With Spring Racing Carnivals in full swing across the land, you may be feeling the pull of the punt more keenly than usual. But there are ways to curb your gambling, or even completely abstain depending on your goals.
Remember if things do get out of hand there is plenty of support available, here are some tips to keep on track.
Keeping it under control
If you want to gamble, but are concerned about keeping it within your budget here are some ways to manage your gambling:
Manage your money - only take the amount of cash you can afford to gamble, Leave your cards at home so that you can’t impulsively spend more.
Understand the odds - the odds of winning are stacked against you, gambling companies are always set up so that they come out ahead – read more about the odds.
Avoiding gambling
If you are trying to keep away from gambling completely there are a few strategies available to keep you on track:
Get some support – enlist the help of a person or people who understand why you are staying away from gambling and contact them whenever you need a hand.
Money management – when you leave the house just take enough money to get where you are going and to buy some food, leave your cards at home so you can’t gamble even if the urge strikes.
Self exclusion – there are a number of ways to exclude yourself from gambling both online and at venues. This is a great tool for stopping your gambling even if an urge strikes. Read more about self exclusion.
Plan other activities – Being busy can help on track. Organise to meet some friends or
The Race that Stops a Nation (sort of)
Victorian’s even have a day off tomorrow for a horse race, the Melbourne Cup. This may make avoiding or curbing your gambling extra difficult as it will feature heavily on television and in advertising.
If possible try avoiding media and social media for the day, to help with some of the potential temptations. If you don’t encounter something that triggers you, you are less likely to feel an urge.
Go somewhere that doesn’t include gambling like a park, the beach, a café or even the shops.
Going to a Melbourne Cup event
If you are planning on going to one of the many family and friends gatherings happening across Victoria tomorrow, prepare ahead to make the day as easy as possible,
If you feel really comfortable with the person holding the event you could call ahead and let them know that you are avoiding gambling and that you don’t want to take part in any betting.
To limit the impact only take a small amount of money, or don’t take any money at all with you, this way that you can control your money.
If they have the racing on position yourself away from it, hanging out with the kids can be great as they aren’t really interested and will keep you busy.
Why not read a bit more about making a change.
Find help near you,