Gambling is entertainment

Gambling is entertainment. To view it any other way is foolish and without reason since we all know the odds are in the favor of the casino and that in the long run we have very little if any chance to come out ahead.

Gambling is entertainment. That understood,  it is then easy to approach gambling the same way you'd approach going to the movies,  or to a sports event, etc.  The only difference is that while you may pay ... say $20 to go to the movies (gas, treats, admission and whatever other costs you may include to make it a pleasant experience),  or say $100 to go to a sports event... in the case of gambling you actually have a chance,  however unlikely,  to come home with as much or even more money than you started out. It is for that reason you should open a separate account (I suggest an ewallet for those who gamble online: I've used NETeller for years without problems and now use QuickTender .. found inside the casino banking page under "UseMyWallet") to store your winnings and keep your losses from becoming problems that could effect your marriage or quality of life.

It would be a good idea to figure out what the total amount of money you can afford to lose in a month and then deposit that amount into your ewallet or separate bank account (from here on in I will refer to ewallet). This is your bottom line. You cannot gamble when this amount is gone until the beginning of your next month. However in time you will catch a win and when that happens be sure to cash-out some of that money because that is going to be what becomes your base camp (so to speak). After this time you should be able to fund your gambling sessions by taking some of those winnings out of your ewallet rather than having to wait for the next month to come around. Of course some of you won't be as lucky as others and you may have to endure some months passing before you see a big win, but remember that your time is coming and that you must be smart when that time happens and leave yourself enough to be spoiled, having enough to gamble a bit frivolously while putting away .... I'd say 2/3 of your win would be a good minimum to shoot for since you can always redeposit later. 

Note- your first loss limit won't change from its original setting unless your win limit is raised in which case you raise your loss limit a similar distance that the win limit goes up. So you'll either see your loss limit raised or go home broke. :)

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of ...

I cannot stress enough how gambling should never be viewed as a means of income as it is a sure recipe for disaster and nobody is immune. Anytime you find yourself saying "I need to get lucky" or "I'm due": you should quit and take a step back and truly think about what you're doing because either of those sayings overheard by a sharp poker player would be a neon sign blinking the words "down on the luck and not enough sense to put money in their pocket".  Although its true the casino games (cough:slots!) can't know a thing like that: its also true that to them it doesn't matter: what matters (to you) is the fact that during these times you're probably not going to be hitting the little wins necessary to carry one over to when a time comes that you hit a big win. 

And most importantly is learning how to take that step back when you're losing. What I often find amusing (if its not someone who is so down they shouldn't be gambling at all: in that case its just sad) is when someone is on a losing streak that you nearly have to drag them away to get them to stop. Even when they'd be the first to tell you that they are having terrible luck and have lost a bunch ... its like they've suddenly been hypnotized into believing they won't ever have a chance to get their money back if they don't try to get it back right then.

The times you get someone to take that step back,  go get some air,  take a walk...  ... well I'd bet 99% of those times the player in question would after having taken the break: thank you for getting them back to a point where they were thinking straight and able to view gambling as entertainment and not something you chase.