Responsible game playing
We all take risks, and gaming is a special type of risk that is exciting and fun. For most people who like to play Casino games, gaming is fun.
The temptation to try your luck or get a quick win can be insurmountable. It can happen that each win will be accompanied by new bets and, if a person loses, they will desperately continue to play, hoping that «big winnings» are not far off. The longer this continues, the more the person is drawn into the game.
- Have you jeopardised an important or significant relationship, education, work or career through gaming?
- Are you trying to recoup after losing by continuing the game, or are you going back to the game quickly after a series of losses?
- When you win, do you have a strong desire to come back and win even more?
- Have you ever lied, stolen or borrowed money in order to have money for gaming?
- You don’t want to spend money planned for the game on anything else, do you?
- Have you ever gamed longer than you planned?
- Have you ever used gaming to escape anxiety, frustration or depression?
- Are you feeling depressed or suicidal because of gaming?
- Is gaming the reason for your debts?
- Have you ever sold your own or your family’s property in order to get money to play or to pay off gaming debts?
The more positive answers you give to these questions, the more likely you are to have serious problems with gaming.
- Take responsibility for yourself. Don’t try to escape your problems.
- Be honest with yourself first, and then with the people around you.
- Talk about the problem with someone you trust, be it a family member, friend or mentor.
- Take regular breaks to keep in touch with reality, stand up and give up gaming.
- Consider setting limits on withdrawals.
- Talk to the Casino manager, they will understand. The Casino manager has experience in this area and will be able to help. There are several options the Casino administration can use to help you control your gaming addiction.
- Ask the Casino manager to bar you from the Casino. Suspensions should last three to six months.
- Stop gaming while you are struggling with your addiction.
- Look for patterns in your behaviour. Do you play when you are bored, under stress or pressure?
- Use a calendar and mark the days when you haven’t played so you can track progress.
- Ask someone you trust to run your financial affairs for a specific, pre-agreed period.
- After a certain period without playing, reward yourself by spending some of the savings.
Don’t rush things. Stay optimistic. You can beat this addiction. Some players are unable to go back to gaming without losing control, while others eventually can and are able to control their gaming.
If there are people you know who are irresponsible gamers, please show them this information.
