Gambling addiction is a big slashing scar on the face of the industry. The Harvard Medical Review estimates that one to two percent of all gamblers in the United States are addicted. The US Congress has used gambling addiction as a moral cause to outlaw internet gambling. This is a hypocritical lie, since they allow for online betting on pari-mutuel races and online lotteries, but that's irrelevant. They are still played the righteous card to pass the anti-internet gambling bill. I've been focusing on addiction this past week in my articles because it an unfortunate reality for some, and as such it is an important issue for the entire industry. Yesterday I wrote about two players and their stories of addiction. Today I am focusing on how to avoid becoming addicted. The fact of the matter is that while one to two percent of players are addicted that leaves ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of all players who are not addicted. What traits do these people have which keep them from becoming addicted? In a hyphened word, self-control. The most important part of playing, even more important than knowing the strategy of the game, is knowing when to walk away from the table, wheel, bookie, or slot machine. Good money management is essential and I can not stress this point enough. Whatever you need to do to make sure that you walk away when you have reached your limit is what you need to do. Always set your limits before setting foot in a land-based casino or entering an online casino, poker room, or sports book. That means figuring out how much you have to play with in total, making sure that you are spending your entertainment money only. You should never risk your rent, food, or bill money. In other words, you need to have a budget. Only play with what you can afford to lose. If that is twenty dollars then I strongly suggest you play online and make sure that you play at low cost tables (dollar and under). If slots are your game then you are in luck as there are plenty of penny and nickel slots and twenty dollars is enough to last you for hours of entertainment. Setting your maximum loss amount isn't enough, there's also a maximum win amount which is of utmost importance. It's winning which starts the addiction, strangely enough, so walking away once you've won is really important. It's incredibly difficult. You will argue with yourself, 'well I want to win more, so why should I leave?' and you should leave exactly because you are thinking that, because what you should be thinking is 'that was a nice win, I can stop now.' Set your maximum win amount, and make sure that it’s a realistic one, like 25% over what you started with, and once you reach that amount (or if you get lucky in one hand and go way over) walk away. I can not stress this enough so I'll say it again. Once you have reached your maximum win amount go home, close the computer, leave. Don't go back to the land-based casino, online casino, sports book, or poker room until you have calmed down and set a new reasonable maximum loss and win amount. Time is also a factor in gambling. The longer your gambling session the more likely you are to become addicted. Never play longer than three hours without a break, and when I say break I mean more than ten minutes for a smoke outside (you shouldn't be smoking anyhow, it’s a horrible habit). I mean a serious break with food and other people and talking and time. Actually a maximum of three hours per gaming session day would be good, but if you're in Vegas for a weekend you won't want that, so instead of three hours a day just take a long break. 'Lilly', the Australian woman at the party I went to last Friday who was the catalyst for the last three articles I've written (including this one) told me that she never brought her credit card to a land-based casino. She was afraid once she got started she would start charging it up and not be able to stop. That is a clever woman. Know and accept your limitations, we all have them, so if that is what you need to do in order to keep yourself from going over the edge than do it. I know my husband wishes I wouldn't take the credit card with me when I go shopping. I've been known to make the occasional compulsive buy which has left me saying, 'why did I just spend all my money on that?' It’s a natural human reaction to excitement. You want to get more. It’s just not all that helpful to your pocketbook, so if you know that this is a trait you have, go with cash only and lock your credit card and ATM card somewhere deep inside your home, far away from the computer. Deposit only with Neteller and make sure you only deposit what you can afford budget wise into your Neteller account. Finally, if your family has a strong history of addiction simply avoid gambling completely. It's not worth it to risk your financial health and the wealth of your loved ones for a game. People with addictive personalities can get addicted to nearly anything and it does seem that this trait is hereditary. The easiest way to never get addicted is to never start. If you love casino games you can always play for fun free forever online. You don't have to play for real and risk becoming addicted. Part of gifts that professional gamblers have is good money management. They know when to walk away from a table and how to accept that they are simply having a bad day. They don't chase their losses with bigger bets and they don't play out their winnings. They walk away when they win, thus having enough money to live and to play again another day. Posted on: October 16, 2006
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