Each of us needs some escape, some kind of “safety valve” to clear our thoughts and relieve stress. Some choose physical sports for this purpose, such as running, dancing, or working out at the gym. Others find peace in yoga and meditation. Others escape into handicrafts and, for example, spend hours making candles, soaps, decoupage, or sewing. There are also those for whom entertainment will be computer games or visiting online casinos.
In reality, there are as many ways to relieve stress as there are people. Whatever you choose, each method is good if you maintain moderation. Although it is rather difficult to imagine addiction to sports or handicrafts (although, of course, it is possible), it is much easier in the case of gambling. How do you know that from carefree entertainment, playing in a casino turns into a dangerous addiction?
You play more often than at the beginning
You play more often than at the beginning when you started your casino adventure; you visit them sporadically, from time to time. Later, you appeared regularly, once or twice a week. Now you are here every day… This is, of course, the simplest scenario. In reality, for some players, it will take a month to achieve it; for others, three years, and still, others will not reach the last point.
It all depends on the player’s attitude towards the game. However, in order not to become addicted, set the days at the beginning of the month when you plan to use gambling (no matter whether in the form of an online or land-based casino, bookmaker, or scratch card). This way, you will not only see how many days a month you devote to this form of entertainment, but you will also be able to control your pleasure if you stick to this schedule consistently.
You play longer and longer
Gambling addiction does not always have to manifest itself in players playing more and more often. There are addicted gamblers who only play a day or two a week, but once they sit down at the table, they can’t stop.
Another worrying sign is the increase in gaming time. If you devoted an hour to casino entertainment at the beginning, and now it takes up half a day or night or the whole weekend, it is a sign that you should slow down a bit. A good way would be to enter the planned gaming time into the schedule from point one and stick to it consistently.
You increase your gaming budget
Extended time spent playing in an online casino usually means increased spending on this form of entertainment. How does it look in practice? You plan to spend a maximum of USD 50 on online slots on a given day. However, when push comes to shove and you lose that money, you deposit another USD 50, and then another. This is the easiest way to become addicted. At the beginning of the game (or at the beginning of the month, if you prefer), plan a specific amount of money in your spending that you can spend on gambling. If you don’t win anything, well, you’ll try again next time. Remember that gaming should be primarily entertainment, not a risky addiction.
You’re trying to get back
Increasing the budget for the game often results not only from the desire to spin the reels. Gamblers often play more and more, hoping they will finally win back. This is the worst thing that can happen. Usually, not only do they not win the dream jackpots, but they also lose everything they deposited. If you did not manage to win within the set budget, give up – it is not your day. Depositing additional money can only make this situation worse.
Playing at an online casino (and any gambling game) is supposed to be fun. When you start spending your days trying to figure out how to win back your losses, that’s a dangerous sign that you’ve gone too far into gambling.
Instead of spending time with your family, you spend time at the casino.
No one says that casinos are only for singles. Everything can be reconciled, even household chores with gambling. The problem arises when, for example, on Saturday, instead of taking your children on a promised trip, you look for an excuse to stay home and visit a casino. Or you go with them, but you always play on your phone on your favorite online slot machine.
It’s all good when you can separate these things, but if you notice that the game is becoming more important than family or friends, be careful.
You are violating savings
You’ve lost your entire budget during the game, and there’s not much left in your account, but you feel like you’re about to get your revenge. Without thinking, you check your savings account, where you had money set aside for a vacation trip. After all, if you withdraw a “hundred,” no one will notice, you’ll top it up when you pay out…
Unfortunately, it works a bit like an open bag of candy. If you take one, no one notices. And before you know it, you’re left with an empty bag. Remember, savings are for a specific purpose. Treat them as an iron reserve that you can’t touch, especially for something as enjoyable as gambling.
Casino instead of work
The old saying goes that the worst thing that can happen to a young person is a big win in a casino at the beginning of their adventure. There is some truth in this. Could there be anything more beautiful than the moment when you deposit USD 5 into a slot machine and win 500? It sounds wonderful, but unfortunately, such luck happens very rarely. However, this does not change the fact that many people see casinos as a way to make easy money.
This is another dangerous sign that you are getting closer to addiction. Over time, some players justify increasing their funds for gambling by saying that it is an investment that will surely bring profits in time. Moreover, some even conclude that it is not worth working, since they can earn more in a few moments at the casino than in a month at work. If you catch yourself thinking similar thoughts, review the remaining points again.
