Is it really possible to gamble only for fun?

[Ziskinberg]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?

Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt.

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

[Charles-Tim]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

It is not true for most gamblers, but some gamblers are gambling for fun.

AtWhat about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

I gamble for fun, but I don't want to lose either. If I lose, I can afford to lose the amount of money that I used to gamble. I have been losing in 5 consecutive weeks until this week that I won 3x. I withdraw the money immediately, but it can be followed by losses again. I do not gamble for money.

[Russlenat]

So the definition of fun is that it is okay to lose?
I do not think it should be that way because the real fun in gambling is not when you are losing, but when you are winning.

But if you gamble and after losing, you tell yourself that it is okay because you only did it for fun, then that is fine. That is some sort of accepting your defeat and it can save you from addiction. But if from the start you already think the money you gamble is as good as lost, then that is not good.
There is no fun in that, to be honest.

[Majestic-milf]

 Why gamble for fun if when you lose you'd get upset? Honestly, those who say they gamble for fun are those who won't beat themselves up or lose sleep if they don't make profit. If one was seeking for something to get fun or pleasure from, I doubt they will go to gamble, rather, they'd go into another thing less likely to raise their BP.
I don't subscribe to the thought that gambling is for fun, it's a means to double your money, the only thing that's different is how people react to the outcomes.

[Ziskinberg]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

It is not true for most gamblers, but some gamblers are gambling for fun.

I didn't say most, i said many... more than 1 is already many. 

AtWhat about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

I gamble for fun, but I don't want to lose either. If I lose, I can afford to lose the amount of money that I used to gamble. I have been losing in 5 consecutive weeks until this week that I won 3x. I withdraw the money immediately, but it can be followed by losses again. I do not gamble for money.

That is being responsible. You risk only what you can afford to lose, and you accept losing only what you can afford as well.

It does not matter if you win some and lose some. What matters is the end game because if you are down overall, that still means you lost. But if your budget for the week is $100, then you should not lose more than that budget.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?

If the focus shifts from entertainment to chasing losses or greed for more profits, then it is no longer fun and the gambler is allowing his emotions control him instead of maintaining his discipline, if at all he had one established to guide his gambling activities.

Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt.

Gambling is entertainment if you stake only what you can afford to loose, that way you are not inclined to chase losses since the amount possibly lost means little or nothing to you.

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

I gamble for fun because I have a defined budget which I use in gambling, normally I want to win and win very well, but I try my best to contain my desires withing the confinement of my stipulated budget.

[nimogsm]

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

Of course, you can play for fun. This evening, I have a meeting planned with friends and colleagues where we'll play cards, and it's important to note that we'll play for free, just to keep the mood going. We all have different incomes and different financial situations and obligations, so we're playing for free to make everyone feel comfortable.With closer friends we can play for money where a couple of bets is equivalent to a can of beer and nothing more.

[Oasisman]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?

Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt.

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

Yeah, it is true that when you first engaged in gambling, it was all for fun. Then you got hooked up, then suddenly it wasn't just for fun anymore. It becomes a habit or a vice that is hard to break, like smoking a cigarette. During this time, gambling obviously isn't just for fun anymore. I've been through these stages. But, will you believe me, that right now, where I am, everything about gambling is very clear to me about what it really means when we say gambling is just for fun. I can certainly say that most people who gamble purely for fun are those who have just started or are at an early stage of their gambling journey, and those who are almost done with gambling. Everyone who's in between is gambling not only for fun but people who are desperate for that one lucky jackpot, chasing losses, and the unfortunate addicted ones.

In my case, I can certainly say that gambling for fun is very much possible, and winning is not something that I would always expect. I treat it now just like a bonus for risking something while enjoying the sports I love.

[L E G E N D A R Y]

The thing there is that, some people actually gambles for fun, though they may also target to have more wins in gambling than loss but if the game doesn't play as they want, they won't be carried away or get too aggressive because the outcome might not be what they are expecting, unlike some gamblers that have already shift their mindset to gamble for money, right from the onset and this is why they are easily attacked by the result of gambling, despite knowing the truth about gambling, yet they choose to play their own way with considering the principles of responsible gambling and that is humans for you, everyone can say they gamble for fun but their actions will differentiate who is actually saying the truth and who is not.

[Accardo]

Yes, but the possibility is near zero, everybody got emotions, and mood swings when things for numerous times fail to go their way, which is capable of impacting their next steps. A small number of gamblers compared to the millions of players who do not pay attention to emotional control, tend to go through sessions for fun, and face no forms of troubles as regarding losing fun while losing funds.

[Fortify]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?

Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt.

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

Most gamblers? No, because casual players would tend not to even consider themselves as gamblers, they are dipping in occasionally - maybe once or twice a month, which is still quite a lot. People who think of themselves as gamblers, might be a bit more locked in and just tend to play a bit more robotically as part of a routine. Whether they still find it fun is debatable, but they'll probably still get some bumps of joy when they hit bigger sized wins. Addicted gamblers will claim to be having fun but they are so deep into the addiction that it's hard to qualify anymore and if you've lost tens of thousands then I'm not sure how you could continue to call it fun any more. It's going to be highly personal though.

