Taking a "Healthy Play All The Way" approach to gambling and gaming can help keep the games fun and lower your risks for harm. While all gambling carries risk and the potential to cause harm, safer gambling means you're using low-risk strategies when you gamble, like sticking to a budget for money and setting firm time limits.
Ask yourself if you take a "Healthy Play All The Way" approach to your gambling?
- Do you consider gambling just one of many recreational activities you pursue?
- Do your bets stay within the limits of what you can afford? Are they reasonable and calculated?
- Do you find it easy to stop gambling?
- Do you realize that winning can be fun, but it isn’t everything?
- Do you recognize that losing can be disappointing, but it isn’t everything?
- Do you understand that your chances of winning are often very small?
- Do you follow the Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines when gambling?
What does safer gambling look like?
People who use safer gambling strategies typically think of gambling as just one form of entertainment. They factor gambling into their household budget by setting spending limits and sticking to them. They don’t expect to win back money they’ve lost, nor do they think of gambling as a way to earn money. It’s important to remember that all gambling activities have risk and to enjoy safer gambling, you must be aware of the risks and how you can minimize them.