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

[ColdLava40]

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 can't see why anyone would take of all amazing exciting things out there, gambling to be a hobby. It's possible though but not for me.

I can't imagine placing something that carries risk and pain in a place where I'm supposed to be having fun. Gambling is for entertainment yes, but the fun are all driven because of what we stand to gain at the end.

I doubt if there is a good percentage of gamblers who would be willing to keep up their gambling life if gambling were a non profitable event.

[Dogedegen]

I think it's when a gambler starts to chase the losses. The revenge game. The expectation that something will be returned. If we are still betting when we are in that moment, then I think that's when we are crossing the line.

Not really, the addiction has long set it before you start doing that. Chasing the losses is a symptom, it is not the cause of the addiction and not the first symptom. Someone who is playing the first time or very rarely could get upset by losing the little money he has played with too fast and he may try to chase the losses in this session because he is emotional. This does not mean he is addicted, this person almost never plays at all so to talk about addiction would not make any sense. Many people in this thread are talking about all kinds of symptoms and mixing up the addiction with symptoms that appear with addiction. A single symptom being present or even two or three does not define an addiction as I have demonstrated with this example. The person was chasing losses because he got emotionally, but is not an addicted gambler.

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.

The problem with hobbies I believe is that it is very subtle where a hobby turns into a habit and with dangerous activities where it turns into an addiction. I think this is the main reason why people struggle to define what is and isn't an addiction and confuse all kinds of things, we must always look at it from the collective whole. Let's imagine that there was some very good reason to gamble 10 hours straight today and only today, and ignore that this is not realistic or would require very specific circumstances. If a person consciously decides to gamble 10 hours straight only today that does not mean they are addicted at all, but many people would say yes he is definitely addicted and claim that only an addict could or would gamble 10 hours in a day. Scale, measure, complete picture, everything is important that is why it is impossible to answer the question that is asked in this thread. Actually the top researchers in this field would not able to define this line and they are not even trying to because it would not be consistent among people, a holistic approach of analysis works better for complex behaviors with detailed differences.

[Bluedrem]

I have said many times before that gambling can never be a source of fun. Although many people start playing it for fun, at some point most gamblers become addicted to it. And those who say they gamble for fun are basically saying that they gamble for fun so that people do not express negative attitudes towards them. I think if there was no guarantee of winning money in gambling, many people would not gamble, to be honest, I think eighty percent of people would not gamble.
So I will say again that gambling is never fun, but the greed to earn some money by risking your own money is the main fuel of gambling.

[Su-asa]

I think everyone knows when they are crossing the line but some might pretend not to because they are probably in denial at that point about their gambling activities turning into an habits. It is best to tackle it when it is yet to grow into a serious issue. Addiction doesn't just start in a day it, it takes time before it gets into that phase and as gamblers we are the ones that actually allow this to happen.

[Floxynice]

I doubt if there is a good percentage of gamblers who would be willing to keep up their gambling life if gambling were a non profitable event.

Gambling is not profitable for many people. Right now, some gamblers are actively gambling, but they are in deep losses and won't stop gambling because there is a prize to be won, which they hope they will get lucky enough to win.

The question should have been whether gamblers would still be willing to gamble if there were no monetary rewards for winning. As long as money is involved, gamblers will get greedy and keep gambling even when they are not profitable. Making gambling a hobby with money at stake is just like keeping a goat and yam in one room (African adage); the temptation will be too high. Anyone who says "gambling is my hobby", is deceiving himself. What he loves and wishes to have is the money.

[leonair]

The biggest reason for gambling addiction is not maintaining a budget. When someone cannot maintain their limits, it doesn't take long to become addicted. I would like to mention some more reasons for you here.
1. In this case of regular gambling, it doesn't matter whether he is following the limits or not.
2. To think oneself very clever
3. Keeping gambling apps in front of the phone. Watching more gambling-related videos on social media.
4. Being in an environment where there are many gambling circles

[Hardyrobust]

I have said many times before that gambling can never be a source of fun. Although many people start playing it for fun, at some point most gamblers become addicted to it. And those who say they gamble for fun are basically saying that they gamble for fun so that people do not express negative attitudes towards them. I think if there was no guarantee of winning money in gambling, many people would not gamble, to be honest, I think eighty percent of people would not gamble.
So I will say again that gambling is never fun, but the greed to earn some money by risking your own money is the main fuel of gambling.

There are still people that do gamble for fun but one thing is certain, not everyone that says they gamble for fun, do gamble for fun. There are people that do say that they gamble for fun why they are gambling to make profit. So saying that gambling cant be source of fun then you are wrong. There are people that see gambling as a means of entertainment and they don't gamble because they want to make profit but rather for entertainment. As I said earlier, it just few gamblers that do gamble for fun the others maybe saying they gamble for funs just to cover up there gambling habits.

[knuckey]

When is it no longer a hobby?