[nikola22]

some people watch football with friends and in that case they can bet a small amount that they don't mind losing. some might bet on the team they support, others just on high odds. but when you bet a large amount then it's no longer a bet for fun but for winning. I know a couple of people who bet small amounts only on matches of teams they support and in that case you could say they bet for fun. such type of betting is the most harmless and doesn't draw criticism.

[Gozie51]

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

If people gamble for fun then I wonder how many percentage of gamblers are doing so... Why involve money in it if you don't want to get more money? I could just brag about the analytical ability and tell someone else to bet on it and see if I know what I'm bragging about. I could also just say whatever I think as the outcome of the game and not involve money into it.

The point is most gamblers don't gamble for just the fun of the game, they want to get financial benefit from it too. However, the problem is that they see gambling as investment and not fun. If I gamble then I want some financial benefit with the fun and not only the fun.

[Agbe]

That statement is still under review and this discussion comes here every year or twice or thrice a year. And I am on the opinion that gambling is not for fun or entertainment with 100% but to some extent. But watching football or other sports games when it is on action is an entertainment. You are entertaining yourself by watching them but when you have involved to win a profit or income, it is no longer fun but profit oriented. At that stage all your mind is on the money.

[SFR10]

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

I can proudly say I gamble for fun ^{[with a lower win percentage than my losses]}... I mostly bet on sports and as a casual sports bettor, I don't even come close to spending half of the money I usually set aside ^{[in other words, the outcome of those bets doesn't affect me much]}, so I don't expect to win, but it feels nice when I get the predictions right ^{[the only thing that matters for me]}.

[Crakryptvest]

I know that this is a question that's thrown to the house for an answer or for deliberation, I think it should be something we should have known by now that there are gamblers who gamble for fun, if there are are gamblers that gamble for profit, we should also know that some gamblers are their for just to entertain themselves, many person doubt this a lot and it has been very difficult to convince them in believing that there such type gamblers, although those category of gamblers may not be significant in their number may be that's why people don't believe it but the truly exist for sure.

[Zadicar]

Many people say gambling is just entertainment, but I wonder if that is really true for most gamblers.

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?

Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt.

What about you, can you honestly say you gamble only for fun, or deep inside you still expect to win?

Actually there are really those people who are really that playing for fun and be able to control it out on when they should stop and dont chase up their loses. Somehow, if we do speak about on how many people had turned out to be  that addicted or simply mind off about it is just that for fun but later on they transform into an addicted person just because of those change of mindset and perspective towards gambling. Is it possible to gamble for fun and wont be that addicted or you wont really be changed up your perspective and behavior on how you do deal up with gambling but majority of gamblers do really end up on getting into the path on which they've been that changed up on how they do play and on how they do treat it up and thats why everything would really be entirely depending on how you would be treating it out because once you do derail yourself on playing for fun and instead going for profits then you would really be having the issue.

[Queen uloma]

Most people who go into gambling, not all are gambling for entertainment. If it is only entertainment theyre gambling for they would’ve just played the games that doesn’t involve money. The moment money is involved that mindset has changed. That is why when a person wins in gambling, they want to win more, but when they encounter losses, they will start looking for a way to recover their losses back. This is where the emotional side of gambling starts. At this point, it is no longer for fun because the focus has move from being fun to make profit or chasing after losses. Gambling can only be seen as entertainment only if the person has accepted the losses that’s involved in gambling. But the truth is that it’s only few gamblers that has this kind of mindset.

[CONVOAI]

I think the problem is not gambling but the expectation. Many people say I play for fun but after placing a bet they assume an outcome in their mind then it is no longer entertainment but rather emotional investment. The real question for me is can someone remain calm even after losing If they can’t then the profit motive is more at work than the fun and the funny thing is most people don’t want to admit this expectation even to themselves. So the true mindset of a gambler is understood not when they win but by how they react after losing.

[Alex077]

At first maybe it is just for fun. Small bet, no pressure, just trying luck. But once we start winning or losing money, the feeling changes. If we win, we want more. If we lose, we want to recover it. So where is the fun there if our mind is already focused on profit or getting back what we lost?
Maybe gambling can be entertainment only if we already accept that the money we use is gone the moment we place the bet. But I think not many gamblers can really think like that, especially when the loss starts to hurt...

I think it mostly depends on how a person approaches gambling. In theory, gambling really can be just entertainment, like going to the movies or buying a ticket to a sports event, when someone understands from the beginning that this money is already spent for the experience and emotions, not as an investment or a way to make profit.
The problem starts when the purpose of gambling changes. As long as a person thinks, “I paid for some fun and excitement,” everything can stay under control. But once thoughts like “I need to win,” “I have to recover my losses,” or “I’ll just increase my bet and get back into profit” appear - it becomes a completely different situation.
I think maybe the biggest indicator is how someone reacts after losing. If they can simply close the game and continue their day normally, then gambling probably remains just entertainment for them. But if a loss causes anger, frustration, a strong desire to win the money back, or makes them increase their bets, then gambling has already stopped being just a form of entertainment.