Has anyone cut down or stopped gambling?

[Jasminebed]

Coupons eh?
If you read about problem gamblers, say on the Gamcare forum, many will say the same thing. They'll carefully pick products in supermarkets and compare prices to save a few pence, and watch carefully what they spend on other stuff in a likewise manner. Then they will spunk tens/hundreds of pounds gambling. Subconsciously, this is because in the twisted logic of an addict, being 'careful' elsewhere somehow justifies the reckless spending on gambling, a sort of mental balancing act that obscures temporarily the fact that the pennies saved don't come close to the hundreds spunked. The self-deception of the gambler.
If you guys hadn't gambled, do you honestly believe you'd be collecting coupons?

Yes. My mother did it 50 years ago, and she was not a gambler. I have a little extra money because I price match, coupon, and shop the specials, cook at home instead of eating out, and if I want to gamble it, my danged business.

Mind you, I'll drop $100 in an hour gambling, but I refuse to pay over $7 a lb for bacon. That might be a little twisted.

 

[Realitybitez]

Yes. My mother did it 50 years ago, and she was not a gambler. I have a little extra money because I price match, coupon, and shop the specials, cook at home instead of eating out, and if I want to gamble it, my danged business.

Mind you, I'll drop $100 in an hour gambling, but I refuse to pay over $7 a lb for bacon. That might be a little twisted.

Buwhahahaha..... Me and my family can sooo relate to that! We'll totally begrudge spending so much on whatever, yet come to gambling we'd drop a $100 without even blinking an eye..

 

[mrmark21]

Coupons eh?
If you read about problem gamblers, say on the Gamcare forum, many will say the same thing. They'll carefully pick products in supermarkets and compare prices to save a few pence, and watch carefully what they spend on other stuff in a likewise manner. Then they will spunk tens/hundreds of pounds gambling. Subconsciously, this is because in the twisted logic of an addict, being 'careful' elsewhere somehow justifies the reckless spending on gambling, a sort of mental balancing act that obscures temporarily the fact that the pennies saved don't come close to the hundreds spunked. The self-deception of the gambler.
If you guys hadn't gambled, do you honestly believe you'd be collecting coupons?

Couponing, I believe everybody enjoys a bargain...

Everybody also enjoys some form of entertainment

 

[clees42]

I am going to seriously cut down my gambling for now.
Ive been pretty much playing almost everyday since new year and ive had a lucky month.
I was up at 16000 euro in winnings for the month,
but ive lost 800 euro very fast now, so im lookng at +15200.

Losing anymore of my winnings is not an option, so i withdrew my whole skrill balance (6000 euro),
and i set up automatic transfer of 100 euro each month to my skrill account.
The plan is to limit my monthly gambling to that 100 euro.

After playng so much lately, first couple days are going to be quite boring.
Im thinking of watching some tv-series ive had on hold for couple weeks.

 

[nisosbar]

I am going to seriously cut down my gambling for now.
Ive been pretty much playing almost everyday since new year and ive had a lucky month.
I was up at 16000 euro in winnings for the month,
but ive lost 800 euro very fast now, so im lookng at +15200.

Losing anymore of my winnings is not an option, so i withdrew my whole skrill balance (6000 euro),
and i set up automatic transfer of 100 euro each month to my skrill account.
The plan is to limit my monthly gambling to that 100 euro.

After playng so much lately, first couple days are going to be quite boring.
Im thinking of watching some tv-series ive had on hold for couple weeks.

Good for you - that's a terrific plan, if you can stick to it.

 

[peteyweestro]

Due to several different factors i have completely stopped depositing and playing at the casinos and have cut my poker playing down to maybe 1 tourny a week and my sports betting has come screeching to a halt also. The only things i have is a virtual horse racing stable that see's maybe $40 a month and thats it.

 

[anniemac]

I have cut down on my gaming budget. Being in the US, it's gets rather boring when you only have a select kind of casino software. Oh, how I would love to be able to play MG's again. Then you have the PIA of depositing and withdrawing.

I still play, don't get me wrong but I'd say I'm down to 1/3 of what I use to spend. I'll go a week without depositing where it use to be everyday.

