Managing YOUR PLAY

One of the best ways to ensure that gambling stays a safe form of entertainment is to learn a few simple strategies to manage your play. With the pandemic, more people are staying home and gambling online. Remember to set limits and take breaks, work out and move your body, change your surroundings, re-energize, or take on other relaxing activities. It may not sound like fun to put a cap on things even before you get started, but setting boundaries can help you have a good time by removing the burden of deciding when to call it quits.

This website is full of reasons why gambling should be considered a form of entertainment and not a way to make money. The house always has an advantage, each game has randomness built in, many of the games are hard to master—those are just the start.

If you choose to gamble, it helps to remind yourself that it’s best viewed as a form of fun. Just like going out to a concert, or joining a softball league, there’s a price to pay for your play. Think of it as the cost of entertainment for the evening. Remembering that will help avoid disappointment if you don’t win. And remember, in the long run you probably won’t.

Gambling, like most forms of entertainment, tend to be more fun with friends. Playing with someone else provides the bonus of having someone to keep you both accountable to your plans. The key is to let the other person know what your limits are ahead of time, and vice versa. Get on the same page and you’ll be laughing all the way from the roulette table to the buffet. Even better, introduce other activities and hobbies, so you’re not just gambling. Mixing it up will help you limit your time at the tables.

If you find it hard to set and stick to any of the limits described above, consider a chat with one of the GameSense Advisors at the GameSense Info Centres or look into our support services and find help.