Addiction Services
Gambling
How To Reduce the Risk
Use this list of strategies to reduce the risk of your gambling becoming a problem:
- Set a monthly budget for gambling. Base it on how much you can afford to lose, after all your other responsibilities, including savings, have been considered. When you use up this budget, stop gambling.
- When you gamble, take only the amount of cash you can afford to lose on that occasion. Do not carry a credit card or a debit card. Do not borrow money from friends so you can keep gambling.
- Set a limit on the number of times you will go gambling each month, and how much time you will spend gambling on each occasion. When you have used up that amount of time, stop gambling.
- Include a mix of healthy leisure activities in your life so that gambling is not your only activity. Get ideas for healthy leisure activities.
- Download Winning Within: A Self-Help Guide to Changing Gambling Behaviours to learn more about your gambling.
If these strategies are not working for you, or you feel you need more help, call the Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-888-347-8888. It's free, available 24-hours a day, and completely confidential.
Crown copyright 2011, Province of Nova Scotia, all rights reserved.
Page last updated 2011-07-12.