Playing bingo online is a huge amount of fun. It’s something that a lot of people are realising exists, and they are trialling it out for something to do. Many of these people will find that they love it and they want to keep playing. That’s not a bad thing; bingo at an online casino is a great pastime – you can play it via a mobile device or on your laptop, and you can do it when the mood strikes. Plus, you might even be able to win a reasonable amount of cash as a prize. Some play no deposit bingo games even offer other prizes such as cars, holidays, and vouchers.
Yet it is important to remember that online bingo isn’t just a game. It is a form of gambling, and as with any kind of gambling there is always a risk that the player will take it too far. They may not even know it’s happening until it’s too late and they’ve spent all their money or their spending every possible money playing bingo. It is so very easy for something fun to turn into something dangerous and spiral completely out of control.
So if you do enjoy playing bingo it’s crucial to know when you should stop – you should know if you’ve reached or are reaching that tipping point. Here are some things to look out for.
It’s Become A Habit
When you really love playing online bingo you’ll know there are few things that are as fun – it’s your thing, it’s your hobby. Yet there is a fine line between having a hobby and having a habit, and it is when this line is crossed that the problems are going to occur.
A hobby is something you have control over. You will choose when to play. You will determine how long you will be playing for. Plus, if you have other things to do, that hobby will have to wait; and you’ll be all right with that. A habit is something else. A habit means that you won’t have control. You won’t choose when to play; you’ll play all the time. You’ll play for as long as possible. And if you have other things to do, no matter how important, that bingo game will always come first. In fact, if the habit is so ingrained, you might not even realise you’ve opened up the website and are about to play until it’s happening.
When you get to this point, you need to stop playing bingo. It will be hard, but it will be the best course of action too.
You’re Playing At Strange Times
One of the best things about an online casino is that you can play whenever you want to – they don’t close. So if you fancy playing at three am because you’re on a night shift or you can’t sleep or that’s your favourite time of the day/night, then you can do so.
Only be careful. Just because online bingo is available 24/7 that doesn’t mean you should play it 24/7. In fact, it’s best to set aside one period per week where you play because that way you won’t get bored, it will be something to look forward to, and you know you aren’t going overboard and getting addicted.
That aside, if you find you are playing at strange times and times that aren’t exactly appropriate, then it might be time to stop and reassess your bingo playing. These times include:
- At work
- During social occasions
- At the dinner table
- On the toilet
It’s best to play bingo when you can fully concentrate anyway, so when you’re doing something else – or should be – and your bingo is happening ‘in the background’ you’re doing yourself a disservice anyway. But you might also have a problem because you can’t seem to stop playing, or only play once a week or whatever your chosen time period happens to be.
You Have No Budget
Playing bingo at an online casino, or even in the physical sense in a bingo hall or similar, without a budget is something you should never do. Setting a budget before you play – and sticking to that budget – is crucial. It’s what prevents you from spending money you can’t afford to lose or money you don’t have (thereby getting into debt for the sake of a game). If you’re currently playing with no budget stop and create one. Look at your finances and determine what it is that you can afford to spend on your bingo gambling.
Equally, if you have a budget but you ignore it, or you’ve been gradually increasing it every time you play so that it’s much bigger than it once was (and your income has stayed the same) then you should also stop. This is a very dangerous way to play and could easily land you in serious financial difficulties.
You’re Chasing Losses
If you find yourself in the situation where you are always chasing your losses, spending more and more in an attempt to win back what you lost, thereby losing even more and having to spend more to chase them each time, stop. Gambling, whether it’s bingo, slots, poker, or anything else, should always be for entertainment first and foremost. Yes, you have to spend money, but you also have to spend money to see a movie, to go to an exercise class, to play golf, or anything else. So think of the money you are spending as payment for fun, and never expect to get it back.
Gambling to win money is how you get into serious trouble. It’s how you can lose everything and become addicted. And the more you play the more you will pay, so your losses are going to grow hugely over time. If you’ve only ever spent what you can afford and you don’t expect to win anything back, you can enjoy the game for what it is; a fun way to let off steam and enjoy yourself.
Header image by Alejandro Garay from Pixabay