I don't cut coupons cause I am lazy. There is only 2 of us and I just don't find it worthwhile. I did when I had kids at home though. But I do shop for bargains just on principle.

 

[Westland Bowl]

I stopped depositing real money into online casinos three years ago. I wasn't winning anymore at all since November 2009. I was a consistent winner before then and it stopped ice cold...slammed shut....fell off the cliff....smashed into a wall....burnt to a crisp....get the picture? I think the online casinos just blacklisted me and turned on the 'fixed RTP' option when I played. I now just play free points at the Sportsbook Review casino to try to win points and buy items like ipads or pizza.

I do much better in land casinos outside of that one computerized blackjack table at Harrington Racetrack and Casino.

 

[just play]

My husband and I were out and about this morning, he said "do you want to put some money on your card?" I thought about it, and then thought about the people who are having problems with their withdrawal checks more and more everyday. I said no. Why bother right? If I get lucky (which never happens, hehe) then I have to worry about my withdrawal.

So, I guess depositing is just about done for me. When and if there is a new way to deposit/withdrawal I would love to play again, but not as it is now.

 

[GambleGans]

I am feeling so sad right now....

I have been in the supermarket and grabed a pringles can because they have been on sale. At the register I have seen that it has been scanned for the regular price, and I asked if they werent on sale right now. The lady told me that they are preparing the price shields for monday morning and the can is not on sale yet. I told her to discard the can and put it back.

Just before I went to the supermarket I have blown 700 Euro in 2 hours at intercasino. Yesterday I have blown 650 Euro at a netent casino. So nearly my whole months salary within two days. But I 50 cent more for a can of pringles has been to much for me.

This is just sick. I am still young but it is a horror vision to me that I would do the same thing if I will have childs one day. Maybe they need new clothes but I will not buy them because they are not on sale.

Its the same thing with my mobile phone. I want to have a smartphone since years, but I never had money for it. from the money I have lost yesterday and today, I could have bought three samsung galaxy s3.

Its just sick. Gambling is not fun for me anymore since a long time ago, I am just chasing my loses, but I will never get them back

 

[Mousey]

I am feeling so sad right now....

I have been in the supermarket and grabed a pringles can because they have been on sale. At the register I have seen that it has been scanned for the regular price, and I asked if they werent on sale right now. The lady told me that they are preparing the price shields for monday morning and the can is not on sale yet. I told her to discard the can and put it back.

Just before I went to the supermarket I have blown 700 Euro in 2 hours at intercasino. Yesterday I have blown 650 Euro at a netent casino. So nearly my whole months salary within two days. But I 50 cent more for a can of pringles has been to much for me.

This is just sick. I am still young but it is a horror vision to me that I would do the same thing if I will have childs one day. Maybe they need new clothes but I will not buy them because they are not on sale.

Its the same thing with my mobile phone. I want to have a smartphone since years, but I never had money for it. from the money I have lost yesterday and today, I could have bought three samsung galaxy s3.

Its just sick. Gambling is not fun for me anymore since a long time ago, I am just chasing my loses, but I will never get them back

It may be time to cut your losses and run.

If gambling controls you, and not the other way around, perhaps it's time to grab the reins and make a change.

Please visit the Quit Gambling page here at Casinomeister and read it. Even if you're not ready to completely quit, there are some good ideas there for regaining control.

Good luck to you!

 

[mrmark21]

I am feeling so sad right now....

I have been in the supermarket and grabed a pringles can because they have been on sale. At the register I have seen that it has been scanned for the regular price, and I asked if they werent on sale right now. The lady told me that they are preparing the price shields for monday morning and the can is not on sale yet. I told her to discard the can and put it back.

Just before I went to the supermarket I have blown 700 Euro in 2 hours at intercasino. Yesterday I have blown 650 Euro at a netent casino. So nearly my whole months salary within two days. But I 50 cent more for a can of pringles has been to much for me.

This is just sick. I am still young but it is a horror vision to me that I would do the same thing if I will have childs one day. Maybe they need new clothes but I will not buy them because they are not on sale.

