Has anyone cut down or stopped gambling?

[orlandacasino]

I stopped to play 1 week, just because I want to transfer my balance to a new casino and use this time to think in another hobbies.
I have control in my bets, so im fine but I admit that I want to play everyday and think about casino a lot everyday, but for that I have solution, playing in fun mode or doing other stuff to ocuppy my mind.
Kiss and good luck for everyone!

 

[siilix]

Last year I had a period of 6 months in which I did not deposit at all...then I started again out of boredom, now seriously thinking to take a break again.
Something weird happened in the last six months and I have the feeling casinos blacklisted me, I used to deposit 100 and get at least 300 quite often if not 800-1000, currently I deposit 50 and continuosly lose everywhere, microgaming, rtg, playtech or (rarely) just reach something like 50 usd more than what I deposited . It's not fun anymore.

 

[mrmark21]

You've proably seen my Betsafe Win thread, which was a good win for me (being a low better). Skrill decided to ask me at the last minute for address verifcation which left my withdrawal sitting in limbo for about four days. I gambled about $200 doing minimum bets at Microgaming.

The thing that occured to me while doing those bets was that while I wanted to keep playing I was not having fun (with barely any play time and no decent returns). The final straw was zero return on all three wild desire features on Immortal Romance I just got fed up

I've now cut MG out of my gambling routine They were only getting spare change from me. I'm hoping to find a good Nuworks casino to fill their position

 

[jay_fyp]

It's funny, this thread is exactly why I joined casinomeister. Because I quit online gambling altogether and I wanted to read about peoples wins and losses, it's kind of like therapy just to forget it altogether ha. This site helps me confirm my reasons for quitting(especially being a US player)so much. I spent way to much with little or no return. I hit some nice jackpots and regular wins, but never enough to justify it because it's a never ending cycle. You win a lot, even if you play minimal deposits, it always breaks even or wipes you out in the end, with the very very few exceptions.

I got to the point where I would just gamble on the weekends but I just ended up depositing more to make up for not depositing on weekdays. Then one day, I said I had enough of throwing out money, I self excluded from all online casinos and never looked back.

It's funny cause it was so hard to come to the decision to stop blowing money online gambling because I loved the ease of it, chilling out on your computer after the work week with some beers, and spinning, but once I did I have absolutely no urge. My savings account has become incredible, even if you're only spending 20 bucks here or 50 bucks there it adds up way more than you think over time and it's such a good feeling just to have that money that you worked so hard for in your bank account.

I never got behind on my bills or anything like that, but it was just such a waste after 6 years, I was beginning to feel remorse for spending money I worked way to hard for. 100 dollars, 200 dollars, that can get you a lot of things, a weekend trip, a car repair, going out for a nice steak, some new clothes etc. Not worth it!

I can tell you I am much happier now. I'm glad this thread came up, and good luck to those fellow gamblers, keep it at a minimum and I hope to read about your wins!

 

[requiem]

I have cut down on gambling a lot since starting a new family. Gambling was my life for so long but now I want nothing more than to be the best I can be to my kids. I still gamble to have some fun and still win a decent income on the side. I don't feel I have to stop gambling, just make it more of a hobby on the side. But the ups and downs I had before when playing almost 24/7 had to go. It was fun, but it was also tough on an emotional level. Now I have a more stable life which suits me better now.

 

[slotplayer]

coming up on a year for me since I last played online. I think around feb 22nd.

did go to the land casino a couple times in early jan but that is out now to.

 

[tinybettor]

I have tried to cut down but now I'm thinking of just stopping for a good while. I'm just finding that my deposits having been getting me absolutely nothing these weeks. Hundreds of deposits across several MG casinos and only a handful of withdrawals. I know gambling is a risk and "you win some you lose some" but I'm finding that in my record, its almost entirely a one-side affair to the point that its becoming ridiculous with no justification to return if winning anything decent is like hitting the lottery.

 

[mrmark21]

I'm a big slots player, I play them almost every day. I've found that having a routine/budget can be a useful tool. Belows my weekly gambling routine:

Monday- *Ammount: ___ *Software: *Casino:
Tuesday- *Ammount: ___ *Software: *Casino:
Wednesday- *Ammount: ___ *Software: *Casino:
And so on...

