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

[Alex077]

In my case, there were no fixed rule. And tbh, that's the scariest thing. Sometime I think, I'm not going to gamble again this week. But then a Champions League match, a tennis final or some interesting game comes along and I find myself back in the middle of few bet.

I think the line between hobby and addiction is not really about how much money I lose. The real issue is whether I have control. If you know your limit, can accept when you lose, and gambling doesn't affect your relationship or financial responsibility then it can be hobby.

You know, hardest part is we often don't realize when we have crossed our line. So we need to ask ourselve a simple question, am I controlling gambling, or is gambling controlling me?

[MorganaX]

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.

The best way to not get affected by winning or losing is just to have a fixed budget, because that will serve as a guide for you when you gamble; in the case of experiencing more wins and then maybe you choose not to stop, the whole tide might change against you and you might experience losses that will even cover those wins that initially had but the good part of having a fixed betting budget is that no matter the outcome once that budget is exhausted you will simply just stop.

The ability to stop when we gamble is what affects so many gamblers, and for me it's what differentiates even an experienced gambler from an ordinary gambler. Mastering the act of stopping is not easy, and it's only done by the few who are well determined. Whether you take it as fun or you gamble for money,  try to master when you must hit the STOP button.

[ArabBTC]

I smiled as i saw this thread because it was an instance that just happened to me this evening, i went out with a friend and we started playing cheese, i won the first one and he was like he is better at cheese than me that we should add some commitment(gamble) i told him no that I don’t gamble with my friends yet he insisted that let’s just do it for fun, so i agreed and we started playing after i won him twice he realized the money he will send to me will be huge due to the bet we made, before you know it my friend started sweating under the AC, he now became so serious and emotional, what started like fun to him now turned a serious commitment that he didn’t want us to end the bet because he was on the losing side. What i did was to use the money won to buy drinks and food for both of us and our other friends, the scenario was an eye opener to know when to draw a line in gambling, once you can no longer control your emotions to the point that you gamble at any little instance or use money meant for something else to gamble or sell properties to gamble just know that at that point u should quit.

[programmer3666]

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?

The truth is that nobody starts gambling thinking they will get hooked. It always kind of begins as just for fun!! a little excitement, a way to enjoy the game more. But the line between hobby and problem is a thin one and most people don't realize they have crossed it until they are already in too so deep. In my view, it stops being a hobby the moment it stops being as fun as it was in the initial stage. When you eventually starts to chase losses or feeling a bit restless on days you don't gamble, then that is when it is no longer entertainment. It has become something else entirely. One scary thing is that it does not happen overnight. It gradually crawl up. One extra bet here, a little more money there. Before you know it, you are not longer playing for fun anymore but playing because you feel like you have to.

[lionheart78]

In my case, there were no fixed rule. And tbh, that's the scariest thing. Sometime I think, I'm not going to gamble again this week. But then a Champions League match, a tennis final or some interesting game comes along and I find myself back in the middle of few bet.

Having no fixed rule is not only the scariest thing but also the most dangerous thing.  Without any limit, we are bound to exceed what a responsible gambler should do.  We may go on spending huge amount money on betting, play in the gambling platform 24/7 neglecting our health and responsibilities.  Everything negative can be done without any limitation.

I think the line between hobby and addiction is not really about how much money I lose. The real issue is whether I have control. If you know your limit, can accept when you lose, and gambling doesn't affect your relationship or financial responsibility then it can be hobby.

Indeed when it comes to addiction specifically gambling, it is about control or how we make ourselves in control of our gambling activities.  It also tackles responsible gambling and proper bankroll management.

You know, hardest part is we often don't realize when we have crossed our line. So we need to ask ourselve a simple question, am I controlling gambling, or is gambling controlling me?

You are spot on.  Many gambling addicts never realized that they are already addicted until it was toolate.

[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.

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.

Yea, the real fun is winning, and it is the expectation of winning that keeps people coming back. I do not care about what aim people gamble for, whether for entertainment or to make money. The final goal usually ends in the expectation of making a profit. We should talk about entertainment if there is truly any gambler who does not care about the money won. The focus should be on gambling within limits; there is no need to gamble with an inflated budget.

The percentage of people who are winning consistently is very low. The gambling industry has been designed to favour the casinos. They have the highest edge over the gamblers.

[Webutxo]

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.

It can be the source of fun but perhaps we don't look at it that way. You know what's more fun about gambling, when you bet and you win, there is no feeling that comes close to that kind winning but it disappears the moment you focus too much on making money on gambling rather than looking at the only money aspect of gambling. I don't think it's ideal for anyone to gamble and not include the fun, the money is there but you need fun to make it last.

If you focus on money and forget to look at other the fun, you will get bored. If you look at front and look back, you will see nothing but how to identify a game that will give you 2 size of your money instead of you to actually focus on games that will give you more money. I don't think I have seen or come across a gambler that focus on money and fun in gambling that hate gambling, it's always the people that want the money all by themselves.

[Findingnemo]

~
 One scary thing is that it does not happen overnight. It gradually crawl up. One extra bet here, a little more money there. Before you know it, you are not longer playing for fun anymore but playing because you feel like you have to.

Not many people have the awareness of addiction they don't even realize it, even if they are struggling from it. Addiction is hard to stop once it becomes severe but we always keep seeing advice that they should just quit the moment but it is not that much easier. This is the reason I keep telling eveyone that they should try to prevent it as much as possible and even being conservating and people called you names for being very disciplined should not change that.

