Is your gambling harmful?
Gambling is meant to be a fun and social form of entertainment. It offers the player the chance of winning more in return but ALL forms of gambling are designed to pay out less than they take in. For some people, the lure of making more money means it can easily start to cause harm.
Harmful gambling is when your gambling starts to cause problems for you or others. For example, if you are starting to have some stress associated with your gambling, it’s starting to put pressure on your budget, it’s causing problems with some of your relationships or it's simply no longer fun but the choice to cut back is proving difficult. Some forms of gambling are more harmful than others, especially those that allow the player to continuously play and lose track of how much they're spending.
How much is too much?
It depends. The amount someone can safely spend comes down to their circumstances and what amount they are able to risk loosing without it affecting other set costs. For some people, even a few dollars may mean them or others having to go without weekly essentials.
Ask yourself – is your gambling just fun?
Signs to look for
If any of these sound familiar, it could point to a problem with your gambling:
- Spending more time or money than you planned
- Making excuses or being secretive to friends or family about how much time and money is spent gambling
- Feeling guilty or worried about how much you're gambling
- You or your family going without
- Thinking that you can gamble your way out of debt
- Losing interest in your friends, family or other activities
- Borrowing or taking money from your friends, family or a workplace.
It's time to look at your gambling and choose not to chance your future.
Test your gambling
Still wondering if your gambling could be harmful? Do our quick and easy test here.
