But first a word on responsibility
Speak out the word “Sugal” or gambling in this country and you would see heads turn and eyebrows furrow, showing disapproval.
But then again, one may ask, is there such a thing responsible gambling?
While the moralist would have great disdain for what is marked as an evil vice, gambling is in reality woven deep into Philippine social culture.
Mahjong and card games like “pusoy,” “tongits,” and so many more are creative inventions of Filipinos who want to play a game of risk taking. They’re part of family reunions, gettogethers among friends, or even a regular poker foursome after a round of golf. Someone will definitely have a pack of cards tucked away somewhere. It’s a time monster that can eat up an entire day or even last into the wee hours of the morning.
Then the casinos came to our country! They put glitz and glamour into gaming with hotels, fine dining restaurants, bars, theaters, and concert halls.
When this happened, trouble began!
Social gambling is confined within a small social group of either family or friends. Inherent would be certain controls on the amount of money that goes around and the time spent on it.
Seldom would you see high rollers in mahjong or friendly poker games. A stranger at the table is not easily accepted. If you are new to a regular gambling group or a passing guest, you are not expected to win.
Those two elements: Time and money are very important if you want to understand responsible gaming.
Risk taking is a natural part of human behavior. We jump off planes, climb granite walls with our bare hands, drive race cars like a madman, or even show off in a contest of holding your breath underwater the longest.
I had occasion to speak to someone who every week would go to the casino and he said that people get into trouble at the tables because they don’t know how to control themselves. The more they lose, the more insane they become at trying to win the money back.
He put down a particular rule, which he claims he follows, which is why he has never ended up losing tons of money. He has a time and money limit. The time limit is one hour and the money limit is ₱5,000. If he runs out of time or money, he has to will himself to get up and leave.
When entering the casino, after 15 minutes in, he loses his entire ₱5,000, he packs his bags and leaves quickly. He knows that the desire for revenge gets stronger the longer he stays so he licks his wounds somewhere else. If on the other hand, he wins and his hour is up, even if he is on a roll, again, he takes hold of his emotions and leaves.
One might say, oh so that is quite easy to do. Before you start doing that, I would caution you against developing this itch for risk taking into a regular habit. Sure, once in a while is all right, like a visit to the regular casino once a year. But don’t create a pattern of going on a regular basis. I have had to deal with the gambling problems of five people so far in my professional practice as a financial consultant. One of the greatest mistake one can make is to assume that you have the backbone to force yourself to leave when your wallet starts burning a hole.
We are all too familiar with the stories of how a businessman lost everything to gambling or how a family disintegrated because their parents could not stop throwing away money at a casino.
I always counsel people to be responsible with the kind of entertainment they get into. Your desire to gamble should be transient, not permanent. If you remember that, you will keep yourself out of trouble.
If on the other hand, you already have a gambling problem, there are remedial measures you can take. There are casino bans or even a gamblers anonymous group in our country that you can join. I do have a group of professionals who help me with people who are in trouble. If you drop me a line, I can provide suggestions on how to help.
Risk taking is a natural part of human behavior. We jump off planes, climb granite walls with our bare hands, drive race cars like a madman, or even show off in a contest of holding your breath underwater the longest. To each his own level of craziness. My strong advice is if you must gamble, it should be transient and very much controlled. Losing a lot of money to the point of exhausting family resources is one nasty business you don’t want to get into.