I'm a rather compulsive person and tend to move from vice to vice: I was hooked on Neopets, then I moved onto gambling (current vice) and now I'm moving onto a new Ebay addiction (comparing prices, bidding, etc).

I organize my routine in accordance to my budget at the start of every week. For my weekly budget I factor in all expenses including savings, rent, bills (private health insurance etc) and everything else. Then my entertainment/gambling allowance (this includes video games or gambling etc). I always put gambling last and have gone weeks without playing just because something else needed to be paid. Never dipping into savings.

Below are the steps I use to acheive a more productive gaming session:

• Never deposit more than my allocated ammount
• Never redeposit
• Never reverse a withdrawal
• Only play the software I feel I've been successfull on
• Play 1.5% of my bankroll
• Always spend my winnings on something solid
• Take regular breaks

I really feel having a budget can be useful and just wanted to share something that may help

 

[requiem]

Taking breaks is incredibly important to have a fresh mind so you can make good decisions. There are so many players that have great strategies and goals before a gaming session, but fail when it comes to decisions after playing for too long. And one bad decision leads to another one and it easily spirals out of control.

So take breaks every now and then. And set up a winning goal for each sessions so you're not just playing without a purpose. If fun is your only purpose, I am sure you will have more fun taking better actions as that will make you more money in the end.

In my experience of playing roulette for example, I have at some point had some kind of profit in almost all of my sessions. Therefore it comes down to knowing when to quit, reaching your profit goal or taking a good loss when your plan did not work as planned that session. If players could leave their fear and anger emotions out when gambling, there would be many more winners out there.

Finally use your and the experience of others to your advantage. Do not do the same mistakes, and expect a different result.

 

[jay_fyp]

Another major gripe I have with gambling, you will lose other things besides money, without even realizing it. You really will, relationships can change significantly even if you don't notice right away. For example, ok you didn't get behind on your bills, but you did spend a significant/extra amount of money on gaming, therefore you decide you can't have a night out to dinner and drinks, and or a show with friends or family because you rather save it (save it for what, gambling)-boom you just gave up social time with people you like and love and you slowly become distant without realizing it and it gets worse and worse. It's a bad cycle and it goes further than just making sure you have just enough money to get by. It's a slow process but it progresses and I'm glad I woke up one morning and said enough is enough.

Like I said, I never got behind on bills, or credit cards, but it still 100% effected everything around me, even as subtle as it was. I'm so glad it's over. I don't know why it was so easy to go cold turkey quitting, but I'm thankful, the thought doesn't even cross my mind to gamble.

The thing that helped me, indirectly, was my credit/debit card company constantly called me to confirm charges, one day, I received a new card in the mail with new numbers on it, and the letterhead attached said "Visa is reissuing cards due to security issues" which was a standard thing, not for me individually. And after that I felt like it was a calling, something was telling me to quit, and I did that day. I'm so happy now.

Of course my experience is with online gambling and depositing extra money I had, and that was about my limit, some others claim to have control of that limit and deposit very little, and with that, I say go for it, but I have known very few who actually do that, so I share my experience with you so you know it's never to late just to give it up.

Thanks everyone on here for hearing me out, you guys rock!

 

[jay_fyp]

Also, since I received that new credit/debit card, it meant I would have to once again send out all of my documents for a verification of a new card, so as little incentive as that is for some people, it annoyed me enough to be another reason to quit.haha I mean god forbid I won that night, it wouldn't be approved till my new card was established on my account haha yeah I really thought about that, pathetic.

 

[mrmark21]

Another major gripe I have with gambling, you will lose other things besides money, without even realizing it. You really will, relationships can change significantly even if you don't notice right away. For example, ok you didn't get behind on your bills, but you did spend a significant/extra amount of money on gaming, therefore you decide you can't have a night out to dinner and drinks, and or a show with friends or family because you rather save it (save it for what, gambling)-boom you just gave up social time with people you like and love and you slowly become distant without realizing it and it gets worse and worse. It's a bad cycle and it goes further than just making sure you have just enough money to get by. It's a slow process but it progresses and I'm glad I woke up one morning and said enough is enough.

I agree. Sometimes small deposits can amount to hours of playtime that we never expected. Since gambling is a form of entertainment it only makes sense we want to continue playing, just like when I'm watching my favorite TV show. I'll put that ahead of other things even though I really shouldnt.

