💬
I wanted to bring more light to the importance of safe and responsible gambling.
As a football tipster with one of the most engaged betting communities in the UK, it is so important I don’t forget the dangers gambling can pose to some people.
With everything I do, I try my best to make sure I’m leading by example when it comes to safer gambling.
My average stake on recommended bets in 2021 was £7.49, I never chase losses and I always stress the importance of setting a budget and sticking to it.
With Andy’s Bet Club I have put an enormous emphasis on providing quality betting content and tools to help people bet smarter.
However, with the vast information and tools available, it’s even more important you stay in control and keep it fun.
Here are some useful tips and advice from me, the owner of the biggest betting club in the UK:
1. Only bet what you can afford to lose
First thing’s first, don’t ever bet more than you can comfortably afford to lose. If you’re angry after a losing bet the chances are you’re angry at yourself for risking more money than you should’ve.
There will occasionally be times you’re angry because of how the bet lost, e.g. the referee has missed a blatant penalty or the striker has missed an open goal. However, more often than not the anger is because deep down you know you shouldn’t have bet that extra fiver or tenner.
2. Don’t ever chase a losing bet
Staking more than you should’ve usually leads to immediately wanting to chase your losses.
It’s basic psychology. You’ve lost an amount of money you didn’t want to lose, you want to immediately get it back. Your brain starts to rationalise it, ‘if I put another tenner on then at least if I win I’ll have my original money back’.
Great logic apart from if that bet also loses, you’ve lost even more money. The downward spiral begins.
If you do find yourself in a situation where you’ve lost more than you should have, just take a break. Come off the betting app or website and walk away, occupy yourself with something else and just come to terms with the fact the money’s gone but a lesson has been learned.
3. Never consider gambling as a way out of financial difficulties
If you’re struggling financially, don’t bet. It’s that simple.
It’s concerning how many people turn to betting as a ‘way out’. Gambling should be fun, it’s a recreational hobby for me, I would never use it as a second income.
If you have a set budget which you can afford to lose, a winning bet is nothing more than a bonus.
Last year I made just over £300 profit from the tips I recommended on social media.
That’s just a bonus, I could’ve lost £300 and it still wouldn’t have made a difference to me because it’s all about the fun I had with 12 months of betting.
4. Don’t waste your time with online casino
This is purely my opinion but I just don’t like online casino.
It’s not fun, it’s algorithm based like a fruit machine in a pub, it will only pay out when a certain amount has come in.
Yes, you might get lucky and happen to be playing when it’s reay to pay out but more often than not you won’t be and you will lose.
The big danger is how quickly you can lose money. Like on roulette, you can win and lose in the space of seconds. This can be very dangerous for chasing losses.
I always stick to sport. It’s fun and you can actually have an edge over the bookie. With online casino, you can’t.
Summary
Hopefully that covers everything. If you have any other ideas for tips on responsible gambling, feel free to DM me on Twitter.
I just wanted to take an hour to write a blog post about safe gambling because I have a responsibility to make sure I’m promoting it.
If you feel like you have a problem and you need someone to speak to please visit BeGambleAware or GamCare for professional help and advice.
There are also other tools available like self-excluding from every bookmaker in the UK with GamStop.
Andy.