Tips for Playing It Safe. When played responsibly, gambling can be an enjoyable source of entertainment for adults. But unfortunately it can also be addictive. There are many levels of problem gambling—you could be practicing risky behaviors without even realizing it. The final fact to keep in mind is that the random number generators are programmed in such a way that the casino has an insurmountable mathematical advantage. If you play long enough, then the casino will win, because that’s the way the game is set up.

1. Safe Gambling Tricks Games
2. Safe Gambling Tricks Poker
3. Safe Gambling Tricks For Teens

Gambling scams are everywhere. The people behind most of them prey on gamblers who are desperate to find a way to win. Most gambling scams are full of fuzzy math examples and hype, but some of them don’t look like scams at first.

If you have quite a bit of experience, you may know that the sports pick selling market is filled with scams. If you don’t know, let me save you a bunch of money and pain. Don’t ever buy sports picks. If someone is good enough to beat the sportsbooks, they can make a lot more money betting on games than selling picks.

Here are seven ways to spot a gambling scam. Hopefully this list saves you money, time, and aggravation.

1 – Buying a Gambling System

I’m going to explain why, but all you really need to know about buying a gambling system is this. If you see a gambling system for sale, it’s almost 100% a scam. This doesn’t mean that winning gambling systems don’t exist, but when someone develops a winning system, they don’t sell it.

If you can make more money using the system than you can get selling it, why would anyone offer it for sale?

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I’ve read every imaginable excuse for why someone is selling a system, but the truth is if you come up with a gambling system that works, you can make more by using it than selling it. If you read that the reason they’re selling it is because there are plenty of casinos and betting opportunities for everyone to profit, it’s at best an ignorant statement. At worst, it’s a flat-out lie.

While there are more places to bet today than in any time in the past, the gambling market is not unlimited. Casinos are designed to make money, and when someone figures out how to beat them, the casino does everything they can to stop the winners.

Casinos figured out that blackjack card counters could hurt them, so they started doing things to keep the counters from making money. Sportsbooks limit the betting action they take from winning sports bettors.

The fact is that if a gambling system is profitable and too many people start using it, the casinos will see what’s happening and take steps to stop it.

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If you want to have a profitable gambling system, you’re going to need to develop one yourself. You simply can’t buy one that really works, and if you ever do, the casinos are going to quickly figure out how to stop it.

Another clue that a gambling system is a scam is if it’s based on playing a game that has a house edge that can’t be overcome. Games like roulette, craps, slot machines, and baccarat can’t be beaten. It doesn’t matter what the system claims to do or how good the numbers look. You can’t beat them without cheating.

The best way to handle gambling systems for sale is to ignore them.

2 – Know the Martingale

Many gambling scams are based on something called the Martingale betting system. Not all of them use it directly, but many of them use some variation of it. The thing that’s important to understand is that the math behind the Martingale looks good. But it has a fatal flaw that eventually makes the entire thing collapse.

The first thing you do is decide what you want to play. The best bets are ones that offer even money payouts, like roulette. You start a series of bets with a base bet, which is usually a low amount. If you win this wager, you collect your profit and make the same size bet again. Every time you win, you go back to the base bet on the next bet.

When you lose a bet, you double your bet for the next bet. You keep doubling after losses until you win. Every time you win, you cover your previous losses and have a profit equal to your base bet.

When you lose a bet, you double your bet for the next bet. You keep doubling after losses until you win. Every time you win, you cover your previous losses and have a profit equal to your base bet.

The truth is that you can use the Martingale and make a small profit for a while. You might even get lucky and win the first several times you use the system.

But eventually, you lose so many bets in a row that your entire bankroll is cleaned out. When this happens, you end up losing more than you win in the long run.

The other bad thing that can happen using the Martingale is when you can’t make bets large enough to keep doubling. Casinos have maximum bet limits on their games, and this can keep you from making the bets you need to make.

You need to learn as much as you can about the Martingale system and all of the different ways it can be used. Look for signs of this system in any gambling opportunity, whether it’s a system or something else.

Anything that uses the Martingale or something like it will eventually fail.

Don’t be fooled by numbers that look like they show a profit. I cover fuzzy math in another section, but the bottom line is that people can use math to show all kinds of things that aren’t really true. Just because someone says something is profitable doesn’t mean it’s true.

3 – Most Investment Opportunities Are Bad

This is true in many areas outside of gambling, but it’s especially true in the gambling world. Someone comes to you and says they have this great idea, or they have the perfect way to beat the casino. Or you read an ad for a sure thing. Or a friend of a friend says they have inside information on a horse in an upcoming race. They just need you to make an investment and everyone wins.

