Tips to set your limits and stay within them

There are plenty of good reasons to set limits for yourself. The most important one is they help keep gambling fun! The key is to set limits that work for you and find an effective way to stick to them. Since everyone’s different, here are some tips and tricks to help you play wisely.

Spending limit

The golden rule is to never bet more than you can afford to lose. And one way to follow this guideline is to save the money you’ve earmarked for essentials, like groceries, rent or education, and use only a part of your entertainment budget to gamble.

Generally speaking, an entertainment budget accounts for 5 to 10% of net income. Gambling should only represent a small fraction of this budget item, which also includes things like outings, activities and other forms of entertainment.

Time limit

It’s easy to lose track of time, especially when you’re caught up in the excitement. But it’s better not to leave it to chance. Thinking about how long you want to gamble for, either online or at a gambling location, is a smart move. You can then set a time limit, in minutes or hours, each time you gamble.

What’s important is that gambling doesn’t replace everything else. The last thing you want is to sacrifice sleep or miss a commitment in order to gamble.

Frequency limit

Sometimes it’s a little jarring when you realize just how often you’ve gambled, or just how fast you’ve placed bets. To make sure you’re able to cultivate other interests, it’s a good idea to ask yourself how many times per week, per month or per year you choose to devote to gambling. You can set a limit by reflecting on the time you have available for entertainment and considering the time you want to dedicate to life-enriching activities, such as spending time with friends and family or playing sports—just a few of the things that should never be replaced by gambling.