Staying Safe When Playing Gambling Games: 12 Essential Tips from 247

Gambling can be a fun recreation activity. Hitting the casino or playing slots at the bar - these are both incredibly common ways to spend time when you’re in a social situation. And once upon a time when these places shut for the night, you could just go home with your earnings in your pocket and come back later on.

But with an online connection, you can play various types of gambling games from the comfort of your own home. You have to set your own limits, meaning you can play alone whenever you feel like it. With the addictive nature of winning big and the risk of losing, that can be hard for a lot of people.

While gambling has always been a double edged hobby, this kind of accessibility has made it all the more dangerous. We all know just how far the urge to gamble can go. When you’re trying to play safely for fun, you’re going to need to set yourself a few rules to avoid falling into common gambling traps.

Every game on 247 Games, including games like Freecell, Solitaire, Poker, Roulette, and Blackjack, are free to play. The money involved is play money, you don’t lose anything, and you can play as long as you like for the same thrills without the disaster of a drop.

We’ve also put together a list of 12 top tips for those who like to play, but don’t want their losses to lead down a darker path. Check them out below to stay safe when using gambling games.

Tip 1: Never Expect to Win and Always Expect to Lose

This is the first rule when it comes to using real money in games. If you expect to win, you’re far more likely to spend high amounts every single time you want to gamble recreationally. However, if you never expect to win, each win comes as a pleasant surprise, and acts more as a ‘bonus’.

After all, if you don’t expect to win, you expect, in fact, to lose. If you do end up winning, you get the thrill you’re looking for. You don’t think it’s something that should be happening; you instead see it as what it is: something that can happen, albeit rarely.

That’s a good win to walk away from. And any loss you do experience, you can still walk away from it, because you knew it was going to happen. Approach this hobby with this attitude for a better experience all round, even if you experience a few more losses than you’re used to.

Tip 2: Use Limit Rules

What's your playing style? No matter what it is, the ultimate goal should be having fun. That’s the aim here at 247 Games! So if you’re having trouble putting down a game where you’ve gambled with real money, you need to set some hard limits for your own time and usage.

Above all else, it’s best to give yourself a top limit for the money you want to put on the line per week - this way you’ll have a wider scope of how much you’re putting into the pot and how it could be otherwise affecting your budget.

However, if you’re unable to set and impose the limits yourself, you can do so via your chosen apps. Each app that facilitates gambling mini games, such as slots, will allow you to set hard limits on your activity. This means you can let the tech do the hard work for you, and then you simply need to close the app down until the limit has been lifted again.

For some people this simply means not playing past a certain hour every day, such as midnight. However, for some there needs to be harder limits. Thankfully, this is also an option in the modern gambling circle. You can block access to your favorite games for weeks and months on end if need be.

Tip 3: Only Play When You’re in a Good Mood

Playing a game using real money can be very difficult when you’re in a bad mood. You might think the next win is going to be the one thing that puts you in a good mood. And if that win comes through, you might come back time and time again when you’re feeling a similar way.

This can then feed into a negative cycle of gambling whenever you’re feeling down. But the one time it doesn’t work, it could lead to a big loss of money as the person behind the screen chases the high they’re used to.

To avoid this, it’s best to only play when you’re in a good mood. You should be looking to have fun, whether you win or not, and that’s the main thing that’ll keep you safe as you play cards, slots, and various other stakes games.

Once the fun is over, and you notice yourself feeling more emotional, it’s time to step away. Maintaining this habit will make it much easier to keep your experience on a positive incline. Be sure not to underestimate this tip - a good mood combined with a game like Freecell is very healthy.

Tip 4: Play Games with Fake Money

If you often struggle to call it a day when using real money during a gaming session, look into playing more fake money games. Often known as ‘play money’, these games can be found across various websites and are a very accessible alternative.

247 Games offers fake money games and nothing else. This means you can ‘win’ but never lose - there's no real money involved! That maintains the fun element of playing games like these. You’re still capable of striking gold, but the associated down on the other side simply doesn’t exist. You can find plenty of popular casino games here, as well as classics like Sudoku. You can play pretty much anything you like!

Because we want games like these to be fun. We want them to be stress busters, able to help you have a laugh with friends while spending time surfing those thrilling high stakes. When you’re bored, or feeling otherwise negative, you can open up 247 and play for as long as you like without overspending or wasting your time.

Tip 5: Check the Terms and Conditions

This is a very proactive way to approach the fun side of gambling. If you don’t check the terms and conditions of the sites you like to use, you’re unlikely to get the full story regarding the way your money is handled and how likely your stake is to win.

