We All Start 'Just for Entertainment',,, But When Does It Become a Problem?

[lovesmayfamilis]

Let's first define correctly what a "hobby" is. For the most part, this is an activity that people do for the soul in their free time, and they have a material question in very rare cases; rather, it is the person himself who will spend his money, perhaps to purchase some rare item. Collecting on our forum will fit very well into the definition of this word.

But there is another definition, as the time that people like to spend doing something. "Infatuation" is rather a better way to define it. In my personal example, yes, I like to gamble with my friends from time to time. Gambling itself involves some kind of financial benefit, so yes, if there is a win, my friends and I are in a good mood. But here for me, spending time with friends is fundamental. The one who accepts gambling as the main occupation that comes first and occupies all the thoughts and plans of a person undoubtedly loses control of everything around him and becomes addicted to gambling. Therefore, I agree with Dogedegen's answer; there is always a measure or scale that can determine how important an activity is to you and how attached you are to it.

[Outhue]

Most gamblers aren't gambling because it's fun or entertaining, they are gambling to make some money, those who are gambling for entertainment purposes only are extremely careful, they use money for ticket like advent only, they have no desire to win big money and it's never expected until it becomes a reality and so they welcome the wins, but if it never comes they have no reasons to make it come alive, for them it's not necessarily that they must win.

The day a gambler starts to chase either his loss or chasing money is the day they drift off the path of responsible gambling, their target will change, their aims will add up and running after money will be the only option they have left, even though they are making money elsewhere they would rather start funding their gambling with the money to bring their unrealistic dreams alive.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

Many people call gambling just a hobby. We say, "I just play for fun", "Nothing more than entertainment." Tbh, most people probably start like this.

But question is, "It's just a hobby",,, until when?

When is it no longer a hobby?

• When you go beyond your budget?
• When you no longer feel excitement when you don't bet on a match or game?
• When you start hiding your losses from family or friend?
• Or when you keep looking for an excuse to make ''another bet'' to recover money you lost?

My question is not ''Am I addicted?''

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

All the reasons you gave above are all valid point as to what point gambling for hobby crosses the line for an addiction. Because for a person who claims to gamble for fun, then it is certain that while carrying out his fun gambling activities, he is not supposed to go far beyond his target budget for the gambling session, and likewise not start hiding when he loses a bet to his friends and family members. As no longer feel excited when placing a bet because of the fear of the unknown, and make excuses to people just to get money from them and use it to gamble. That's when you know that the entertainment in gambling have actually become a problem. Because when people are to genuinely get entertained, all these factors mentioned is never meant to have been a problem in the first place.

[iv4n]

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

It's all fun & games as long as you are spending the money you can afford to lose. You have some money & free time, and you wish to have fun... so if your choice is gambling, then just do it. Have fun and don't bother yourself with any outcome, it's entertainment... or it should be. It's when you have control...

But when you are playing with money you can't afford to lose, when you "forget" other obligations and you start spending more time & energy on gambling, it's the moment when problems start appearing... It's when you lose control, and when you lose control, you can crash.

[viljy]

How do I determine the border that is best not to cross? From a medical point of view, gambling addiction consists of three stages: mild infatuation, loss of control, and despair. A person should at least stop at the first stage. That is, he may experience the euphoria of winning, the pleasure of gambling.

But! As soon as he suddenly begins to believe in his luck and devote more and more of his time to gambling, he should immediately take a break (and a long one at that). It may be difficult, but all other compromise options (with continued gambling) will still transfer a person to the second stage of gambling addiction development. And then, most likely, it will be much more difficult to reverse the disease.

Of course, the criterion of "believing in my lucky star" is rather vague, but the amount of time devoted to gambling is an accurate criterion. Therefore, it is worth keeping an eye on this time. For example, if a person spends three times more time gambling than before, this is at least a reason to slow down. It is also important what a person's thoughts are occupied with. If he spends all day thinking about sports betting, that time counts too!

[Moreno233]

I didn't start gambling because of entertainment,  it was some of the winnings from people I know that enticed me. So, I have been more of money-minded person when it comes to gambling because I know the kind of money that is possible to win through gambling. It was when I was already gambling that I discovered that some casino games can actually be entertaining. But the entertainment easily turn soar when losses persist so there is no way I can get addicted to gambling on the basis of it being entertaining.  Remove money from gambling and you will never see me open my casino account.

[Fiasem20]

• When you go beyond your budget?
• When you no longer feel excitement when you don't bet on a match or game?
• When you start hiding your losses from family or friend?
• Or when you keep looking for an excuse to make ''another bet'' to recover money you lost?