[AYOBA]

The ability to stop when we gamble is what affects so many gamblers, and for me it's what differentiates even an experienced gambler from an ordinary gambler, mastering the act of stoppinging is not easy, and it's only done by few that are well determined. Whether you take it as fun or you gamble for money just try to master when you must hit STOP button.

Why most of the gamblers find it difficult to stop is that some starting the gambling has fun and entertainment, but by the time they find out that so many people’s are getting profits if they win, from there even those that take as entertainment begin chasing the winning.

And one thing about gambling is if a person has been losing every of their bets without single winning, that’s what is leading most of the people in gambling to starting chasing what they’ve lose so far, which is why to even mastering the stop button it very difficult for most of the gambler.

[Cityhunter34]

Whether you are gambling for fun or entertainment, I think it's still all about the money. Nobody gambles to be on losing streak. We all gamble to be on a winning streak. But since it's not possible to gamble without losing, it's essential to always understand that the only way to win in gambling is get lucky. That's why we need to very careful, know when to stop, and call it a day without trying to beat the casino. This is actually the best way to avoid problems with gambling, because gambling makes more sense when you're gambling without getting caught up in the game.

[Rubuchi]

Not many people have the awareness of addiction they don't even realize it, even if they are struggling from it. Addiction is hard to stop once it becomes severe but we always keep seeing advice that they should just quit the moment but it is not that much easier. This is the reason I keep telling eveyone that they should try to prevent it as much as possible and even being conservating and people called you names for being very disciplined should not change that.

and how do we prevent ourselves from addiction, it is primarily starting from our own habits towards gambling. Gambling habits are the kind of mindsets you have developed during gambling over a long period of time that you begin to exhibit those habits and behaviors consciously or unconsciously but without able to control it. With this simple guide, you need no body to tell you when you have been affected with gambling addiction. It is a big challenge for plenty people to figure out and after figuring out it is another difficult journey to reverse the process from being addicted back to your normal psychological state which is what most people battle with.

[jeremypwr]

Gambling becomes a problem when it literally takes over you life
When your daily living revolves around making a wager or checking a spread, you have a problem

[ejikeme24]

Yea, the real fun is winning, and it is the expectation of winning that keeps people coming back. I do not care about what aim people gamble for, whether for entertainment or to make money. The final goal usually ends in the expectation of making a profit. We should talk about entertainment if there is truly any gambler who does not care about the money won. The focus should be on gambling within limits; there is no need to gamble with an inflated budget.

The truth is that every gamblers care for wining, of course if they don't care there is no way they would be gambling with Thier hard earned money. Forget the fact that it's something they can afford to Loss but they can't look to my face and tell me that they don't feel kinda way whenever the outcome turns out to be the opposite, I have come to realize that there is nothing like gambling for fun so long as money is involved. It is only those that watch the game without putting Thier money in it that is worthy to be called "fun gamblers" as for Those that are putting Thier money, it is no longer a fun even though some might be pretending to be a fun gambler but with time they will definitely show Thier real identity.

[Cantsay]

This person is still in denial. Restrict him from gambling for one day and see how restless he will become. It might be that he is already addicted or is gradually walking his way into addiction. By the way, addicted people will always claim that they know what they are doing; they will never admit that they are addicted.

I am trying to recall where I saw the thread; I think it's either in this forum or in altcoinstalks. There was a thread about being able to gamble every day and not being addicted to gambling, and I was stunned to find out that there were a lot of them who had the same thing to say in that thread. They all believed that the reason you are gambling has the most influence on your gambling habits and that the frequency has nothing to do with it, and it's actually laughable.

[Powerjumboo]

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.

Yes, of course there are still many gamblers who accept gambling as entertainment and they always accept gambling as entertainment. If I talk about myself, I will say that I have accepted gambling as entertainment and I use very little money in gambling and I can say with certainty that in my later days I will be able to use gambling as entertainment and I can stop gambling whenever I want and all this is possible when a person has the right sense of responsibility.

[nelson4lov]

I think the moment it starts having more weight on our mental state is when it is no longer a fun hobby. Every loss will sting but when those losses start to do more than sting, then, I think that's the point we can say for a fact that we have crossed the forbidden line as from that point on, the decision making will be backed by emotionsand the result is just more pain and at sone point it cascades down and lead to even greater losses.

So TLDR, it's the point when losses put more weight on our mental state of mind.

[Makus]

Going beyond your budget can really become a huge problem that a lot of people fail to realize and this is because you are going beyond the limit that you have set for yourself and this could make you bankrupt in no time.

If you have to break the bank to gamble everytime then gambling has slowly started becoming a problem for you and this would only get worse if you don't put yourself under control. The common reason why a lot of gamblers get to this phase is because they start thinking about how to recover their losses, this changes how you think as a gambler.

It is not just about gambling for entertainment, ensure that you maintain discipline by gambling with an amount of money that you can afford to lose and also having a time limit as well.

[Hispo]

I think the moment it starts having more weight on our mental state is when it is no longer a fun hobby. Every loss will sting but when those losses start to do more than sting, then, I think that's the point we can say for a fact that we have crossed the forbidden line as from that point on, the decision making will be backed by emotionsand the result is just more pain and at sone point it cascades down and lead to even greater losses.

So TLDR, it's the point when losses put more weight on our mental state of mind.

I believe there are two main kinds of "weight" when comes to gambling, they mental weighr (which you just described) and also the economical and financial weight, which is connected to the mental state of the person.
People usually start feeling the mental weight after there is some accumulated economical weight on their wallets, due to their reckless gambling.
So, before talking about the mental well being of a gambler who may be going too far during their gaming sessions, we also need to address the economical stress which comes right before the mental stress. If there is no economical stress, then it is very likely there won't be any mental one.