. While self-exclusion can be helpful, it can be more effective if you also call them.

The National Gambling Helpline can provide support, advice, and information in over 200 languages. Call them and ask for help in your preferred language. Advisors will let you know where counseling can be offered across the country and in other languages.

How self-exclusion works:

People enroll voluntarily in schemes to exclude themselves from all the land-based casinos in the country.

– You will be excluded for a period of at least 6 months.

– You will be removed from all marketing databases and won’t be contacted during the self-exclusion period.

– You are not allowed to leave the scheme before expiry of the minimum exclusion period.

If you join a self-exclusion scheme, you agree that:

– The information provided to join the scheme will only be shared with operators within that specific scheme.

– You will steer clear of venues from which you have self-excluded.

– It’s up to you to adhere to the self-exclusion agreement, but the company and the staff will do everything reasonable to help you. If you happen to visit a gambling location that you have self-excluded from and identify yourself as having being excluded or are recognized, you will be requested to leave and other venues in the scheme will be informed.

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