It’s very much possible to call gambling your hobby and still be on the right track.Most gamblers lost track when they developed some irresponsible approach/perspective towards gambling for instance chasing losses which is known to be the most common form of becoming addicted quickly.When you’re doing something rightly there’s this characteristic of being “open” to your family and friends,when someone start hiding their dirty act from their family and friends that means they’re likely not going to open up till they start doing the right thing again.For instance,gambling addiction have led to broken relationships,a story of a partner gambling with their partner’s income unknowing to them,that’s where the hiding scenario falls in.

[Bryan jessy]

I didn't start gambling because of entertainment,  it was some of the winnings from people I know that enticed me. So, I have been more of money-minded person when it comes to gambling because I know the kind of money that is possible to win through gambling. It was when I was already gambling that I discovered that some casino games can actually be entertaining. But the entertainment easily turn soar when losses persist so there is no way I can get addicted to gambling on the basis of it being entertaining.  Remove money from gambling and you will never see me open my casino account.

This is the main reason lot of persons are into gambling today, if a survey is carried out I am very sure we will have more numbers of people who started gambling due to the enticing stories of other gamblers how they made massive profit from gambling games, honestly I doubt if any human will go out there to put in money to gamble just for fun or because it's their hobby, things we consider as hobbies are those things that does involve or require our assets to play with, and even if it does it will be just a little fund, whoever that has gambling as hobby is likely to spend more than he earns in the games except he keeps winning every game else it is not a good habit.

[Nrcewker]

There is a thin line between entertainment, necessity, and addiction. If a person understands this clearly, they can truly be considered a responsible gambler.

Gambling is not a problem as long as you only gamble with money that you have specifically set aside for it. However, once you exhaust that money and start looking for more funds to continue gambling, you should consider it a sign of addiction.

Every gambler should follow one simple rule: never gamble beyond the amount you have intentionally allocated for gambling. Gambling is very easy to start, but knowing when to stop is often the hardest part.

[YellowSwap]

People who understands the law of attachment and detachment will always be in control of everything, there is not going to be something or someone in control over them, this is how I look at myself.

I can decide to quit gambling for a while and come back only when I really feel like trying some slots out, I had ps5 in my room for a whole year gathering dusts not because I have no games to play but because it was a time to lock in for me.

There is nothing that can make me lose my way of control, I have studied self control over anything and everything, my decision matters, and too much of everything they said is bad, not gonna lie it's a fact.

[demonica]

Many people call gambling just a hobby. We say, "I just play for fun", "Nothing more than entertainment." Tbh, most people probably start like this.

But question is, "It's just a hobby",,, until when?

When is it no longer a hobby?

• When you go beyond your budget?
• When you no longer feel excitement when you don't bet on a match or game?
• When you start hiding your losses from family or friend?
• Or when you keep looking for an excuse to make ''another bet'' to recover money you lost?

My question is not ''Am I addicted?''

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

I think most gambling addicts don't really know or doesn't really realized where was the turning point they started becoming addicted to gambling. Perhaps they know at some point that what they're doing or what they've becoming isn't the right thing. Like when they started borrowing money or using their savings to gamble. As an adult, they know it's wrong and they're just throwing their money away, but since the addiction is there already, they'd start thinking differently like "I can pay it back", "I'll win it back" "I can win, and I'll use it for my living expenses". However, gambling is gambling. There's no assurance of winning. And that kind of thinking becomes a habit and it'll be a loop of "I'll win back what I've lost".

[MArsland]

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

Now even I feel that I can no longer distinguish the boundaries between addiction and hobby. Gambling went on as usual, sometimes I was aggressive and lost control, sometimes I got bored and stopped for a while. It is quite difficult to find the point of gambling addiction with a hobby as betting continues to be done. The urge to keep playing because it wants to win concludes that for me personally this is already mixed up.

[Bitcoin_people]

Basically, a person loses control over gambling when he gradually gets lost in gambling. There are many who go there for entertainment and get addicted to it, mainly because they cannot manage their risk management properly, and they face such losses. There are many who start with small amounts of money and gradually increase their amount of money, later they lose it, and they bet more money with excitement so that they can fully recover their lost money. Gambling is a hobby of many people, but while fulfilling this hobby, their lives are at a great risk when they cannot get out of it and lose their control. Basically, when you start losing in gambling, you have to stop and control yourself, you have to have maximum control over yourself from overexcitement. Those who go there for entertainment, can control themselves and use risk management properly, they play for fun. However, those who cannot manage this kind of discipline properly, lose their control and move towards addiction.

[Dunamisx]

Some people are easily distracted when gambling, and before the realized they have already gone beyond their budgeted targets, gamblers should also maintain order a gambling so as not to go beyond their limits. Having fun while gambling does not mean we should also misbehave until the entire fun turns into an opposite experience for us; we are to apply caution to things we do while gambling.

