Addicted to Gambling.

I am very good at gambling on particular sports but I tend to lose all my winnings plus more in poker or on random sports I don't follow. I've lost about $500 in the past 12 months. I just wish I could stick to the sports I know so I can get entertainment and win money.

What is the best way to go about this? I am definitely addicted but I think if I can mature and take a new approach I can keep it as a hobby and limit my losses or win some.

Maybe stopping completely is the best option, but I've tried, and my sports interest keeps bringing me back.

I'm trying to spend more time following sports without betting money. I need to continue to keep my mind clear.

 

I don't know the financial situation that you're in but $500 isn't really a lot of money; especially having lost it over the course of a whole year. I strongly consider you call it quits at this point before it becomes a serious addiction and consider it a lesson well learned. In this end, preventing yourself from gambling is a lesson far more valuable than the $500 you lost. My dad for example was able to stop his rapidly growing gambling addiction by finding a profitable hobby. Try picking up a skill or a hobby anything to avoid any tendacy to gamble. It's in the best interest that when you eventually concede back gambling despite any attempt to stop yourself that you only bet on pots that you know you'll win as you mentioned previously. Best of luck.

 

I probably won't understand gambling addiction because I've never been through it, however, I think in a statistical point of view. If your odds of winning are less than 51%, you WILL lose money or break even at best in the long run. There is no two ways about it. This thought is usually what keeps me away from gambling.

 

Block all the methods by which you get your funds. That'll just completely cut you off from gambling the money

 

In my experience, after I turned 18, I sort of got into scratch offs and whatnot, so I did a complete cutoff for that before it became too much of a problem. In your case, I suggest redirecting the energy to something else, like you said, to sports where you'll get entertainment from. If you have the confidence to bet money on the sports you know, then keep with that. If you are looking to just get out of gambling, then redirect the energy (and money) towards something else.

 

The problem is you're rooting for the wrong football team in Texas.

In all seriousness though, try to find something to occupy your time and money to get yourself off of gambling. Set goals for yourself to use with your money, that way your money isn't sitting there just to be gambled on.

As some above me have said, $500 in 12 months isn't too much to be concerned about. There are people with gambling problems who blow that much in the matter of minutes. It's all relative but it's good you're catching yourself now. Good luck to you

 

if you personally think you are truely addicted, then come take a look at this thread, Have a Gambling issue? Links, tips, and help!

But have you tried to limit x-amount of dollars a week/month for your needs. it could cut down the the amount of losses you have, keep you enjoying the gambling with said expendable cash, and is a step of the recovery process.

 

Luckily there's no phsyical dependency to gambling. It's an easy one to cure. If you want to keep it as a hobby just deposit small amounts of money and play with that. I started my $8k+ poker bankroll with a $20 deposit a couple years ago. If you have $100 on your account, never bet more than $2 at a time. Gamble smart. As someone said above, if you don't have an edge, don't play. If you're playing $2 games and you're good enough to believe you have a chance at being a successful gambler, you should have an edge there. When you lose $8 to a shitty player and tilt and decide to blow your other $92 in one sitting, you won't have an edge. You'll be playing against experienced people who worked their way up from the $2 bets. On top of not having an edge, you're not following proper bankroll management. The best player in the world will lose the the best player in the world occasionally. The idea is to set yourself up to win in the long term by continuously making good decisions in whatever game you're playing.

That's option A. Option B is to just quit because you're not phsycially dependant on gambling.

 

i lost $2500 in the last 2 weeks buying gold and losing it lol