Basic Facts about Gambling

There are certain things considered important and that everyone involved or interested in betting should know. This is especially because we advocate for responsible gambling.

Africa is a growing market, and you may just be thinking about throwing your head into this thrilling adventure. It is full of excitement, but it comes with its risks. So you must be aware of the industry before launching those bets.

1. Know that gambling is available in different types.

There are two major types of gambling. These are skill-based and chance-based gambling

• Skill-based gambling
  This is the form of betting where your skills in playing the game can determine whether you lose or win the game. Playing games like poker and blackjack as well as placing bets on races and football are the kind of gambling that can be influenced by your skills and ability. This doesn’t mean that your skills entirely determine the fate of the game since other factors such as the odds are in play here and odds are usually in the favor of the house.
• Chance-based gambling
  Gambling on gaming machines such as Bingo and roulette as well as playing the national lotteries is usually a scenario of pure chance and luck since you can’t influence the results. All players hope to win in the end since the results are always very random. No one is certain about winning or losing.

2. You are the boss.

Reasons for gambling can vary from one person to the other. Also a person can have different reasons and motives for gambling at different places or placing specific games. For instance, one can decide to play a machine game from their favorite casino when having fun with heir family, or they can choose to play poker with a friend or a colleague to socialize more outside the work environment. The bottom line is, balance and control are in your hands. You are the one deciding the amount of cash and time worth spending in gambling. You can always walk away if the primary intentions have changed into something else.

3. You should expect to lose as a gambler

Just like the name suggests, gambling is gaming for chance to either lose or win. And for this reason, either of the outcomes should be welcome from the gamblers side. Hoping to win without knowing you can lose can lead to depression and playing for revenge trying to make up for the lost money. This is dangerous since gambling on emotions is most likely going to cause even more losses. The thrill of gambling is taking the risk while being aware of the consequences. For this reason, we advocate for gambling as a form of entertainment and not a source of income. Always have a strict budget and following those personal rules is the key to enjoying gambling.

4. Odds are always against you

Different games offer you different odds. This is the ratio of money that you expect to win back from the money you deposit as stake. Some games offer higher odds than others. I’m sure the first thing you’d want to know about is the odds before placing your bet. In the long run, the odds won’t work with you. You should only place your bet if you are ready to lose that amount of money any given odd offers you.

5. Help is always available

Most of the African countries have faced the problem of gambling addicts. This is worse when the same thing that used to entertain you gives you suicidal thoughts or even worse, makes your life miserable. At first, gambling should be done for the reasons of getting entertained. But when these reasons change to earning money or retrieving your lost money in previous bets, this is the point you should pause and seek for help. Primarily, help comes in handy to guide you in controlling the rate at which you are involved in gambling but in extreme cases the aim shifts to assisting you to abstain from gambling.