Its the same thing with my mobile phone. I want to have a smartphone since years, but I never had money for it. from the money I have lost yesterday and today, I could have bought three samsung galaxy s3.

Its just sick. Gambling is not fun for me anymore since a long time ago, I am just chasing my loses, but I will never get them back

That's so sad IMO You should take a break from gambling or at least limit what you're spending. Gambling is not supposed to make you feel sad, it's supposed to be fun and really shouldnt be seen as a form of income. The moment you have started to gamble more than what you can afford is the same moment that you should take a break... Step Back from the situation. Create a budget. Never chase you're losses.

Please take a look at the Quit Gambling forum, it's just really not worth the negative thoughts you are experiencing.

 

[Lucky Loser]

I have been a gambling addict for the last 25 years and have lost hundreds of thousands in that time betting on slots, horses and sport. Slots are my favourite. To me gambling is one of the few things that make life exciting and things would be really dull without it. Saying this, nowadays I always make sure that the bills are paid first as I would feel sick if I spent the rent money. There certainly have been times in the past where I've squandered my entire wage on payday and had to rely on credit to get through. Really stupid stuff.

Anyway, now I'm getting older I need to be a bit more sensible and start saving. I've cut my gambling budget by 75% and now mostly just bet on Friday night and weekends. Betting between Mon and Thur betting has largely been cut out.

Most of my spare cash now gets invested in a variety of small cap stocks. While its high risk I love doing the research, watching the daily price fluctuations, which can be very volatile and trading. I figure even if the stock drops 50% at least I've saved 50% more than I would have if I continued with my normal betting habits. There's also a chance the stock could go up in many multiples and I could make a small fortune. Stock investing is similar to a horse race that never ends. Very very exciting especially at the speculative, high risk end of the spectrum. I'm saving and gambling at the same time and it's great fun.

 

[barbz043]

I have cut back from 2k a month to $100...not because I want to but bc the casino I was playing at labeled me a "professional" and refuses to let me use bonuses when I deposit. So I tried to go to a different casino but they too have rtg software so my bonus was taken immediately. I am confused though...I was told the software has nothing to do with deposits, so who cares if I use a coupon code...geez I am depositing a lot. Anyhow, that's why I have cut back and I miss it

 

[muha20]

i did cut from deposeting over 500€ down to 100 or 200€ becouse just no luck in my deposits

 

[ChopleyIOM]

I've cut right back since the whole Betfred thing really took off - my Neteller activity for the last month is nothing compared to any random month you'd care to pick from last year.

It's hard to put into words but somehow I just resent the idea of giving casinos money at the moment. That's not to say that I distrust all casinos, I trust NetEnt software and I certainly trust Redbet, I trust Jackpot Party and the WMS slots, I trust Pinnacle who run Galewind software, and I trust 32Red.

And yet, when it comes to depositing I find myself thinking, 'No, bollocks to them, this is an industry that needs to sort itself out, I'm not helping to sustain it with my money any more.'

I made a tiny deposit of £10 on a 200% match into 32Red a couple of weeks ago. I did the monthly 100% match at Jackpot Party about three weeks ago simply because that's EV+ and I'm not going to say no to that.

Last night I very nearly deposited £100 into Jackpot Party for what used to be a very regular Saturday night session, but decided against it. Something about the whole thing just stuck in my craw.

The thing that gets me most about the current situation is the wall of silence from 'the industry'. With the exception of Chris from Galewind, I can't think of a single other industry 'insider' who's had one single damn thing to say about the Betfred fiasco, and now we have a proven (and admitted!) case of Playtech running a couple of slots on a higher RTP in fun-play mode than they were in real mode.

My greatest fear here is that we're only getting visibility of stuff that's easy to spot. Hi-Lo Gambler was a pretty easy one to prove, the different reels in free play versus real money on those Playtech slots was relatively easy to spot, and basically led to an admission that the RTP of the real money version had been stealthily lowered whilst the play money version was missed.

This is the stuff that they're getting wrong in a relatively easy way to spot and prove, I just dread to think what shit they're pulling on us and it's simply never getting picked up on. (Either maliciously or accidentally, the end result is the player getting shafted.)

