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An article titled “The Humans Cost of the Sports” that appeared in the September 2023 edition of Men’s Health, claims that 80% of sports bettors remain busy with gambling activities for an average of 6 hours per day and 76% of these bettors are active on betting apps and websites. If you are one of them and spend a good amount of time on online IPL match betting, it’s time to think “how much is too much for sports betting?”
Professional gamblers are busy with their betting activities for a lion’s share of their time. Occasional bettors have other works to do and hence, get involved in betting only once in a blue moon. However, the amount of time is not the real cause for addiction; rather there are other factors that demand your attention.
Below we have prepared a set of questions and your answers will give away whether you should reevaluate your relationship with cricket betting and seek help (in case the problem is really serious).
Are you exhibiting or experiencing negative outcomes?
There is a list of negative outcomes that clearly define the symptoms of problematic or irresponsible gambling behavior. If you are experiencing or exhibiting any of these symptoms listed below, every extra hour that you invest in the activity pushes you deeper into the problem.
- You aggressively defend when asked about why you do gambling long hours
- You have fallen into a debt trap because of gambling (20% of bettors have this problem)
- Your applications for business loans and other financial assistance have been rejected due to your history of betting.
- You have defaulted on loan payment.
- You have been fired from your job because the authority thinks too much gambling has negatively impacted your focus and productivity.
- You have broken up with your partner or spouse because of betting.
- You attend familial, professional or social gatherings but are heavily distracted to gambling
- You talk too much about gambling and people around you mention or even complain about it.
Negative outcomes are not only associated with mental health but also present themselves through physical manifestation. Look for any of the following symptoms. If you are experiencing one or a combination of more, you should think about spending less time online IPL betting.
- Unhealthy weight gain/loss
- Chronic pain
- Compromised sleep
- Compromised sexual activities
Are you at risk but don’t know it?
If you are prone to developing betting disorder, every minute you spend gambling is too much for your physical and mental health. But how to know if you are at risk? Most bettors don’t even know it.
Check for the below-listed health issues that may increase your chance of developing betting disorder:
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Alcohol use disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
Are your livelihood at risk?
Beyond the aforementioned symptoms that can heavily affect your performance and productivity at your workplace, sports betting can adversely impact your livelihood. There are strict policies in many industries to discourage their employees from participating in betting. Strict actions are taken against them if they are caught red-handed betting during the duty hours.
Insurance services and other financial industries usually have such policies to maintain their professional integrity. If you are employed in one such sector, betting any time is considered “too much”.
Do you bet until you lose?
This one is the most touted effect of problematic gambling practices. Do you continue betting until you lose on almost every season? If the answer is ‘YES’, it is attributable to three things:
- Your body/mind is continuously chasing “feel good hormones”.
- You may be on certain medications.
- You may be experiencing certain behavioral or mental health conditions.
If you continue doing online IPL betting until you lose, you are busy betting for many hours.
Do you still enjoy cricket itself?
Call it motivation or lure, payout is a big factor for people to get involved in gambling. However, for most of them, it is a fun activity that boosts adrenaline and dopamine levels.
This is truer for sports bettors as they enjoy experiencing the thrills of the game or the tournament. In other words, they feel and love their deeper engagement with whatever game they bet on. However, habitual bettors start experiencing love-loss relationships with a favorite sport over time.
Do you chase loss?
It’s a common symptom. Most bettors keep on chasing loss, hoping that they will be able to recoup their loss sooner or later. Whether or not they can do it, they spend a lot in this process. Unfortunately, even if they win after a long time, only a few can hardly extend the experience to a winning streak that can help them recover their previous losses. Money Gone, Time Wasted!
Wrapping Up
We will never say betting is bad. There are many positive side effects of betting, for example it releases ‘feel good’ hormones. We have only listed a few issues with irresponsible gambling. When you know the cause of the malaise, you certainly have the ‘CURE’ in your control.
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