MGM Resorts International and Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa want to keep gambling fun by ensuring our guests play responsibly, and Responsible Gaming Education Week is the perfect time to learn more about how to be a smarter bettor. This year’s theme is Have a Game Plan: Bet Responsibly. Together with GameSense, we’re here to share some tips and strategies to ensure that you’re smart on the casino floor.
Responsible Gaming Education Week Tips
STICK WITH A BUDGET: Just like going out for dinner and a movie, you generally have an idea of what you plan to pay. When you’ve spent your budgeted money, it’s time to call it a day. It’s a good idea to approach gambling the same way. To avoid spending more time or money than you planned, set a budget for your casino visit, as well as a time limit.
FOR SLOTS: It’s important to remember that every spin is random. What happened in previous spins is no more or less likely to happen again. A computer program (called an RNG, or Random Number Generator) ensures a random outcome on each and every play. In other words, persistence doesn’t pay off. Each play is an independent event with the same odds of winning or losing as every other play on that game. Also, nothing about a machine’s location, or the way you play, affects the outcome of a game.
RANDOMNESS IS NEVER INFLUENCED: Randomness refers to events happening by chance, without any purposeful or organized plan. Gambling uses an assortment of mechanisms to ensure that any game is unpredictable. Gamblers have historically created strategies and systems to help them predict outcomes of random games. In short, they don’t work and is never influenced by past patterns or events.
TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS: Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to walk away from the game you’re playing. Taking a break can help you make smarter decisions, so gambling stays what it should be – a fun activity. When you make a plan for how much time you can afford to spend gambling (and stick to it), you are more likely to stay within your set budget and not miss out on the other things you need to do.
DON’T CHASE LOSSES: Wondering if you can win back losses by playing more? It’s possible, but unlikely. Chances are the more you play, the more money you’ll lose. “Chasing losses” almost always leads to bigger losses.
PLAY FOR FUN, NOT TO MAKE MONEY: When you gamble, the result is never certain and losing is always a possibility. Consider gambling as a form of entertainment, like going out for dinner or seeing a movie – not as a source of income. Keeping it fun means playing within your means. When you set and stick to a budget, you spend only money you can afford to lose.
For more information about responsible gaming, click here.