Be smart – take control and enjoy the game
We are entering the Spring and Summer sports season, which comes with an increase in sports betting promotion.
With Spring Racing Carnivals, football finals of all codes, cricket, golf and tennis competitions, gambling is at the height of activity. Many gamblers may be feeling the urge to gamble more than usual.
Take a moment to prepare yourself to enjoy the game and feel more confident to manage the temptation to gamble more than you plan.
Online gambling can be risky
Gambling online, in particular, can become challenging to control with the easy accessibility and promotion of sports betting, availability of money online and the media technologies designed to provide the perception that gambling is exciting with many financial rewards.
These enticing messages can tempt people to gamble, often against their better judgment. Once sparked, this urge may lead to gambling more than planned.
When the money is lost and the reality of not winning sets in, the realisation that the money is gone may result in the gambler chasing their losses. Chasing losses leads people to get hooked on the vicious cycle of gambling.
Don’t get caught chasing your losses
To avoid the vicious cycle of gambling, educate yourself about:
- The risks of online gambling
- Understanding the odds of winning – they are not in your favour
- Research regulated sites that use responsible design tools available to reduce online gambling harms
- Professionals who can help you get back in control of your gambling or how to reduce the risks of gambling becoming an addiction –(www.sagamblinghelp.org.au)
If you plan to gamble, but are concerned about being in control, here are some tips for managing your gambling:
- Expect to lose your money
- Only spend the money you can afford
- Consider if you are justify gambling funds from money that should be spent elsewhere
- Use apps and software that can limit and restrict your access to specific apps/websites
- Place limits on access to credit
- Disable features that nudge continued gambling
- Avoid options to remain signed-in to accounts for betting and avoiding saved passwords
- Keep your money safe – only have money available to gamble that’s affordable
- Be careful about mixing alcohol or other drugs with gambling, as it can cloud your judgement
- At the beginning of a gambling session, set a timer on your device with the planned end of the gambling session
- Remove yourself from situations or people that may trigger an urge to gamble
- Excuse yourself from any gambling syndicates among friends or at work
- Remember – It is ok to take a break if you think gambling is becoming an issue
- Plan other activities that don’t link to the temptation of gambling
- Seek support from someone you trust or a professional
When excitement takes over, and self-control is lost, gambling can be harmful
If you are finding it challenging to stop or limit your gambling, or think you may be at risk of gambling more than you can afford, speak to one of our gambling team. We can help you take back control and learn to enjoy the game again.
Left untreated, gambling more than you can afford can lead to overwhelming debts, relationship difficulties, mental health issues, and other devastating consequences.
The Office for Problem Gambling (OPG) has partnered with Adelaide United Football Club (AUFC) to deliver ‘Here for the Game’, a program to disrupt the normalisation of betting in sport. ‘Here for the Game’ aims to get young people, their parents and peers focused on all the things we love about sport, not the gambling. If you would like to know more, please visit https://www.hereforthegame.
Reference
Gainsbury, S. M., Black, N., Blaszczynski, A., Callaghan, S., Clancey, G., Starcevic, V., & Tymula, A. (2020). Reducing Internet Gambling Harms Using Behavioral Science: A Stakeholder Framework. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11.