Sports betting or gambling generally is more popular than ever in Nigeria.
Quite a significant number of individuals are now taking to one form of gambling or the other. You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘Betting is fun’.
Yes! Betting should be fun and you should get the entertainment value when you back your favourite team or players. But online betting is taking a route far from what it was intended to be.
These days, more and more people are beginning to view sports betting as a panacea to lingering economic problems.
As a result, a lot of players are now moving in the undesirable direction of compulsive betting which could be detrimental to an individual in more than one way.
So, how do you ensure that you keep your online betting activities as a form of entertainment as originally intended?
Here are some tips for you to keep in mind during your online betting adventure:
Self exclusion
Self exclusion simply means barring yourself from placing bets on betting sites or other gambling platforms voluntarily.
You can ask your betting provider or casino to exclude you for a particular period of time.
When you use this method, you will not be contacted by your bookmaker for any betting related activities including placing bets or getting promotional offers.
This is a widely used method especially in more developed betting industries.
Make use of Promotions and other offers
Many betting sites readily offer new and existing customers a groundswell of different betting bonus offers and other promotions as curated by this betting bonus comparison website.
Instead of dipping your hand into your savings to wager or back a team, you can make use of the different offers instead of money from your bank account.
Set a budget limit
One of the ways to keep you from straying from the entertainment value provided by online betting is to keep a lid on what you spend on online betting.
Playing with a tight budget is a nice way to keep your gambling expenditures under control.
The tendency to have an extra shot at winning a bet is usually very tempting, but following your budget will go a long way in checking your gambling excesses.
Once you have reached your limit, it is not advisable to go beyond it, else you may just be heading into a quick sand.
Don’t chase your losses
One of the golden rules of sports betting is never to chase your losses. This follows from setting a budget limit.
When you reach your budget limit, there will always be a temptation to try and recoup some or all of your lost funds.
This is a slippery slope and it could be inimical to your financial situation.
Therefore, when you get to your limit, leave the fight for another day.
Gamble for fun, not for making money
Many people erroneously believe that sports betting or online gambling generally can change one’s fortune overnight.
While this is possible, the chances of this happening are slim to the mill.
Always keep in mind that when you place a bet, you are doing it for the purpose of entertainment, and never to make you rich.
Final thoughts
Paying attention to your gambling patterns is a very crucial undertaking that should be taken seriously, else you may be teetering on the edge of problem gambling.
While the onus lies on the customers to rein in themselves, bookmakers also have the responsibility of helping their customers bet responsibly by incorporating features to curb addictive gambling on their platforms.
Additionally, resources like Gamstop can be introduced to help players in Nigeria.
