The Golden Rules of Gambling

BetMGM Feb 12, 2025, 12:54 PM
min read
A digital image with “golden rules” written above a slot reel with 777 across and dice and chips flying through the air on a purple background

Golden rules are standards that apply in nearly every situation. They are pieces of advice that you’ll almost always benefit from observing in the long run.

When it comes to gambling, like playing online casino games, you can find yourself in many circumstances. Fortunately, some golden rules are applicable.

Most of these rules involve responsible gambling, the most important facet of playing any game. They also include getting the most value for your money, which is an easy task at BetMGM. 

10. If You Have To Lie About Gambling – You Shouldn’t Be Doing It

The single most important of the golden rules of gambling is always to play responsibly. Responsible play is always paramount regardless of how frequently you play or how experienced you are.

Part of responsible play is transparency. This is an active and intentional undertaking. Sharing your gambling activity with a loved one has several benefits.

The first of those benefits is that it provides you with a safety net if your gambling starts to become an issue. Other people can give us feedback on how our gambling affects our lives.

Another benefit is that you gain an ally in sticking to the limits that you set for yourself. Furthermore, you get an automatic indication that your gambling has become problematic if you find yourself lying to the person you share your gambling with.

Transparency is a crucial golden rule for gamblers, but it’s far from the only observation of similar importance. Gamblers should also never play while cognitively impaired.

9. Don’t Gamble While Under the Influence

Among all the responsible gambling rules, never playing while under the influence of a substance that can alter your mental state or impair your cognitive abilities is a simple one. While many people may associate this with alcohol, it’s a larger concern. 

This rule also applies to cannabis and prescription drugs that can alter your mood or mental state. For example, there are drug and gambling connections between dopamine agonist prescription drugs like ropinirole and increased risks for problem gambling.

A similar concern is struggling with other mental health issues. Problem gambling rarely occurs in a vacuum. If you’re dealing with unrelated problems, you might want to avoid gambling, even if just temporarily. In many cases, the safest decision you can make is not to play at all.

8. Take Regular Breaks

Successful online casino strategies involve when not to gamble as much as they do when you play. Part of your planning for gambling should be intentional abstention.

Choosing to take a break regularly has several positive effects. It helps you keep a healthy attitude toward gambling as a diversion you participate in rather than a compulsion.

Taking regular breaks also aids in being disciplined in other facets of gambling, like not exceeding your budget for money or time. These regular breaks also ensure that you can enjoy your play between them because the pressure of playing out of compulsion isn’t an issue.

7. Play Online Slots for Fun Over Potential Winnings

When you play online slots for fun, you’ve come with the right mindset. You should always consider the money and time you spend gambling as a cost of enjoying the amusement.

People get into trouble when they go into gambling expecting or needing to win. Additionally, that approach zaps all the fun out of the games, as you feel nothing but stress.

Even if you do win the game, the emotional toll takes away from those winnings. It’s a lot more fun to enjoy winning when you’re playing for fun. Winning can come easier when you play a game that you understand.

6. Pick a Game That You Can Handle and Know the Rules

One of the simplest and most important casino game strategies is playing games with which you are familiar, or is a low house edge game. When you know the rules and are familiar with the betting options, you’re much more comfortable and likely to make good decisions.

While you can’t influence the odds in games of chance, being confident helps you relax and enjoy your play. Knowledge is power even when the results of your play are completely random.

This doesn’t mean you can’t ever try new games. It simply means that you should familiarize yourself with the rules, terminology, and wager types before you commit a significant amount of your budgeted money and time. It’s important to have a plan.

5. Go Into Every Casino Game with A Strategy

The old axiom goes that failing to plan is planning to fail. This is true in gambling even though many games are those of pure chance.

If you want to give yourself the best chance to win as you gamble, there’s no replacement for a solid plan. The good news is that a great strategy is also simple.

A stellar gambling plan involves which game(s) you’re going to play, which bets you will target, how much you will spend on each play, and how long you will play for. As long as you stick to your plan, you’re going to come away having had a good time regardless of whether you make a profit. It’s similarly crucial to select the best online casino.

4. Find the Best Online Casino

Regarding how to choose an online casino, there are a few key points of evaluation. Chief among those is whether an online casino is regulated, safe, and trustworthy. 

For players in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, BetMGM checks all those boxes. When you register for BetMGM, you’ll discover all the other reasons that BetMGM is the top choice.

BetMGM also offers the most valuable perks like an incredible casino welcome bonus for new players. Combined with the best casino rewards program and largest library of games, choosing a different casino would be wasting your resources. Those resources like money and time are your ticket to entertainment at BetMGM.

3. Never Gamble Without Limits

BetMGM respects that your money and time spent on gambling have limits and encourages players to not only set those limits but share in that respect. As gambling is a form of entertainment, it deserves to be treated as such.

If you find yourself gambling at times when it interferes with your personal or professional obligations, that’s a red flag that your gambling has become unhealthy. Setting limits for your money is bigger than simply deciding on a total amount you’re going to risk.

2. Always Play within Your Means

Establishing a sustainable gambling bankroll has multiple components. While you certainly never want to gamble with money you need to meet actual obligations, there are other best practices.

Some players, even with good intentions, fall victim to the trap of chasing losses. If you plan not only how much you will spend overall but set your betting amounts for each individual play, you’re less likely to fall prey to that issue.

BetMGM is committed to responsible gambling practices and its apps and websites allow you to set custom deposit, spending, self-exclusion, and time limits to help you stick to your plan. An important part of that plan is ending your session.

1. The Golden Rule of Gambling at Online Casinos

Any successful plan for gambling includes when you will finish your session. It’s crucial to know when to cash out even if you are winning.

Simply put, there’s a lot to be said for going out on top. You should think about setting a win limit for your play as well as a loss limit.

Because most forms of gambling are games of chance, your winnings can evaporate as quickly as they appeared. A win limit also helps you maintain a proper attitude toward gambling as a form of entertainment and not a way to make money.

The odds can be long in many types of gambling, so take your wins when you can. You’ll always have a chance at winnings when you play with BetMGM, and observing these golden rules of gambling makes you a winner regardless of how your plays turn out.

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