The Silent Cost of Gambling: Time, focus, and Opportunities

[Obulis]

All that is pointed out is true about gambling but that's when it has to do with an irresponsible lifestyle. A gambler that see gambling as a source of income instead of just fun.
To think of it, a man or woman who spends as much 5 hours gambling daily is even spending much time to talk of a whole day and on a daily basis. As much as possible gambling has to even be at leisure time.
And then spending more than you can afford to going as far as selling of property and borrowing money just for gambling is already explaining it all. Irresponsible lifestyle (helpless addicted gambler). Gambling should be done with the amount you would not even realize that you lost to talk of selling lands and other properties, borrowing money that you can't pay.

[DaNNy001]

The trap of one more bet is a silent killer because this has made a lot of gamblers lose their money and valuable time...the more you keep on telling yourself you are going to take one more bet either to chase more profits or losses just know that you are getting trapped in an endless cycle that might be hard to break, this is capable of causing gambling addiction and and an excessive waste of your time

[freedomgo]

It’s written on every casino when we sign up, responsible gambling.
If we stick to that, we usually won’t run into problems. Once we go the other way, that’s when we experience the things OP listed.

I have not seen people should gamble responsibly on any gambling site before when I visit the gambling site or when I am about to sign up, but you are not still wrong because anyone that reads the gambling sites terms of service, it is truly there on all the gambling sites that I have went through their terms of service before. Just like Stake.com, it is included on Stake.com terms of service which I use most of the time to gamble.

Those are just words and basically a requirement, that’s why they’re there. But at the end of the day, it’s still up to us whether we actually follow what’s written and keep it in mind every time we gamble. If we don’t, then we already know what the consequences are.

We’re not stupid, we’re aware of the consequences. And yet, there’s always that question in my mind, why do we still have to make mistakes first before we actually learn?

Another thing is that after they are losing, some people will not blame it on tlhemselves but be blaming it on the gambling sites.

Makes them more stupid. 

[Slow death]

I'm wondering how long people spend playing a slot game, because from my limited experience, the maximum time I've ever played slots is 4 hours, and that was the longest I've ever played. After that, I never managed to play for 4 hours and I stopped. Also, when I analyze games for my sports bets, I only take a maximum of 30 minutes, and then I go days without doing any analysis or placing any bets. That's why I don't understand why anyone would complain about the time spent gambling, since people don't spend very much time gambling.

[FirmWars]

Irresponsible gamblers are so guilty of all these things, of all the gamblers that I'm close with, I know the ones that can let an opportunity to slide but would not let a game slide without betting on the game, no matter what it may cost to bet on that game, I assure you that they will do it and make sure they stake on the game, then some won't indulge in such way to satisfy their pleasure first. People are different, it's not every gambler that bears these cost, some are compulsive and some are very responsible.

[alegotardo]

Very good!! Time is a cost that some people neglect and I am sure that many people waste too much time in games and think that it is all right because they have good a bankroll control and can manage to lose a little money.

But I would like to make a small observation on this issue of time, because sometimes if it is well spent (in a controlled way) then it would not necessarily be a bad thing, you know why? Because if this  person has free time and chooses to play as a form of entertainment, that would not be very different to watch a movie series or then playing video games, do not you agree with me?

I think the "silent cost" start only when this person spends too much time and it "invades" other things like your sleep, study, work or even their time with family or friends. But if they play in a controlled way only in their free time, then I do not think it is really a "wasted time".

[Kasabus]

As much as we lose our money from gambling, we also lose our golden time and energy that we could have saved for other endeavors rather than just spending them all in gambling. But to be honest, we all know that already, however we still chose to prioritize gambling for the aim of hitting the jackpot and make instant huge amount.

Gambling is a choice, and its not that we are forced to do it. That is why responsible gambling is highly encouraged, so that if ever we incur losses, at least we are losing only a small and manageable amount, something that we won't regret in the future.

[Yamifoud]

Gambling is certainly risky, and that's one thing that every gambler is already aware. Now its up to you how you will manage the risk, by not gambling all your hard-earned money, but only your extra money that you're willing to lose.

Also, gambling is more on losses than realistic gains. I bet everyone knows this too. So once you decide to gamble, prepare to lose as well, not just money, but time and focus as well, and maybe some missed opportunities if you are gambling not on your free time.

In the end, gambling is costly, that not everyone can afford, so why gamble? But I still prefer to gamble but on a responsible manner.

[Makus]

once gambling takes your time and attention then it won't be hard to get addicted to it. a lot of people spend hoirs hours gambling and they don’t realise how dangerous it is because they stake low. gambling for hours with amounts that you can afford to lose might seemlile it's okay but it's not really a responsible way to gamble

[Vaculin]

What you are trying to tell us is that gambling is not good in the long run. I bet to disagree this. Gambling can only be bad if you are doing it the wrong way, like gambling almost 24/7, and gambling like there's no limits thinking that it could maximize your winning potentials.

However, you won't face problems with gambling if you just gamble for entertainment, not gambling and expect to earn a living. Obviously, you will surely messed up with your time and finances if that is your mindset.

But if you instill in yourself to stay gambling responsibly, you won't lose too much of your money and time, or missed those life-changing opportunities, since you only gamble just to find relaxation through playing with your favorite games.

[coin-investor]

What do you think is the most overlooked expense of gambling?

There are really no expenses because when you sign up for this, you need to understand that gambling is not a cash cow; it's an entertainment platform you spend on to have fun, just like when you go to a concert.

If you spend for fun, you get something out of it, and you never regret it. If you are going to end up regretting spending on gambling, then better not spend on gambling and spend on something that you will have fun with and not regret doing so.