I can only vote with my wallet - and that's what I'm doing.

 

[mrmark21]

I hear you... I've cut down as well due to that whole incident. I could be spending more but I'm not. I trust various providers like Netent software (most of my gambling funds are currently being spent there) but cut Playtech completely out of my gambling routine. The only Microgaming casino I ply at is 32 Red and that's because IMPO they are truly the best.

I'm listening to my gut feeling these days and will not be shelling out money to casinos that might not be giving me a fair game. I have a feeling the Betfred incident was just the tip of the iceberg, none of us really know anything about the software so can't pass judgement.

More money for me to spend on other crap

 

[dionysus]

I'm just slightly on the plus side from an earlier good run. If I drop below the win/loss line I might to be a bit more frugal soon

 

[muha20]

my next deposit will be 100 and on max lines and may dominations on 0.01 to try my luck with that maybe i hit something

 

[milemaster]

I've cut way back from a being nearly daily online player to once every 6-8 weeks. When I play these days it's fun for the first 20 minutes or so, but then reality sets in that if I want to withdraw anything I better mentally prepare myself for all the associated hassles. I'm in Vegas or the UK enough to have access to real casinos that pay in 1-2 minutes instead of 1-2 months. It's just not worth the hassle anymore.

I used to depost on average 2k/mo since 2002. At my current rate it's going to take me 3-4 years to deposit that much in an online casino again.

If we get a land based casino nearby someday I'll never go online again to play.

 

[all4greed]

Cutting away

I'll chime in.

Jan - 2 deposits
Dec - 5 deposits
Nov - 8 deposits
Oct - none
Sept - none

Those were at LS casino. I considered 3Dice, but seems like they are always having deposit issues and I'm not setting up any new EWallet accounts, hopefully ever.

I've just found other things to do. Think I've only been to this board 3 or 4 times in the last couple of months. Looks like my last post was end of October.

 

[madmun99]

NOT LOST A PEENY IN MONTHS

For whatever reason it's never stupid to take a break. Long or short, just to test yourself.

It's important to make sure that gambling isn't everything in your life that mean something.
It can be fun, but it can also take over your life if you're not careful.

I just had a short break for a few weeks. Not really to test myself, but because I couldn't afford to play.
It was fun to play again now, probably because I have cashed out some too. That didn't hurt at all

What I could notice with my break was that I went from posting a lot here, to post almost the double.
I better go back to my game again

Got involved in fantasy football . hours and hours of making transfers and substitutions has cost me nothing and been close to winning 5 grand a few times . Love slots but payouts getting worse . p.s have wagered a few times but on footy bets and well in front .

 

[LivinLovinDyin]

When I last time took a break, it cost me way more than gambling.

 

[mrmark21]

Well, I've cut down even further on my weekly gambling budget This week is off to a shocking start, no wins last week or the week before that. I've reversed half my gambling funds from Skrill back to my bank account. Will see if I have more luck at the local, have a few spins and a couple of drinks

Suffice to say spinning on 9c just takes the fun out of things. There's no fun without the possibility of winning

 

[colly]

How much I play depends very much on my budget for the month, any wins and what is left over AFTER ALL the bills are paid- I also try (but don't always succeed) to put at half of any big wins into the house - either by renovating or making an extra payment to the mortgage. I work independently so if its a client that will split invoices to multiple bank accounts I double the mortgage payment before getting cash to my transaction account. If I don't have cash I don't play and don't use credit cards at all for online gaming.


What I have found very interesting about this thread is how many of us (including me) play due to boredom or too much time on ones own- and many have cut down by finding other interests. I started gambling far too heavily when I was dealing with terminally ill parents- it was just an escape where I got caught up in it and then didn't have to think about the other depressing things going on. I realized it, did a voluntary ban at my local B and M casino, and stopped for about 4 years online using GAMBLOCK.


Various studies have shown that depression is a major factor in slot addiction at land based casino's- It would be interesting to see if there is any correlation to online gambling.

I find threads like this valuable as they let others know that there are solutions and that others feel the same way about their gambling- Good luck and congratulations to everyone that has cut down this year.