Gambling can be fantastic fun, however, it is a lot like alcohol, nicotine, or coffee in that it can get easily addicting. You do not even have to win for it to become addictive. You could consistently lose and find yourself getting addicted.
Online gambling, live casino games or gambling in a brick-and-mortar casino in Vegas, whatever the case you can get easily addicted.
Say you lose a few games, and you accidentally went over your bankroll, you desperately want to make back your losses, but by doing that you lose more, and so you sacrifice more to make it back.
From the outside it may sound like a fool’s errand, but it is something that is all too real and happens all too often in gambling. It is widely common, and leads to a gambling addiction. However, you do not need to win or lose in great amounts to get addicted.
This is why it is so important that you know how to gamble responsibly, and in a gambling capital, such as Las Vegas this is ever so much more important.
What Are The Warning Signs Of A Gambling Addiction?
Part of knowing how to gamble responsibly in Vegas is understanding what the warning signs of a gambling addiction are. Being aware of what the signs are helps you to catch on quicker when yourself or a loved one starts showing signs of an addiction.
Catching on quickly can help you nip it in the bud faster and make it easier to stop. The warning signs are as follows:
- Neglecting friends/ family/ social life to gamble/ because of gambling.
- Gambling in order to escape worry, stress, or trouble.
- Feeling like you cannot stop playing, whether you are winning or losing.
- Gambling becomes a cause of loss of sleep for you.
- You gamble to resolve money problems and financial difficulties.
- When you gamble you do so until you have no money left to gamble with.
- Being depressed, suicidal, or feeling hopeless due to gambling.
Self Limiting/ Self Exclusion
In the State of Nevada, gambling addiction and responsible gambling is taken very seriously. You can request to limit yourself, as in limiting your casino privileges, or you could even voluntarily exclude yourself.
As you enroll in a casino’s self limiting program, you will have guidelines that apply when you visit a casino and any of its sister casinos.
You get restrictions on marker privileges, complementarities, earning points credits, rewards and so on. Your restrictions can help you to avoid addiction, or avoid spending too much money in a casino.
However, if you are on the precipice of a gambling problem you can also choose to self exclude. In doing this you exclude yourself from gambling, banning you from engaging in any activities at a casino or sister casinos relative to gambling.
These bans will last 12 months, and you can request a reinstatement of privileges if you complete a form.
Remember It Is For Fun
Gambling is meant to be fun, it is meant to be like playing any other game, a form of entertainment. Yes, you can win money, and sometimes a lot, but taking it too seriously can lead to problems very easily.
If gambling stops being fun for you, then this is a warning that you are stepping closer to a gambling problem. Much like you would designate funds to spend on a computer or console game, you should designate funds to spend on gambling as well.
This keeps your funds secure and limiting your spending like this, allows you to have fun and avoid addiction.
Never Take Your Bank Card
When you go gambling in Vegas, never, ever, take your bank card, credit card, debit card… whatever card you have. Leave it at home, or in your hotel. Do not take a card with you.
Only take cash with you. Even though we live in a world where card payments and online payments are making the world go round, and cash is a rarity, taking your card can be risky.
If you take your card with you, you may exceed your bankroll set for your gambling activities and end up overspending.
However, if you only take cash with you, you have a set limit and once that cash is gone, it is gone. You are also more likely to spend responsibly if you do this.
Don’t Drink & Gamble
While standing around the Blackjack table with a martini in hand might make you feel like James Bond, you aren’t James Bond, and this is not a movie. Drinking while gambling leads to poor decisions, and you could have the highest alcohol tolerance on the planet, but alcohol impairs your decision-making abilities even when you aren’t drunk as a skunk.
Drinking while you gamble is a great way to lose a lot of money. Most casino games do require strategy in one way or another, and if you are inebriated, you are not going to be in the ideal mindset to be using strategy, thinking properly, and you will make poor decisions that will plummet your bankroll down under.