An investment is just a fancy word meaning that someone wants you to risk your money so that they don’t have to risk theirs. Or even worse, it means they need you to risk your money because they’ve already lost all of theirs.

You can find legitimate ways to invest in the gambling world. You can buy stocks in publicly traded casinos or invest in a product to sell to casinos, like slot machines.

You can even find a profitable betting syndicate or group of poker players that you can invest in. But you need to be careful about where you invest your money.

The basic rule I use is that if someone comes to me with an investment opportunity, I usually pass. If it sounds good, I start investigating it to make 100% certain that it’s a real opportunity and that it has a decent chance of success.

If you want to look for a real investment opportunity instead of looking at things people bring to you, start looking for good opportunities. If you know some profitable poker players, consider approaching them to buy a stake in their action. Or start looking for companies that are developing promising-looking products to sell into the gambling industry.

Another possibility is instead of considering outside investment options, invest in yourself. Invest in the time and energy to learn a real way to make a profit gambling.

You can find ways to be a winning gambler, but none of them are easy.

4 – A Loan Is a Business Transaction

It seems like poker players are the worst, but you can find this in any form of gambling. If you spend much time in the casino, the odds are good that people you know who gamble will eventually ask you for a loan. Though I’ve only done it two times, I’ve received a short-term loan from people I know a couple times when I didn’t bring enough money to the casino.

If you do decide to make a loan of any size to a gambler, you need to treat it exactly like a business transaction. This is because it is an actual business transaction.

When you go to the bank and get a loan, you not only have to sign a bunch of papers, you also agree to pay it back on a set schedule and have to pay interest. You usually also have to put something of value up as collateral.

It’s up to you whether or not to charge interest if you make a loan, but you need to get all of the terms down in writing. Both parties need to have a clear understanding of what’s expected.

Even if you have everything documented, it probably won’t stand up in court, but you should still do it. The fact is that if you loan money to a gambler, you might never get it back. You should always remember this when someone asks you for a loan.

Do you need to write everything down if someone you know well needs $20 for a day? Probably not, but each person has their own comfort level. You should think about your comfort level now so that you don’t need to try to come up with it when someone asks you.

Here’s how I handle it, but you have to decide on your own numbers.

The first thing you do is decide what you want to play. The best bets are ones that offer even money payouts, like roulette. You start a series of bets with a base bet, which is usually a low amount. If you win this wager, you collect your profit and make the same size bet again. Every time you win, you go back to the base bet on the next bet.

When you lose a bet, you double your bet for the next bet. You keep doubling after losses until you win. Every time you win, you cover your previous losses and have a profit equal to your base bet.

If I don’t know you other than just gambling close to you, I’m not giving you any money. I might buy you a meal, but you aren’t getting any cash.

If we have some sort of a relationship and I generally trust you or think you’re a pretty good person, I’ll loan you $20 to $50 without much thought. When I loan money in this way, I don’t worry about it if I never get it back. If I don’t get repaid, I never give the person another cent, but it’s low enough that I don’t stress about it.

If we have a long-standing relationship and I trust you 100% and you need money, I’ll give you any amount up to what I can afford. The list of people that fits this category is small.

This changes somewhat if someone I know puts up something of value to guarantee the loan. This is where things start getting written down and payment schedules get discussed.

The best way to protect yourself from a scam is to never loan money to anyone. No matter what the situation is, simply don’t do it.

My dad has a great policy about loans. He never makes a loan, but if someone asks him for a loan and it’s reasonable and the person has a real need, he just gives it to them. He tells them that it’s a gift, and all he asks is that they repay the gift to someone else that needs help when they can afford to do so in the future.

5 – Everyone’s an Author

Do you know how easy it is to buy a domain name and set up a simple website today? It’s even easier to set up a Facebook page or upload a video to YouTube.

At one time, it was hard to find a publishing company to publish your book. But today, anyone can write a book and have it available on Amazon in a couple days or less.

The reason this is so important is so you understand that anyone has the ability to produce content and position themselves as an expert. You can’t trust anything you read or see or hear simply because someone figured out how to get the information in front of you. You have to verify everything, especially if it can cost you money.

Take the time to do some research on anyone who presents you information about gambling. Do they have a long track record of producing quality content? Can you verify some of their claims using math or trusted sources?

Not everyone is out to get you or mislead you, but it’s so easy today for anyone to produce content. Just because someone is on television doesn’t mean they’re an expert.

Did you know that you can buy time slots to put your own 30- or 60-minute television show on the air? You don’t have to have any qualifications other than the ability to pay for the time.

