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March2March 2, 2023

7 Ways You Can Avoid Making Stupid Bets

Want to avoid stupid bets? We’re with you on that front too.

Betting on darts can be fun. But there are loads of times that you might find yourself making stupid bets that really, you could’ve avoided.

We’re going to help you on your quest to stop betting in a silly way. Once you avoid stupid bets that you regret making, you can make sure your betting sessions are a little smarter and safer.

1. Think twice

It’s all too easy to just press a button online and make a wager. But one of the most useful pieces of advice we’ve ever heard is to pause before making every single sports bet. Decide what you want to bet. Then take a step back. Make a tea, have a look out the window. Think about it. If you still want to make the bet after a few minutes, then go for it. If you’ve decided it’s not for you, then that’s great. That’s one stupid bet avoided!

2. Don’t bet under the influence

Whether your poison is alcohol or any other mood or mind altering substance, you should certainly not be under the influence while you’re betting. Betting when you’re drunk is going to lead to you make stupid decisions.

3. Always stick to your budget

Your gambling budget should be at the heart of every decision you make at the bookies, whether that’s online or offline. Once you go over your daily, weekly, monthly or yearly limit, every bet you make after that is definitely not worth it. Even if it comes in, it’s not smart to overspend on your gambling budget.

4. Never try to make up money you lost

You made a bet. Things didn’t go your way. What can we say, it happens. The worst thing you can do is try to rectify that situation by betting more. The subsequent bets you make to try and replenish your funds are undoubtedly going to be made out of desperation not out of a sports savvy. Betting more is probably just going to result in your losing more!

5. Keep your mental health in check

If you’re annoyed, stressed out or anxious, you’re probably not going to be thinking straight about anything, let alone betting. Avoid stupid bets by making sure that your head is straight when you’re enjoying a flutter. But as an aside, if you find that betting itself is making your feel anxious (or if you feel bad when you don’t bet), this is a warning sign you might have a gambling problem and you should get help.

6. Don’t spend too long betting

If you don’t keep an eye on the length of your gambling sessions, they can get too long without you even noticing the time go. The longer you bet, the sloppier you become. You’ll get tired, you’ll be less focused. So to keep yourself sharp and avoid stupid bets, you should take a look at limiting the time you spend gambling.

7. Know how gambling works

Sometimes understanding the mechanics of gambling can help you navigate the world of making smart bets a little better. Arming yourself with more knowledge, especially the fact that sportsbook’s main goal is to make money off punters, puts you in a much better position than sticking your head in the sand.

Getting help for a gambling problem

No amount of advice to avoid stupid bets is going to help you if you’re battling with a gambling problem. You need to stop gambling entirely to overcome addiction. And in order to give yourself the best chance, you should get external help. UK-based Be Gamble Aware is a really important resource that you can turn to for practical advice and support.

Here are a few more responsible gambling articles that you might find helpful:

October6October 6, 2022

6 Practical Things You Can Do To Stop Minors From Gambling

By ChristineIn

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Kids and gambling should never mix. We all know that’s true. But at the same time, it can be difficult to know how to practically try to make sure kids stay away from gambling.

We’re going to give you a few straightforward tips that you can use in your life. Nothing difficult to follow. Just things you can keep in mind to give you a little more peace of mind when it comes to kids and gambling.

1. Familiarize yourself with age limits in your jurisdiction

Depending on where you live, the minimum age limit for gambling can vary. In some places it’s as low as 18 years of age, meanwhile other places it can be 21 years of age. So at the start of your journey to discourage kids and gambling, know the correct age limit you’re dealing with.

2. Keep your passwords to yourself

We’ve all been there before. Your teen wants to use your phone for something or other. So you just shout out your passcode so they can type it in. And that’s fine. But if you also have online gambling accounts that you’re logged in to on your device, or if you use the same passcode or password for those accounts, you’ve just given them access to your online gambling accounts.