It is not called a hobby when betting feels like a threat if we lose, which we should have accepted wholeheartedly between winning and losing, there are many other factors, exceeding the budget limit, betting for revenge, and betting only for profit, that is no longer a hobby but has reached the stage of addiction, when a bet is made and if we feel anxious it means we need to evaluate ourselves "is this what I want?" bet consciously and the goal is the main thing

[Moreno233]

There are still people that do gamble for fun but one thing is certain, not everyone that says they gamble for fun, do gamble for fun. There are people that do say that they gamble for fun why they are gambling to make profit.

I tried for be polite in my earlier response to this matter but I have to say it as it is which is that no one actually gamble for fun, everyone gamble for the money. My reasoning have always been that if money is not the target in gambling, people will rather play computer games than gamble or they could even be using the demo version that is available in almost all the casinos. The moment someone deposits real money and start gambling, his target is to earn profits from that deposit. I believe that the concept of gambling for fun was coined by people who want to make losses, that is prevalent in gambling, look less painful.

[Texac]

Most times what causes this shift is often a gambler’s misplaced priorities, possibly starts when they starts winning consistently and maybe using that money to solve some real life problems. If such gambler doesn’t maintain their stance, they can easily start placing more priorities on gambling since of course it has actually proven to be helpful in some ways. Then you’ll feel like if you put more attention there, perhaps you’ll be able to just generate some money there to help your overall finances.

Well said.

Sometimes our mindset changes after some big win or consecutive win. Where gambling was a controlled hobby before it gradually start to feel like it is possible to earn money from here regularly. If real-life expenses can be met with few win then we start seeing it as an income source. This is where the problem arise.

Hmm, in my own case too, I have seen that after a winning streak, I sometime start taking big bet with more confidence because at that time I feel that maybe the previous success will come again

[Youngrebel]

Most gamblers start gambling with the main purpose of entertainment, but gradually when they start winning big money or face losses, it becomes very difficult for the gambler to control that greed, and when the gambler starts gambling due to emotions, it is no longer for entertainment, then only to make a quick money or recover the money lost through gambling becomes the main purpose. And when the gambler starts to see gambling as a part of life, as a result, gambling becomes a big threat in his life, and then gambling is no longer limited to entertainment.

From what you said both winning and losing makes a gambler tend to get emotional overtime especially when there's lack of self control which is a common knowledge when it comes to gambling. Which do you think makes a gambler lose Control easily, is it when they are faced with losses or when they are winning?

 in my opinion I think a gambler losses control of themselves more when they are losing this is because of the fact that they get trapped in that mental space of trying to recover what they have lost by all means no matter how long it takes and such gamblers might have had the intention of just gambling for fun at first but this changes their mindset totally about gambling.

[ASloveapg]

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

We, as gamblers, should understand and be aware of those limits. So when we start getting close to them, we should have an alarm to stop us from going further. 
It starts from gambling more often, exceeding the usual budget, to hiding our activities from anyone. 
A lot of people don’t realize that they’re already addicted to gambling. Just try to stop yourself from gambling for a while. Can you resist, or does your common sense lose to the addiction?

A gambler is addicted to gambling, even the gambler himself often does not understand this. What is addiction? It is basically a change in your behavior in gambling, you used to be able to gamble only for entertainment within limits, but now you cannot follow your limits, even if you lose, you continue to gamble to recover your losses, even if you win, you continue to gamble for bigger wins, where you should have stopped, but you cannot stop at any stage. You cannot be satisfied at any stage, and you cannot accept negative results.
This basically leads to a stage in gambling, where you continue to play uncontrollably and face large financial losses. But if you are a responsible gambler, you will not lose control over any outcome, but rather you will be able to keep yourself in control in all cases, and because of this, it will not cause any major unexpected financial losses for you.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Would you believe that there are gamblers who genuinely see gambling as nothing more than a hobby, allowing them to stop and come back whenever they want without becoming addicted?

Someone who treats gambling as a hobby doesn't think about it beyond simply wanting to have fun. They don't let it interfere with other aspects of their life, and they only gamble when they can afford to. So, even if they gamble every day, they never cross the line between a hobby and an addiction.

Likewise, I think, gambling should be seen as a normal activity that shouldn't be so focused on, because when we focus so much on one thing there is a probability of becoming addicted, but if we control the money we are going to play, no, that is, we must have that discipline so that things go well for us and that we don't let ourselves be carried away by impulses, I wouldn't say emotions, because it is something that is inevitable, but impulses yes.

[Smack That Ace]

When is it no longer a hobby?

I have a simple self check method, which I call "morning after test" method
It's not about how much money I win or lose in gambling
It's about how I wake up the next morning

If I wake up feeling like I have to justify what I did last night or if I'm feeling anxious, regretful or uncomfortable then that is warning sign for me

Because healthy gambling is usually accompanied by feeling of excitement or entertainment. But if it become a feeling of relief, like- I'm glad I didn't lose more, then it is clear that gambling is no longer just hobby.

-Duke

[famososMuertos]

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 can't see why anyone would take of all amazing exciting things out there, gambling to be a hobby. It's possible though but not for me.