6 – Fuzzy Math

I mentioned fuzzy math in an earlier section, but it’s an important thing to understand if you want to avoid gambling scams. Most people don’t understand math beyond a simple everyday level. This isn’t a criticism in any way because you only need to know as much math as you need to use on an everyday basis.

But some people try to take advantage of this fact by presenting information using math that can be misleading. This usually happens when they’re trying to sell you something or convince you of something.

Earlier, you learned about the Martingale system. Here’s the math behind the system, but I’ve left out the big downside. See how good the math looks when you don’t have all of the information.

Any system that is pushing the Martingale usually has language about how you can’t lose or how an eventual win is guaranteed. You just keep doubling your bet until you win, and you’re guaranteed to win your base bet amount and cover all of your losses. After all, how likely is it that you lose more than three or four even money bets in a row?

The truth is that a string of losses on even money bets happens more often than you think. But they never mention this when they’re telling you their system or opportunity is a sure thing.

But once you learn that eventually you’re going to hit a losing streak long enough to delete your bankroll, you see that the math that looked good suddenly doesn’t look so good.

Here’s how much you have to bet and the total amount wagered after each successive loss.

To make matters worse, you end up betting over $1,000 to win your $10 base bet. Plus, where can you find a casino that allows a bet spread from $10 to over $1,000?

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If you don’t run out of money, you still run up against the betting limits for the table.

Any time you see math describing a gambling system or a sure thing, take a long and hard look at what’s being presented. Also look for what isn’t being presented. If you don’t completely understand the math, either walk away or start asking questions and looking for someone who knows the math.

7 – If It’s Too Good to Be True

The bottom line when it comes to detecting gambling scams is if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true. Whenever I hear that someone has a sure thing, I run the other way. A sure thing simply doesn’t exist in the gambling world.

The closest thing to a sure thing in gambling is that either a well-run casino is going to make a profit or a well-run sportsbook is going to make a profit.

This alone should tell you everything you need to know when you can make a supposed sure-thing wager.

Instead of searching for the next great gambling system or a sure thing, you’re much better off putting your time and money into learning the skills required to give you a real chance to win. You can find a few ways to beat the casinos, but they aren’t a secret, and you don’t have to buy a system or a hot tip.

You can read about all the legitimate ways to beat the casinos on this blog. Look for advantage play methods in blackjack and sports betting, and work on improving your poker skills. Esports betting and horse racing can also be beaten if you know what you’re doing.

On the other hand, most casino games simply can’t be beaten in the long run. Anyone who tells you differently is either ignorant of the facts or lying.

Conclusion

Not all gambling scams are in the form of a system or a sure-thing opportunity. You need to avoid those, but you also need to watch for investment opportunities and people asking you for a loan.

I know you want to find a shortcut to gambling profits, but this is what exposes many gamblers to being scammed. Focus on finding proven ways to be a winning gambler, which all require quite a bit of work.

Most people gamble for fun and enjoyment. However, some people think of gambling as a way to make money, spend more than they can afford, or use gambling to distract themselves from everyday problems. Following these tips can help you to gamble more safely.

1. Don't think of gambling as a way to make money:
The venue is using gambling to make money. It's not designed to work the other way around. Over time you will give away more money than you receive! Think of gambling as an entertainment expense – just like buying a movie ticket.

2. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose:
Gamble within your weekly entertainment budget, not with your phone bill or rent budget.

3. Set a money limit in advance:
Decide how much you can afford to lose before you go to play. When it's gone – it's over! If you win, you've been lucky, but don't be disappointed if your luck doesn't continue.

4. Set a time limit in advance:
It's easy to lose track of time when you're gambling. Set a time limit or alarm, and when time's up – quit! Odds are that the more time you spend gambling, the more money you will lose.

5. Never chase your losses:
If you lose your set money limit and then try to win some of it back before you leave, then you haven't really set a money limit. Chasing your losses will usually just lead to bigger and bigger losses.

6. Don't gamble when you're depressed or upset:
Decision-making can be more difficult when you're stressed or emotionally upset. Make sure you only gamble when you're feeling happy and clear headed.

7. Balance gambling with other activities:
When gambling becomes your only form of entertainment, it's unlikely that you're still just gambling for the fun of it, and your gambling may even be a problem. Make sure gambling isn't your only pastime.

8. Don't take your bank card with you.
This is a good way to safeguard your money limit and not let being 'in the moment' warp your judgment.

9. Take frequent breaks
Gambling continuously can cause you to lose track of time and perspective. Step out for some air or a bite to eat at regular intervals.

10. Don't drink or use drugs when gambling
Drugs and alcohol cloud judgment, and good judgment stands as your main line of defence against letting gambling get out of control.

To find further advice and support visit our Confidential Help pages, or find out about Self-Exclusion.