Gambling type activities are part of our daily experience and space. When we think about gambling, we often think about things like betting shops, bingo halls, or buy lottery tickets, but we may not think of our energy suppliers.
At Gamcare, we define gambling as an act of risking something that is valuable to uncertain results, with the hope of winning more. This can involve betting money, or valuable things, on the results of the game, contest, or event.
You may have started to see more and more ‘initial discount offers to win’ when shopping online, or influencers who run prizes of luxury goods. These activities normalize the behavior of gambling when ‘turning the wheels’ moving from gambling in the casino to something that you can play as part of your weekly food store.
Even though you might not be ‘betting money’This game can affect the way we spend our money, with supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and energy providers now using gambling tactics to win your food, prizes or bills. What we consume becomes increasingly related to gambling, and the lines between them become blurred.
This can be the same for dangerous gambling, where we often go straight to the amount of money lost. It is also important to consider the amount of time we spend on planning or thinking about gambling, and how we feel, the cost is not the only indicator of danger, and many types of gambling are free or part of the purchase.
Is my gambling a problem?
If you are someone who struggles with their gambling or is in recovery, you may find it difficult when this type of activity is filtered into a ‘non-making’ space usually. Or this can be a new thing for you, and you find yourself spending a lot of time involved with gambling such as searching and entering prizes.
If your consumer’s choice is encouraged by the opportunity to win the product and the time spent is disturbing or makes you feel bad about yourself, you may be at risk of gambling damage.
If you feel gambling affects you, here are some questions that you can ask yourself:
- Do you find it difficult to stay away from gambling? This includes online games, prizes and bets.
- Do you withdraw from social or professional situations, so you can gamble? You might find yourself gambling on your cellphone at work or disturbed when spending time with loved ones.
- Is gambling or playing online games, giving you an escape from or overcoming the pressures of daily life?
If one of these questions resonates with you, or if you think they apply to someone who is close to you, you might benefit from talking to someone about this, a friend, family member or Contact our assistance at 0808 8020 133 Free and confidential advice.