 

[Alfran]

Interesting thread.
Got me thinking too...
wondering, if you had a very small budget per week to spend on slots. Would you prefer to play a small amt everyday or accumulate it and only play on weekends so you have a decent roll? Basically really small budget just for entertainment, as it is probably too small wager to hit anything really big.
And which specific slot would you play to maximize playtime?
*main reason is i'm on a bad losing streak thats going on for months. Really dont know what i'm doing wrong, maybe mark can make a schedule with which games and where he plays

 

[Jasminebed]

My gambling budget varies, and is larger when I have wins. When it's cold, I prefer to make one deposit of $50 say instead of 5 $10 ones. It definitely feels like you have a better chance of running $50 up to $250 than $10 up to $50 and withdraw 5 times. And seriously, with the various fees involved, is it worth cashing out $50 most times unless it's a max free chip?

On the other hand, if you enjoy bonuses and are not afraid to bust in a few minutes, you might be further ahead to take a couple of $25 match bonuses because a good hit and you can probably complete WR every few weeks on one or the other.

If you are frustrated, it's not bad to say I'll get more pleasure out of a take out meal, couple of beers out or some new duds instead of playing tonight.

Gambling will still be here next week or next month or the month after that.

 

[gloria460]

So what do I do? I read - got a new ereader for Xmas and I'm learning how to use it and organize books and load books, and buy books and such. I have rediscovered magazines. Found some subscription bargains online during the holidays and we get Rolling Stone, Discovery, Wired, Popular Science, and hubby gets his Poker Player mag. There are a few yahoo groups I own/co-own to keep up with and make sig tags for when I get time.

You're not the mousey I know from various Delphi forums years ago. I used to make sig tags with signatures with style. I belong to the plug-in group. This is a small world. I still have all my tags, presets, templates saved on disc. I was thinking of getting back into it just to have something to occupy my time on the weekends since I no longer play online.

 

[EdieD]

The Borgata is in Atlantic City, NJ. I love it there! Great food, great bars and nightlife and really nice rooms. The best place in AC.

View attachment 37635

theborgata.com

I agree...I think the Borgata is the best casino in AC. Not only is the variety of games good, but there's alot of energy in that casino and I feel you have the best shot at winning there opposed to any other AC casino. Worst ones are typically any from Harrahs or Ceasars. I'll be down AC alot over summer, so will probably check out new Revel casino.

 

[mrmark21]

I've cut way way way down... After my most recent break which was the result of confiscated winnings I've decided that I'm not going to play much anymore. I made a couple of deposits recently at Intercasino and 32 Red and ended up in profit. Used the money to buy a PS Vita and PS Move and a couple of other gadgets.

IMO one negative experience can be all it takes to stop gambling online. Getting through the withdrawal process can become hard work because instead of being happy that you had a cash-out you're anxious that you may have accidentally broken a term or that the casino will find some way to void you're winnings or that the casino is taking to long to pay you etc. Gambling should be fun.

I'll only play at casinos I trust: 32 Red, Betsafe, and a couple of others (Intercasino was quite fast to pay me).

 

[ChopleyIOM]

I've cut way way way down... After my most recent break which was the result of confiscated winnings I've decided that I'm not going to play much anymore. I made a couple of deposits recently at Intercasino and 32 Red and ended up in profit. Used the money to buy a PS Vita and PS Move and a couple of other gadgets.

IMO one negative experience can be all it takes to stop gambling online. Getting through the withdrawal process can become hard work because instead of being happy that you had a cash-out you're anxious that you may have accidentally broken a term or that the casino will find some way to void you're winnings or that the casino is taking to long to pay you etc. Gambling should be fun.

I'll only play at casinos I trust: 32 Red, Betsafe, and a couple of others (Intercasino was quite fast to pay me).

I've made this point here and elsewhere in the past, online casinos need to think a bit more about the bigger picture when they try to deny winnings based on crappy T&Cs or making players jump through endless hoops to get their money and so on. Annoy a player enough, and he will stop playing and depositing, deciding that online casinos are just more hassle than they're worth - and that player may then be lost for life, never depositing again.

I had a bad experience with withdrawals at a couple of accredited casinos last year (I did get my withdrawals, but they gave me the maximum runaround they possibly could in the process), but I didn't let it put me off playing online, I simply trimmed down the list of casinos I play at to those I absolutely trust.

