Healthy Gambling Habits

Although gambling often has a bad reputation, there are absolutely ways to gamble in a way that is healthy and safe for you. While the exact healthy habits that can help you vary from person to person, there are some general rules you should abide by.

Having a budget, limiting alcohol intake while playing, and setting time limits are all healthy gambling habits you should adopt. Read on to learn more about healthy gambling habits.

1. Have a Budget

First and foremost, it is impossible to stay in control of a gambling habit if you don’t set a budget and stick to it. Generally, we recommend choosing a budget that is an amount of money you are comfortable losing entirely. For some people, that’s $50 a week; for others, that may be $200.

Professional recommendations include gambling no more than 1% of your total income annually. If you find yourself surpassing that amount, it may be time to reconsider your budget.

2. Limit Alcohol Intake While Playing

Drinking and gambling are two habits that often go hand in hand. While gambling doesn’t physically affect your body negatively, drinking does. This means you should review how much you are drinking as you play, and limit it whenever possible.

While the amount of alcohol your body can handle varies from person to person, it is critical to note that alcohol can lower inhibitions as you play. Therefore, even if you are normally a heavy drinker, we recommend limiting your intake to two drinks as you play and saving your heavier drinking for another time.

3. Set Time Limits

Setting time limits for gaming is important as surpassing these limits (or ignoring them) may be the first sign that you are headed into problem gambling territory. Professional recommendations are that you should never gamble more than four days per month or about once per week.

We encourage you to take these limits a step further, by setting hour limits as well, especially if you are playing online. Unfortunately, while online gambling is fun, easy, and convenient, it is also easier to get sucked into when you don’t have the energy of other people around you to remind you just how long you’ve been playing.

If you need help limiting yourself, check out these tools that help limit gambling.

4. Take Breaks

This healthy habit is a bit tricky, but basically, we recommend that, no matter what time or budget limits you set, you also ensure you set times for breaks as well. This isn’t just breaks as you play, but weeks each year where you forgo playing. Not only does this help keep your mind fresh, but it also keeps you from becoming complacent and sliding into an addiction without noticing.

Generally, even if you decide to gamble every Friday, breaks should come naturally—when you head on vacation or have a friend’s birthday party. If you find yourself turning down these natural breaks because you’d rather be gaming, you should definitely worry.

5. Focus on Two Games Maximum

This may seem odd, but problem gamblers often find themselves using any excuse to gamble—no game or wager is too small or too lackadaisical. As such, we recommend focusing your time and energy on playing only two different games maximum. Not only will this ensure you are able to master these games over time, but it will also give you proverbial “bumpers” to recognize when things are headed in a bad direction.

For example, if you love poker, only play poker and maybe bet on sports on the weekends. If you love blackjack, then only play blackjack, unless you want to spin a few slots between tables. Either way, you have one main focus and one side focus, and ignore all of the other games.

6. Know Your Reasons for Gambling

The only good reason to gamble is because you want to have a good time. If you find yourself gambling because you need money, or feel “off” if you don’t head to the casino, this is a bad sign.

Never gamble because you are sad, mad, or lonely, as this can affect the choices you make as you play. Remember, gambling can be healthy and fun as long as you are in the right mindset. If you find yourself in the wrong mindset, it’s better to skip the casino until you are in the right one.

7. Don’t Chase Losses

We know this is in every article we write on this topic, but it is the truth. You should never continue to gamble just because you lost and need to make the money back. The reality is, you will likely never make the money back, and you will only lose more. Losses are losses.

If you find yourself only playing because you lost and the big win “must be coming,” this is a very bad sign. We recommend taking a break, or walking away, ensuring you don’t have the opportunity to make bad decisions in your compromised state.

8. Maintain Your Other Hobbies

Most problem gamblers report gambling as their only hobby, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to walk away if a problem forms. Remember, gambling is a form of entertainment and nothing more.

Whatever hobbies you had before you started gambling, take the time to ensure you maintain them. Invest money in them as well, just as you do in gambling. Also, we recommend joining local groups and meetups for these hobbies, as it can give you another way to keep yourself in check.

If you ever find yourself skipping these meetings, or beginning to neglect the hobby to fill the time with gambling, it is probably time to ask for help.

Overall, we enjoy gambling as a fun source of entertainment, but we know the risks of addiction are high, especially in those who find themselves easily addicted to drugs or alcohol. Use this list to create healthy gambling habits early on so you can recognize when your fun habit is becoming a problem and seek help before it is too late.