Addiction to sports betting

There is almost a cult following when it comes to wagers. It is not hard to imagine why. Well there are several factors. First of all, there’s a sense of involvement. Let’s say that your hometown team is playing against a team from another town. Or, perhaps, there’s a horse that came from the farm you would visit on occasion. You want to show your support and cheering is not enough. Enter betting.

The reason it is so appealing is that now you have a personal stake in the game. It doesn’t matter whether it is football, basketball, cycling, horse racing or whatever – the point is that you are part of the action now. So, what’s the harm?

Recognizing the problem

Do you find yourself skipping out on meals or regular sleep? Do you use the money intended for something else, like paying the bills, food, or your savings? Are you socializing almost exclusively with the people you see on the track, neglecting your friends and family? You might have an issue.

There is no shame in recognizing the problem and the damage that is caused and could be caused by it. This is the reason websites urge you to be responsible when it comes to placing your money on something you can’t control. If you do have a problem, reach out to your friends and family and ask for help. Don’t forget to include a professional into the mix – they have seen scores of people who are addicted to the sports betting.

How does it happen?

There are chemicals in our brain that make us feel happy, sad, excited, scared, or angry. Dopamine is the one that gives the mix of excitement with the reward. Remember when we said placing money on a team makes you feel like you are a part of it? Because of this, you feel wins and losses much more personally than an average person would. And that’s perfectly fine and natural. The problem occurs when playing for the sake of playing is involved, when you are happy only momentarily with the win, and you see yourself placing a few extra wagers for different teams. What starts as passionate cheering becomes betting on which Russian Olympic gymnast will fail to stick the landing.

Dopamine is frequently found in addictive actions and substances. Prolonged exposure to the stimuli, such as the lights from a video game screen, alcohol, or the cheering crowd at the race track, increases your tolerance. You start needing more and more to get the same effect, the same level of elation. Pretty soon, the standard dose of it just makes you less irritable, sick and jittery.

Tips for Being Responsible

After reading this you might feel like we have something against a friendly wager on sports. Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply wish to point out that certain rules need to be followed in order to enjoy betting by savoring it.

  1.    Bet with your own money. This is something that should go without saying, but sometimes we really want to play and win. If only we weren’t momentarily low on cash. It is important to walk away at this point. What you could win is nothing compared with what you could lose.
  2.    Set aside the cash for the track. We say ‘the track’, but the same principle applies to other forms of sports betting. This will keep you from spending the money you really need.
  3.    Stop yourself. Know when you have started to lose track of time and priorities. It doesn’t matter that the next thing is a lock, this is your stop.