Casinos and sports betting are the two most popular gamblers that are available to everyone today. People can either go online or visit their nearest casino/sports betting center to start wagering money on the odds of the games. Gambling is often seen as a bane to society as it is known for ruining the financial stability of many players who could not recover from their losses. Many countries still have strict regulations against gambling. However, the consequences of gambling depend entirely on the players. It does not harm them physically, and the players can always make the decisions for themselves. But, when the players start to lose control over gambling, they start to develop compulsion towards the games. Today, we will discuss the difference between a healthy gambler and a compulsive gambler to understand where the problem lies.
Healthy gambler
A healthy gambler is considered a professional gambler, irrespective of how much money they have won through the game. They develop a certain level of understanding of the game they play. They first understand what the game can offer and what the risks are involved in it. Next, they build strategies to support their decisions as well as their bankroll. If a gambler does not have a plan to manage their money, they can face several financial problems. However, what they do with their money is completely their choice.
Professional gamblers have the discipline of looking at a game as an opportunity to win while taking risks. They have similar strategies to an investor planning to invest money in high-risk stocks while expecting huge returns. Casino games are capable of offering better returns than stocks in shorter amounts of time. The pro gamblers know it and strategize their entire career to make smart decisions while gambling.
Compulsive gambler
A compulsive gambler makes a series of bad decisions during their career in gambling and ends up with a problem that makes them helpless and mentally disturbed. Gambling compulsion does not affect the players physically like alcohol or drug addiction. It is the state of helplessness that makes compulsive gamblers take drastic actions with their lives and finances.
A compulsive gambler gets too attached to the games and brings their emotions into the game, while the pros always keep a clear head to make rational decisions. A compulsive gambler may keep chasing their losses due to a tilt and later find himself bankrupt. He then borrows money from others in the hope of winning their money back. When they fail to win their money back and lose all the money they borrowed, they find themselves in crippling debt that further impacts their life. They lose track of their time and money, lose their friends and family, and work. They may also take extreme steps of ending their lives after losing everything to gambling. The only way for a compulsive gambler to be safe from such mistakes is to identify the problem early and take necessary measures to control the loss, and stop playing the games.