Fascination or already obsession?
After you finish playing, you can’t fall asleep because you’re analyzing what happened. Or maybe you find yourself thinking more and more about slot machines you haven’t tried yet and opportunities you need to take advantage of in the casino instead of work and everyday matters.
Everything is fine if you enjoy the game like a good movie. It can be dangerous when thoughts about gambling start to fill a larger part of your life. Remember – moderation is the most important thing in everything.
High roller and risky loans
Over time, some players, even though they have not done this before, are tempted by high profits and start playing for higher and higher stakes. Unfortunately, they usually do not consider that the higher the possible win, the less often it occurs, and thus they lose more and more money. This, in turn, can lead to a situation in which they start taking out loans to play because “in the end, you will win and a lot of money.” And unfortunately, this often ends differently.
Mood fluctuations because of gambling
As you get deeper into gambling, your emotional state shows signs of your wins and losses. You may feel high or a surge of excitement after winning, and in case of a loss, you may get irritated, angry, or even feel a deep disappointment. It is this emotional dependence on the outcome of gambling that can become self-generated, with variability in well-being based upon an inherently unpredictable activity. Quite easily, this can cause several mood swings. In due course, these feelings spill over to other facets of life and start impacting relationships and job performance.
Losing interest in other hobbies or activities
While gambling became central in your life, you may have had many hobbies, like reading, sports, and spending time with friends and family. However, as more and more time and energy is consumed by gambling, other activities fall by the wayside. You may begin not to attend any social activity or things you used to enjoy doing to allow more time for gambling. This shift in priorities will eventually make you stand alone and leave you with most of your time fixed on gambling as one of the main forms of entertainment. Hence, you are sure to get an unhealthy life balance.
Sleep disturbances
Gambling addiction can interfere with your sleep in several ways. You may gamble until late at night, casting aside a good sleep pattern. Even during sleep, dreams about gambling – things such as planning the next venture or ruminating over money lost – can be conscious thoughts. Over time, this sleeping less will have a profoundly negative effect on your overall health and produce symptoms including fatigue, poor judgment, and increased levels of stress that only fuel the need to gamble as a coping mechanism for these negative feelings.
Using gambling to cope with emotions
Warning signs gambling is starting to become an emotional escape include Gambling to flee from life stresses, personal problems, or negative feelings such as sadness, loneliness, or anger without drawing on more healthy ways of approaching and dealing with them. That can build into a pretty bad, dependent habit. A pretty fast person gambles not for entertainment but to escape from reality, creating that vicious circle when one escapes problems and aggravates both emotional and gambling issues.
Risking relationships for gambling
The stress on personal relationships becomes evident when gambling becomes more important than spending good time with one’s family or friends. Family or friends might note your absence or emotional unavailability, or changes in behavior and mention something to you. You may be defensive, irritated, or feel guilty, which leads to arguments or inspires you to lie or hide the degree of your gambling. Over time, relationships may go down the drain as gambling displaces meaningful connections with those around you.
More secretive behavior
Longer Explanation: As gambling increases in importance in your life, shame and guilt can make one secretive. You may keep your gambling secret from your partner, friends, or family members; you may also lie about how much time and money you spend gambling or gambling in secret to avoid possible judgment. This secrecy deepens the isolation one feels by keeping important aspects of life hidden. Also, this dishonesty for the gambles builds a network of lies that further creates distrust and devastation in personal relationships.
Financial instability and debt
Financial instability has been a characteristic feature for every gambler. You may start with the money spent from your savings or spend less on things; however, as these losses grow, one gradually begins to take other serious extreme measures. You may start borrowing from friends or family or taking loans so that you can continue gambling. Overdue bills or accumulating debts will plunge you into financial crises. The stresses that come with having to pay back these debts will try to force you into further gambling as a desperate means to “sort” out your problem situation, usually making it worse financially.
Disregarding legal or professional implications
To continue gambling, gamblers use methods that are of dubious ethics or outright illegal, such as borrowing under pretenses, theft, and swindling. Further, the periods spent in gambling would have a conflict with work performance, resulting in warnings or termination from employment. If one disregards the legal or professional implications and proceeds anyway with gambling, that is a definite sign that gambling has outsmarted any critical reasoning and it will destroy your future.