So remove the temptation straight away by not giving your child access to passwords they can use to access gambling accounts. And also remember to log out every time you use your online gambling accounts too.

3. Make use of parental controls

Parental controls are an extremely easy thing that you can use on any device your child uses. Whether that’s their own smartphone, yours, tables, laptops or smart TVs, they can all be a little more secure when a parental control is put in place.

It’s usually fairly self-explanatory in settings, but if you can’t find out how to do it yourself, a quick Google should clear things up.

4. Get external software for extra security

If you feel like you need an extra layer of security, you can get external software to keep kids and gambling separated. NetNanny covers a wide range of different not-safe-for-children areas. Meanwhile GamBlock is specifically for gambling.

5. Report minors using your account (or creating their own)

If you suspect a minor is using your account or that they have created their own, report it immediately to the online gambling site. They are compelled to shut down and suspend all activity on accounts they think are used by underage players. Winnings will be forfeited and they’ll be banned.

Because of age verification software, this should not be happening too frequently. But there’s always a chance, so definitely report it if you are suspicious.

6. Know when to talk about kids and gambling

Talking to kids about gambling is also really important. It might feel like it’s the last thing you should do, but talking to them in a straightforward way about it will mean they’ll get the facts from a trustworthy source. Tell them that gambling doesn’t make sports more exciting. Tell them that gambling is designed so that people lose more than they earn, therefore, it’s not a smart way to make money. And tell them that it’s possible to get addicted to gambling.

7 Things You Should Know About Time Outs In Online Gambling

By ChristineIn

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Online gambling time outs might seem a little confusing at first, but really they’re not.

Whether this is the first time you’ve ever heard of them or you’ve been thinking about taking one yourself, we hope these 7 facts will help illuminate things for you.

1. You can’t place bets or deposit during a time out

This might seem pretty obvious, but during the time that you’ve chosen to take a break, you can’t place any wagers on your online gambling site.

And you also can’t deposit to fund your account during this time either.

2. Online gambling time outs are short breaks

Unlike self-exclusion, online gambling time outs are designed to be short breaks, after which you typically resume gambling.

3. Typically, a time out is between 24 hours and 30 days long

Depending on your online gambling site, a time out last anywhere from a day to 30 days.

4. You can also set custom and recurring time outs

Now this is a feature we love. In many online gambling sites, you can decide to set your own custom time outs. For example, it could start on a Monday morning and finish up on a Friday evening, for those who don’t want to gamble during the working week. And it can be recurring so it always starts and ends at the same time every week. Very handy.

5. There’s no way to reverse a time out

Once you’ve chosen a time out, you can’t cancel it. The only way to gamble again is to wait until the time period has lapsed.

6. You can withdraw whenever during an online gambling time out

It’s really handy that you can withdraw whenever you want during an online gambling time out. It’s not like your available funds are locked up. Simply log in and get out however much you need.

7. Time outs are for everyone

As you can see, time outs are handy responsible gaming tools that you can set to suit you. It’s a really smart way of time (and budget) management and keeping it straight in your head when you want to gamble and when you don’t.

Whether you set a custom time out for the working week, like we previously discussed, or you set one in the run up to a vacation to save or for any other reason at all, it’s a great idea to set a formal time out.

Just try it out and you can see how it works for you.

Get the help you need if you think you have a gambling problem

While online gambling time outs are brilliant for people who want to take a casual break from gambling, they aren’t designed to tackle a gambling problem.

If you think you have a gambling problem or you’re worried about a loved one, you need to get help from professional organizations. They are equipped to guide you or your loved one through dealing with a gambling addiction.

There are many excellent resources all over the world, including the National Council on Problem Gambling in the USA. As well as brilliant online resources, you can also phone them directly at 1800 522 4700.

In the United Kingdom, you can call 0808 8020 133 or visit the Be Gamble Aware website for help. And if you’re outside of the USA or the UK, there are lots of other organizations all over the world that are ready to help you.