[AmaGold70]

You have hilighted some points that can make someone addicted gambler rather than gambling for fun or hobby.
So far, I doubt people who say they gamble for fun, and call gambling their own hobby. If you are into gambling, their are times when you feel very uncomfortable because of losses, and what ever that makes you frown or give you discomfort is no longer fun.
When your gambling is now causing problem between you , and your spouse, is no longer fun.
To gamble for fun, it means your gambling is not having any negative impact on you even your losses, and I know there are occasional gamblers, they gamble once in a while, and don't take gambling as their means of survival, to these type of people what ever they loose , they don't complain because they can afford loosing such fund, and don't gamble beyond budget.

[Pandorak]

Many people call gambling just a hobby. We say, "I just play for fun", "Nothing more than entertainment." Tbh, most people probably start like this.

But question is, "It's just a hobby",,, until when?

When is it no longer a hobby?

• When you go beyond your budget?
• When you no longer feel excitement when you don't bet on a match or game?
• When you start hiding your losses from family or friend?
• Or when you keep looking for an excuse to make ''another bet'' to recover money you lost?

My question is not ''Am I addicted?''

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

In my personal opinion, the line between gambling as a hobby and an addiction is marked by various factors. The most common one i often see among friends who have entered the addiction phase is that their focus has shifted, not a single day goes by without gambling and they often find themselves thinking about gambling even while at work. As for going over budget, that’s a given.

On the other hand, one of the most easily recognizable signs is that gambling is no longer simply a way to fill a void or enjoy the moment, but rather focuses more on the numbers or the gains/losses incurred and it is not uncommon for people to gamble solely to recoup previous losses.

[Junii]

Many people call gambling just a hobby.

Well honestly i met with many gamblers and majority of them saying they gamble for fun or it is there hobby but i noticed same patterns in them and what i noticed is that majority of them who are saying they gamble for fun hope to win may be some people here agree with me or may be disagree but it is a bitter truth because gambling for fun  feels safer like if they lose they can brush it off. Let me explain our brain plays a role in that because when it gets used to the excitement and the dopamine it starts making excuses to keep doing it. It says things like it is just a hobby or i m only doing it for fun but in reality  the main goal for most people is still to win money. If it was only about fun there are many other activities that are free or way cheaper. That is why just for fun can feel more like an excuse the brain uses to justify keeping the habit.

[TastyChillySauce00]

My question is, do we understand at what point we cross the line between hobby and addiction?

You're already crossed the line when you unable to control yourself. In result, you unable to manage your bankroll, your gambling activity is also disturbing your life.

When you showed all of those bad signs, you 99% already addicted. However, when you have not yet crossed that gap, you will treat gambling just like you play a game for a while, then you forget it whether you win or lose.

I know the gap is thin, but it's quite easy to measure it by knowing yourself better.

[Achalugo BTC]

Well, I won't lie about this, I started gambling as a to be entertained by it but along the line when I was lucky to win in a long streak, I thought to use that chance to make money out of it and from the moment I decided to gamble for money, I begin to get addicted to the game and each time I lose my bet, I do have the urge to chase after my loss, which I do have the idea that if I go after my bet, I might recover all and the more I chase after it, the more addicted I become due to the constant loss, until I got to learn in a very hard way when it has already cause a big problems to my life, that is when I learned to discipline myself, so that my emotions won't always cloud my judgement, though I do make mistakes at times but its not as bad as it was before and it makes to understand that whatever thing that one wants to take more advantage of it, will later become a problem and it will best for people to cut off as something to get entertained for or hobby, as some don't really realize when to cut it off until it causes a huge mess

[Africolo]

For most people it's a hubby until they gamble with something that's not ment to used for gamble, I've been in that position before so I know how it feel to loss something to gamble and then you start feeling the urge to chase loses that's where it all becomes worse.  Well I'm happy I left that race along time ago because I understand how gambling works.
One thing I'm sure of is that after anyone defeats that urge of gambling irresponsibly, they can manage other part of their lives without being greedy or jumping into offers that are too good to be true (if they truly understand)

One major factor that causes people to use something they ought not to have used to gamble is greed and not having self control when it comes to gambling and they are easily carried away by the odds they are introduced to and in a way of grabbing it they go extra miles in doing so and extending themselves from the usual budget they normally use in betting to what they shouldn't have use and end up regretting when they get disappointed and not winning as they thought would.

Gambling is good if as a gambler you are using your wisdom in staking bets knowing fully well that winning is not sure but you can win if you are lucky, irresponsible gambling starts from chasing looses and not having the mindset of controlling your emotions towards lost because you must surely encounter it while gambling. One thing I don't do is gamble beyond my limits no matter how I'm desperate for a win because that's no longer hobby but obsession.