The sports gambling should be fun, and way of entertainment for bettors, but in some cases, sports betting can become a severe addiction. If you are one of those people who like to place a wager with reasonable amounts of money, and you are ok with the fact that you will most probably lose all of your funds, then you most likely have no problem with addiction.
But, if you have the craving to bet every day and you can’t control your betting habits, jeopardize your money and your personal life. Then it is because you have a problem with gambling disorder.
Betting addiction is a hard enemy to beat, especially if you don’t treat it on time. We wrote this article with the idea to help people with gambling problems! And also to inform people how to protect themselves from irresponsible betting habits that can lead to addiction.
See our safe betting tips listed below:
Sports Betting isn’t the way to get rich
A large number of people that start placing wagers on sports events dream of getting rich. Or at least make enough money to get out of their financial struggles. Starting the betting journey with only money on the mind is extremely dangerous. Dreaming about large sums of money from sports betting can make it easy for gambling addiction to develop.
If you want to minimize the risk of developing a betting disorder and to protect yourself. Then you should forget about getting rich from sports betting as soon as possible. Simply put, sports betting is NOT a way to solve your financial problems. On top of that, sportsbooks always set the odds in the way that they make the profit. While it is possible to make a long-term profit from sports betting, you need to be very disciplined, skilled, and a bit lucky.
That’s why it is much better to look at sports betting as a form of interesting and entertaining hobby. Sure, sports betting is a hobby that can cost you money. But eventually, you can also win money and feel the thrill that comes with it. So, money shouldn’t be the only reason why you visit sportsbooks and practice sports betting. You should place wagers because you enjoy the occasional thrill. If you can’t do that, it is best to stop betting as soon as possible.
Never Spend More Than You Can Afford to Lose
One of the most important things every profitable sports bettor needs to know is how to handle his betting bank. Poor money management can lead to enormous financial difficulties, and eventually to loss of the entire betting bank.
Bettors who have betting addiction often get into financial problems. As they tend to borrow money for betting, and try everything to get more funds for further betting.
People with betting addiction also quite often start cutting life expenses such as petrol, food, housing money, so they could spend those funds on sports betting. In order to avoid this trap, we suggest you make a separate account, only for betting. Once, when you spend all the money from that account, you will need to stop betting, and wait for the next month (or year) to make another deposit.
If you find yourself spending more than you set aside for betting-related activities or cutting back some other expenses in favor of betting. Then you should rethink about your betting habits. It is possible that you already developed a betting addiction.
Don’t Lose Your Head When You Lose Money
One of the biggest mistakes that bettors can do is to “chase the losses.” Trying to win back the money with another bet is a one-way ticket to bankruptcy.
We all know that it’s painful to lose money, and it is natural to want your money back. But discipline is one of the most important attributes of a professional bettor.
The professional bettors understand that they can’t win all the bets, and never lose their temper when they are on the bad streak.
It is important always to remember to set the budget for betting. And to stop playing once you lose your funds!
Use self-exclusion options and limit how much you spend
Nowadays, sportsbooks offer their customers a wide range of features that can protect them and give them solutions if they feel the need to stop gambling. There are several reliable options, and maybe the best one is self-exclusion.
The self-exclusion option is now an industry standard, and nearly all online sportsbooks offer it. This feature allows players to “excuse” themselves from playing for time periods. These time periods can be short (couple of hours) or long (couple of years, or forever).
It is important to know that the self-exclusion option will work only in sportsbooks you selected, so potential addicts will have other options to play at different brands.
To overcome this problem, you could try to self-exclude yourself from all active sportsbooks where you have registered account. Or you can use one of the applications that block betting and gambling content on a global level.
If you don’t think the self-exclusion feature is practical, there are some other options that you can use. Every reputable online sportsbook in the world offer to their customers to set deposit limits, loss limits, and session length limits. With these types of limits, you can make a winning combination that will help you fight against your betting demons.
Conclusion
As we already said, betting addiction is dangerous as any other addiction if you don’t treat it right. If you feel that you have a problem with your betting habits, we suggest you seek help. It is better to be safe than sorry, and talking to someone is always a better solution than to keep your problems for yourself.
If you don’t have anybody that can help you. Feel free to contact the Scores and Stats team, and we will try to give you advice and guidance.
FAQ:
There is no proven information about the exact amount, but there is an assumption that an average bettor loses about $500 per year. These numbers just show that sportsbooks in the end always end up in profit and that sports betting should be treated as a fun pastime. Only a few manage to make a profit in the long run.
Gambling addiction is an impulse control disorder, also known as compulsive gambling or gambling disorder. People who spend a lot of time and money on betting and gambling, who chase losses, and who can’t control their gambling habits, have a gambling addiction.
The most important thing you should do is to convince the potential addict that he/she has a problem with gambling. The second step is to seek help from professionals, who will do anything in their power to help a person with a gambling disorder.