Category: Gambling and Casinos

When was the last time you visited a casino in a excited frame of mind, only to leave the casino in a bad mood because the majority of the bets did not go your way? I think this is an all too common issue which faces many players from occasional gamblers to the high rollers. Depending on the nature of the loss, there are different methods of approaching this issue and dealing with it.

First and foremost, it is important to remember that gambling should be regarded as a recreatonal fun activity and should never be used as a means of making money. When visiting a casino, say to yourself; “I am here to have fun. I am not here to generate an income. Whether I win or lose, I will enjoy myself and have fun. This is my only goal”. If you visit a casino with the mindset that you need to make money and the bets don’t go your way, then you will fail to achieve your objective and as a result, you will experience feelings of anger and disappointment.

Secondly, set a monetary limit for yourself. In other words, decide on how much money you can afford to spend and are willing to lose everytime you visit a casino. Once you set a limit for yourself, never ever go over that limit, so that even if you lose it, then it will not significantly affect your lifestyle because it was money that you can afford to lose.

Thirdly, try to take a minimum amount of money with you to the casino. If you have decided that you will only gamble $20 per visit, then perhaps you could take $20 and enough money to cover all of the other expenses that may come up. In other words, don’t take $500 to the casino when you only plan to gamble $20, and leave all ATM cards and credit cards at home.

Fourthly, set a time limit for yourself. Decide on how often you will visit a casino and how much time you will spend gambling. This also serves as means by which to control one’s gambling habits. It is a well known fact that the more time a player spends gambling, the more likely he/she will lose. This is one of the reasons why most casinos don’t have clocks. If the player loses track of what time it is, then perhaps he/she will stay in the casino and play for a little while longer.

Fifthly, avoid drinking alcohol while gambling. This is due to the fact that alcohol can grossly affect one’s sense of judgement and cause a person to gamble more heavily than he/she would have gambled otherwise. A couple of drinks to relax may be OK, but drinking to the point of not being able to think very clearly is not.

Sixthly, think of other recreational activities that you can be involved in. This is not to say that you should give up gambling, but perhaps gambling could become just one of the many recreational activities that you could enjoy. So instead of going to the casino on Friday and Saturday, go to the casino on Friday and to the cinema on Saturday.

Finally, if you find that you are still unable to your gambling habits and they are starting to take control of your life, then you should definitely contact Gambler’s Anonymous and let them help you.

Connecticut is the state that is well-known for its rolling hills, miles and miles of green grass and its sleepy, family communities. You would not think that Connecticut casinos even have a place in this state of 3,405,565 people. The capital, Hartford, is known for its bustling, state government lifestyle. Throughout the state, however, a busy Connecticut casino industry thrives.

Two of the world’s largest casinos make their home in Connecticut: Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. They are the most well known operations with the state of Connecticut and grand-scale facilities that are known worldwide. They are direct competitors of one another and are constantly upgrading to try to outdo each other.

Foxwoods Resort Casino, one of the several Connecticut Casinos, is located in Ledyard. The Mashantucket Pequot tribe runs it and it is one of many Native American owned casinos spread throughout the country. Foxwoods casino is said to be the largest casino in the world, a fact that draws thousands of visitors, enthusiasts, professionals, and tournament players year-round. This Connecticut casino features more than 7,000 slot machines, horseracing, table games and more. There are also more than three hotels on the premises of Foxwoods Casino. It also houses the infamous Foxwoods Arena, as well as a host of other entertainment options. Foxwoods Resort Casino is one of the top Connecticut casinos that bring in visitors from all over the world to this quiet Connecticut region.

The Mohegan Sun is located in Uncasville. This Connecticut casino competes directly with Foxwoods, about 20 minutes away. The Mohegan Sun used to be a smaller competitor to Foxwoods. However, this Connecticut casino underwent a major renovation about three years ago that brought the square footage of the Mohegan Sun to just under the amount of Foxwoods. The Mohegan Sun casino also added a huge arena, a Planetarium Dome (the largest in the world), a Cabaret and numerous new dining establishments. Needless to say, the Mohegan Sun is now a formidable competitor for any Connecticut casino, particularly Foxwoods.

These two Connecticut casinos are among the largest in the world. They are as well known for their variety in games and competitions as they are for the many extras they offer their customers. There are not a great many Connecticut casinos, however, the few that are located with the state are large-scale operations that are dedicated to serving every minute need of the amateur and professional gambler.

Compulsive gambling has been called the “hidden disease,” as there are few overt signs of it in the workplace until the problem is in its most advanced stage. Astute observers may, however, pick up clues.

Extensive gambling can be time-consuming. Doing everything required to gain the information required to gamble intelligently, to place bets, follow the action, borrow money and make payments often has an impact that can be observed in the workplace. An educational pamphlet on compulsive gambling lists these indicators that may be observed at work:

Late to work (due to late night card game, casino venture, or bad night’s sleep worrying about gambling-related problems).

Long lunches (off-track betting, meeting bookmaker or loan shark or creditors).
Mysterious disappearance in the afternoon (typically at the track, off-track betting, afternoon card or dice game, or listening to sporting events).

Sick days taken right when they become available rather than allowed to accumulate (uses sick days to gamble).

Vacation used in isolated days rather than blocks.

Excessive use of rest room (reads sports pages or listens to radio in the rest room).

Excessive use of the telephone (calls to off-track betting, bookie, creditors, or to find money; calls from bookie or creditors).

Reads newspaper and sports literature at work (scratch sheet from race track, racing form, sporting news, etc.).

Operates office sports pool or paycheck pool (the person running these sometimes has a gambling problem).

Collects money from other employees for off-track betting or lottery (ostensibly does this as convenience for co-workers but actually so he or she can place bets).

Organizes trips to Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or other gambling junkets (may indicate familiarity through frequent visits).

Operates as bookmaker or runner for bookmaker (many bookmakers and runners are themselves compulsive gamblers and do this in order to gamble more).

Not many people argue that gambling and playing at casinos is great fun, especially when you have hit a winning streak and feel yourself confident. Some casino games require skill besides luck, so you may think that more you learn these games the more you’re going to win, depending on what’s your game. Compulsive gambling and gamblind addiction makes you realize that only thing you will ever master is skill of losing your money, besides that bigger skill often means more money lost… in the long run.

Blinking slots, blackjack and baccarat tables mixed with humble atmosphere and attractive female dealers creates a mixture of seductive environment, I admit. And if you are not prepared or don’t have the knowledge of the games and the odds, you can get addicted quickly and your addiction may become a compulsive need. It does not mean you are retarded, it’s actually quite “human” and coded into us.

Gamblers Anonymous homepage describes compulsive gambling as an illness that is progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested. Before coming to Gamblers Anonymous, many compulsive gamblers thought of themselves as morally weak, or at times just plain ‘no good’. The Gamblers Anonymous concept is that compulsive gamblers are really very sick people who can recover if they will follow to the best of their ability a simple program that has proved successful for thousands of other men and women with a gambling or compulsive gambling problem.

Gambling can be compared with addiction to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or junk-food. It’s very often as destructive and dangerous as other addictions, often ruining relationships, careers and even ones life. It’s very important to start seeking help ASAP when you think you can’t control your gambling habit anymore!

Gamblers Anonymous say that compulsive gambler needs to be willing to accept the fact that he or she is in the grip of a progressive illness and has a desire to get well. Their experience has shown that the Gamblers Anonymous program will always work for any person who has a desire to stop gambling. However, it will never work for the person who will not face squarely the facts about this illness.

Gamblers Anonymous offers the following questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem. These questions are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling.

TWENTY QUESTIONS

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.