The most obvious one for me is MG and 32Red - I honestly don't know how any other MG-only casinos remain in business with their pending withdrawal times and fannying around asking for docs and vague T&Cs and so on.

There are some bad casinos out there, but there are some very good ones too - the trick is to just play at the good ones!

 

[mathsboy1975]

I have had very little success at cutting back. Boredom is my problem and sometimes if I am sitting around the house with not much to do I will just deposit £100 and see what happens. The problem I have had recently is that this tends to last about 30 minutes maximum before I lose it. I hit an all time low this morning by opening an account at ComeOn deposited £100, played for 6 minutes on Girls With Guns before it was all gone, then permanently closed the account. I have self excluded from pretty much every casino I was a member with (other than betfair and i have strict loss limits set there to prevent over betting), but this is not sufficient to stop as it seems there is always another casino offering a signup bonus. I guess I will run out of options eventually and I hope it is soon as I have really lost the enjoyment factor now. The only buzz I get is hitting something that pays out 200x or more stake and as this is rare, my enjoyment while playing is pretty minimal. There are a couple of games that are exceptions and that have a genuinely entertaining edge but the rest leave me cold.

Having said all that I think a couple of big wins would rekindle my interest. I guess just being on a long term cold run makes the enthusiasm wane but the habit of betting keeps me going back for more.

 

[mrmark21]

I've made this point here and elsewhere in the past, online casinos need to think a bit more about the bigger picture when they try to deny winnings based on crappy T&Cs or making players jump through endless hoops to get their money and so on. Annoy a player enough, and he will stop playing and depositing, deciding that online casinos are just more hassle than they're worth - and that player may then be lost for life, never depositing again.

I had a bad experience with withdrawals at a couple of accredited casinos last year (I did get my withdrawals, but they gave me the maximum runaround they possibly could in the process), but I didn't let it put me off playing online, I simply trimmed down the list of casinos I play at to those I absolutely trust.

The most obvious one for me is MG and 32Red - I honestly don't know how any other MG-only casinos remain in business with their pending withdrawal times and fannying around asking for docs and vague T&Cs and so on.

There are some bad casinos out there, but there are some very good ones too - the trick is to just play at the good ones!

I completely agree. 32 Red is my favorite casino. They ALWAYS pay and do so within 24 hours. I trust them completely...

I play very very rarely these days. I excluded myself for a month from just about all casinos. My last session was a week ago and of course that was at 32 Red on a very small deposit. Also made a small deposit at Intercasino (100% bonus on Aristocrat slots so couldn't say no).

I'm the kind of person where once I've had a negative experience I'll make sure I never have one again.

I want to play some Rival games. I just can't be bothered trying out a Rival casino.

 

[243 lines=daft]

I'm coming off the back of a relative hot streak, both at Playtech and MGS casinos.

Oddly this makes me less inclined to play for the time being.
As going by experience I'm well aware the pain of 'giving it back' far outweighs the annoyance of not winning it in the first place.

Also it's warm and there are other distractions.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I have had very little success at cutting back. Boredom is my problem and sometimes if I am sitting around the house with not much to do I will just deposit £100 and see what happens. The problem I have had recently is that this tends to last about 30 minutes maximum before I lose it. I hit an all time low this morning by opening an account at ComeOn deposited £100, played for 6 minutes on Girls With Guns before it was all gone, then permanently closed the account. I have self excluded from pretty much every casino I was a member with (other than betfair and i have strict loss limits set there to prevent over betting), but this is not sufficient to stop as it seems there is always another casino offering a signup bonus. I guess I will run out of options eventually and I hope it is soon as I have really lost the enjoyment factor now. The only buzz I get is hitting something that pays out 200x or more stake and as this is rare, my enjoyment while playing is pretty minimal. There are a couple of games that are exceptions and that have a genuinely entertaining edge but the rest leave me cold.

Having said all that I think a couple of big wins would rekindle my interest. I guess just being on a long term cold run makes the enthusiasm wane but the habit of betting keeps me going back for more.

That could be a problem, not a solution. It could rekindle your interest so much that you lose it all back, and then overshoot your usual budget before you again cut back.

Boredom can be a big problem, and almost all entertainment is going to cost money somehow. Even walkers have to buy shoes.

