If the venue is open 24 hours and you have access to enough cash, you can technically continue playing indefinitely.īefore going to the venue, have a specific time-frame in mind, Gambling is different than going to a movie or a restaurant because it does not have a built-in time-frame.

This way, your gambling budget can sometimes be completely independent of your regular entertainment budget. Having this “fun money” wallet also helps you keep track of when you are in a surplus. Using a separate wallet for your gambling cash separates the extra money you are able to spend on gambling from your everyday budget. This is a useful strategy, especially if you’ve recently come out ahead. Setting an upper limit means setting a number you would be happy to leave with if you find yourself ahead.įor example, if you set an upper limit of $20 and you find yourself $30 ahead, you could continue to play, stopping when you are down to $20 ahead.īy setting an upper limit, you increase the odds that you will stop while you are ahead.Īlthough it is still helpful to maintain the mindset that you will be spending your full budget, sometimes it is nice to have clear boundaries of when you would like to walk away when you are ahead. This is a more advanced form of budgeting that might be helpful if you find yourself ahead and want to be able to walk away. Whatever budget you decide on, expect to spend the full amount.įirst off, because it is the most likely scenario when gambling against a casino that has a built-in advantage over the player.Īlso, the psychology of expecting to spend your full budget keeps you from a sense of disappointment and the temptation to try to win back the money you spent by gambling more.Įver find yourself ahead, just to put the money back in and spend it all? How much would you normally spend on a night out for entertainment? Leaving your cards at home also prevents you from making frequent trips to the ATM to withdraw cash, saving you on ATM fees.Ĭonsider the value of gambling as a form of entertainment. Leaving your cards at home and bringing a set amount of cash to budget for you gambling is effective because it prevents you from spending more than you initially intended.

Bring a set amount of cash and leave cards at home.

How to stop gambling at casinos