I can't imagine placing something that carries risk and pain in a place where I'm supposed to be having fun. Gambling is for entertainment yes, but the fun are all driven because of what we stand to gain at the end.

I doubt if there is a good percentage of gamblers who would be willing to keep up their gambling life if gambling were a non profitable event.

Most people, fortunately, are normal. Even those who, for whatever reason, go through phases of being a depraved gambler, recover, since common sense prevails in a normal person. It's easy, I mean, you lose a few times and you correct yourself, either because you quit or because you get used to a style that allows you to bet. And by the way, yes, there are people who do it purely for entertainment, and the result is what matters to them; the profit is just an ok.

So, the majority of players who support a casino are recreational gamblers, within that group, they'll catch an addict, but as a general rule, people come and go and bet occasionally. In fact, what was surely the biggest betting event for recreational players just happened: the World Cup. Some will develop bad habits and join the ranks of everyday gamblers, and perhaps some of them will lose their common sense.  

[icebar]

Which do you think makes a gambler lose Control easily, is it when they are faced with losses or when they are winning, in my opinion I think a gambler losses control of themselves more when they are losing this is because of the fact that they get trapped in that mental space of trying to recover what they have lost by all means no matter how long it takes and such gamblers might have had the intention of just gambling for fun at first but this changes their mindset totally about gambling.

A gambler can lose control in any situation. I think it can happen because of winning or losing. However, a gambler is more likely to lose control because of losing. If a gambler loses a lot, he can get very excited, which will increase his desire to recover his next loss. Trying to recover his loss quickly can increase the amount of loss. There are some gamblers who get very excited even after winning. They cannot use the winning money properly. Some dare to bet again after winning, which at some point increases the amount of loss. When the gambler tries to recover against the loss, it can no longer be fun for him. Entertainment will last as long as you can afford to bet. If you don't have your own money, you can't call it entertainment anymore.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

We have the right to decide on what we want when it comes to gambling and how we engage in it, but this privilege must not be abused by us, and that is why we need to be well-disciplined. There is what we call discernment, but, unfortunately, not all gamblers can maintain this as a habit, which shows a weakness in some people. For those who can manage to control their emotions in gambling, also know that gambling should serve as an entertainment and not develop into a serious concern or problem in our lives.

[Rhow]

The 4 signs you have presented are the most likely answers. Especially when someone tries to hide their losses and starts betting again to recover the money they have lost, that is the strongest signal. Because at this stage, someone is not gambling for fun but is taking new risks to relieve the stress of a previous bad decision. There are several things to consider. Are you making your own decisions, or is gambling controlling your decisions? Are you able to stick to the time and money limits you have set? Are you able to calmly withdraw after a loss, or do you dream of making another bet and recovering?

A report by the American Psychiatric Association also mentioned these things. You can read it.

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gambling-disorder/what-is-gambling-disorder

[Odusko]

I doubt if there is a good percentage of gamblers who would be willing to keep up their gambling life if gambling were a non profitable event.

Gambling is not profitable for many people. Right now, some gamblers are actively gambling, but they are in deep losses and won't stop gambling because there is a prize to be won, which they hope they will get lucky enough to win.

The question should have been whether gamblers would still be willing to gamble if there were no monetary rewards for winning. As long as money is involved, gamblers will get greedy and keep gambling even when they are not profitable. Making gambling a hobby with money at stake is just like keeping a goat and yam in one room (African adage); the temptation will be too high. Anyone who says "gambling is my hobby", is deceiving himself. What he loves and wishes to have is the money.

Gambling platforms are run on revenue and no casino will be running with accepting deposits from gambler's, so there can never be traffic to the casinos in the first place if the gamblers ant expecting to win from their money deposited, there is a thin line between Gambling for the fun and gambling with expectation of hitting the big prize rewards and ultimately the real fun in gambling is the winning no matter how little the winnings are, but the big question is.
What is the percentage between those that are winning consistently from gambling and the same against the amount of losses gambler's accrue during their time on the casino.

[Cantsay]

I don't treat gambling as a hobby but only as a way to have fun in my free time. I don't just use the money to gamble although I allocate some monthly and I don't need to make an excuse to avoid gambling.

The consequences of gambling are losing money and I can accept that and only spend money that I can afford. I never go beyond my budget and if the amount almost reaches my allocated money, I will stop immediately before the bad thing happens.

This is pretty solid. From the way I am looking at it, it seems like you already have a pretty solid structure when it comes to your gambling, and that alone is enough to keep you in check and also enables easy evaluation if the need should arise for you to check if your gambling activities are okay or if you have started going overboard with things.

Personally, I do take gambling as something I do once in a while, not something that I must do, if I feel that urge to gamble once in a month that is the time that I am going to gamble, I won't do it more than that, and if that feeling doesn't come I won't gamble and recently I noticed that it keeps decreasing and I can go for months and not be moved to gmable or even open my account.