Boredom can also lead to aimless wandering, both in the real world and online. You may stumble upon something that interests you, and that is far cheaper than gambling.

There is a fair bit on the internet about most subjects (not all of it factual though), and finding out about things can be interesting.

Making your own website about something that interests you can also absorb time that would otherwise be spent being bored - it can even lead to money.

Many people are merely "users" of computers, but it is possible to teach yourself how to make the computer do what YOU want it to, not what Bill Gates tells it to do. It seems a large number of hobbyists produce pieces of software that they have "knocked up" in their spare time, and some can be pretty useful. Many are given away for free, and some even with the source code so that one can have a tinker around to maybe learn how to do it, or tailor something to your own preference.

When home computers first came out, I was very much a programmer, rather than a user, and all self taught from the instruction manuals. I haven't done much in the way of programming after Windows came out. My major programming experience was with the mainframes of the 1980's and 1990's, skills that are not particularly useful in the Windows era. I do at least know roughly how things might be working "under the bonnet", and that includes casino clients It's mainly a matter of learning a new language. I have yet to converse with a Windows PC that speaks Fortran and IBM JCL. I can get by with DOS though, and this is roughly the same as the "shell commands" that can be programmed to customise a Windows PC. True DOS died out with Windows 2000, what you get now is a DOS emulator that runs within Windows.


Start playing around with the above, and days can pass, days where you have not spent a single CENT at an online casino

 

[mathsboy1975]

That could be a problem, not a solution. It could rekindle your interest so much that you lose it all back, and then overshoot your usual budget before you again cut back.

Boredom can be a big problem, and almost all entertainment is going to cost money somehow. Even walkers have to buy shoes.

Boredom can also lead to aimless wandering, both in the real world and online. You may stumble upon something that interests you, and that is far cheaper than gambling.

There is a fair bit on the internet about most subjects (not all of it factual though), and finding out about things can be interesting.

Making your own website about something that interests you can also absorb time that would otherwise be spent being bored - it can even lead to money.

Many people are merely "users" of computers, but it is possible to teach yourself how to make the computer do what YOU want it to, not what Bill Gates tells it to do. It seems a large number of hobbyists produce pieces of software that they have "knocked up" in their spare time, and some can be pretty useful. Many are given away for free, and some even with the source code so that one can have a tinker around to maybe learn how to do it, or tailor something to your own preference.

When home computers first came out, I was very much a programmer, rather than a user, and all self taught from the instruction manuals. I haven't done much in the way of programming after Windows came out. My major programming experience was with the mainframes of the 1980's and 1990's, skills that are not particularly useful in the Windows era. I do at least know roughly how things might be working "under the bonnet", and that includes casino clients It's mainly a matter of learning a new language. I have yet to converse with a Windows PC that speaks Fortran and IBM JCL. I can get by with DOS though, and this is roughly the same as the "shell commands" that can be programmed to customise a Windows PC. True DOS died out with Windows 2000, what you get now is a DOS emulator that runs within Windows.


Start playing around with the above, and days can pass, days where you have not spent a single CENT at an online casino

It is a nice suggestion, but I am a software engineer by profession and in my spare time work on an Linux based C++ application that I have developed to record market data and place bets on betfair. I think even MORE coding would likely drive me more insane than my losing streak at the slots is currently!!

Having said that, your point is a good one, it is just that computers are not the answer. Perhaps now summer is here finding an outdoor interest will keep me out of the house and off the slots.

 

[dunover]

Do what I did - with some winnings a couple of years back I bought a good Garrett metal detector. Keeps you out in the fresh air, doesn't cost you money and you can spend hours doing it - all with the possible 'big win' if you get lucky. I must admit it's still in the box, unopened.

 

[mathsboy1975]

Do what I did - with some winnings a couple of years back I bought a good Garrett metal detector. Keeps you out in the fresh air, doesn't cost you money and you can spend hours doing it - all with the possible 'big win' if you get lucky. I must admit it's still in the box, unopened.

In fact what I might try and do is go back to playing the bare minimum stakes. In theory that way I stand more chance of landing the 200x bet plus type hits. Trouble is I know deep down that after 20 mins play I will start edging up the stakes again and end up blowing out soon after. Maybe buying a metal detector or taking up mediaeval basket weaving is the better option after all.