With the World Series coming up, it’s a good time to talk about strategies to reduce risk and keep sports betting fun.
Set a budget:
Know your limit and stay within it. Remember that sports betting is entertainment, so budget accordingly. Only wager money that you can afford to lose.
Get to know the Apps:
Caesars and DraftKings are the only legal, regulated sports betting apps in Maine. They make it easy to set limits ahead of time right within the apps, to avoid the risk of getting caught up in the excitement of the game and wagering too much. Skip the experience of waking up after the World Series with regrets that you spent more money than you can afford by chasing your losses during the game. Check out the Responsible Gaming features in the apps.
Have fun and stop when you’re done:
Stop once you’ve reached your spending limit. Just enjoy the game! Even though a lot of people will be betting on the game, most people who are watching will not be placing wagers. You don’t need to gamble to have fun watching the World Series.
Need to cool off?
Are you concerned that you’ve been having problems trying to set limits on gambling and you’ll probably spend more than you can afford? You can set a “cooling off period” in the apps for a period of 1 to 30 days. This will allow you to take a break from sports betting and re-assess your goals. Order this free toolkit to help you assess your gambling and set healthy goals: https://www.mainepreventionstore.com/collections/gambling/products/has-gambling-become-a-problem
Need to self-exclude?
Is the money or time you’re spending gambling causing problems in your life? Give yourself a break. One tool that many people find useful is self-exclusion. That is when you voluntarily complete a form to opt-out of gambling in all casinos and/or with all sports wagering operators in Maine for a chosen length of time. The self-exclusion process can be completed online with the assistance of trained staff. The process is fast, easy, and you don’t need to leave your home or office to do it.
How does it work? First, you contact AdCare Problem Gambling Services. Often, the service can be done right away if you contact us during the business day or an appointment may be scheduled for another convenient time. We will email you a form that is fast and easy to fill out online, even on your smartphone. Then you will meet with us via Zoom to complete the process.
If you’d like, we can also talk about additional problem gambling resources & services such as support groups, podcasts, and in-person or telehealth counseling services which can be provided at no cost if you can’t afford to pay.
What if you don’t want to self-exclude online? There are locations with trained staff available to process the self-exclusion form with you in-person.
For more information, visit https://adcareme.org/problem-gambling/, call (207) 626-3615 ext.20, or email problemgambling@adcareme.org