Always give this policy a read through. You want to know what the site offers, how theri bonuses work, and if their free money offers are really good. The more you know before you even get started, the more informed your final decision to play will be.

Also, the more you surf through the terms and conditions of the most popular sites, you’re likely to spot a few themes and common practices. Most of all, you’ll notice the way the bigger companies tackle ‘fair practice’, and how that can affect players like you.

So take the time to give these pages a read through.

Tip 6: Have No Gambling Periods

You can set a limit on the apps when you want to stop playing the games for a little while, but you should also have periods where you play games that aren’t anything to do with money. A lot of people like to do this for around a month every other month, to ensure these types of games remain fun.

There are thousands of games on the market, and if you enjoy gaming as a hobby, it’s worth it to try out a few different genres. You can then come back to the money based games and enjoy them as much as ever. This is a good way to maintain your resistance to addiction, if that’s something you’re concerned about.

Try out a period like this for a couple of tests. You can then slowly phase the games you love to play back into your life and continue to enjoy yourself.

Tip 7: Make it a Social Activity

Social activities are always a lot more fun. As such, try to turn your love of playing such games into something you invite friends over to do with you. Either that, or only play when someone you know and trust is in the room with you.

Set up a Poker or Craps table in your own living room and play for something other than money, that you’re still required to have the most of at the end of the game to win. Chips, for example, or toothpicks. You could even be playing for favors, such as buying each dinner or paying for your next outing.

Even with a stake, it doesn’t have to revolve around handing over money in the moment. Instead, you can rely on your social connections to enjoy the game for a laugh and more.

Tip 8: Voice Your Worries

Fear of addiction, or worries around how much time or money you’re spending on gambling games, shouldn’t be kept bottled up. You should be able to voice them without shame or fear of being judged. And in the right circles, and to the right people, you can.

Always talk to someone you trust. Similarly, try to find someone who’s been in the same position that you have. They’re going to know the emotional toil that playing with real money can take, and will understand where your fears are coming from. You’re less likely to be preached at as well!

Tip 9: Keep Track of Your Time

So, how much time do you spend on playing online games with a money cycle? If you track time spent across the past month, you might find quite a few more hours than you realized. If you do, don’t panic. Instead, consider this a turning point, and think about ways you can make your hobby less impactful on your wallet.

The use of ‘play money’ games is one such way, as we’ve mentioned before, but once again setting some limits on your time AND money will probably work best for you. For example, if you spend more than 2 hours on an app or playing a certain game, you can restrict access once the clock strikes the 120 minute mark.

In doing so, you give yourself a chance to explore some other activities, and you may even find your days becoming more productive.

Tip 10: If You Lose, Walk Away

That’s really the long and short of it. If you want to stay safe when you’re playing with money, you need to walk away when you’ve experienced a loss. If you’re someone who’s gotten close to losing a lot more than you planned to in the past, this is definitely the way forward.

You can facilitate a healthy cycle with a bit of physical willpower, and all you need to do is step away from the machine, screen, or table. If you can physically separate yourself from the activity at hand, you’re far more likely to actually put money back in your pocket and leave things be.

With this method, you won’t be tempted to put in for another round, and the loss you’ve been dealt won’t turn into a string of ‘bad luck’. You’ve lost some money, you’re OK to walk away, and you’ll recover for another day. There’s still fun to be had in that scenario!

Tip 11: Keep Up with Other Hobbies

Gambling games shouldn’t be your only hobby. It’s good to spend your free time indulging in them, and it can even be beneficial to do so for your mental state, but you should keep up with other activities as well.

Why? Because humans enjoy themselves best when there’s multiple ways to fill their attention span. And the less you rely on a pay to win game to have fun, the more fun the experience will remain in the long run. It might sound ironic to put it like that, but that’s an important fact to keep in mind.

Love card games? You can continue to play them without involving gambling, such as trying out games like Solitaire and Freecell on 247 Games. If you want to take the money element out of it entirely, find TCG games on virtual platforms, such as big name games like Uno or Yu-Gi-Oh.

You can also bring more physical hobbies into the space as well. Fitness based activities can be just the thing you need to offset your love of playing with money. Activities that get you moving can do wonders for both your mental and physical health, and the numbers games you usually love will be waiting for you when you get back.

Tip 12: When You Play Alone, Only Play

We’ve talked about playing money games as a social activity, but if you’re one for playing alone, try to only play. Don’t combine the activity with something like drinking, for example. If you have lowered inhibitions at a time when money is on the line, you may not even know how much you end up spending.

Indeed, playing for money is a very emotional thing. When you win the high is an amazing thing, but losing can feel like a punch in the face. If you’re inebriated at such a time, there’s a strong chance you may lose control of your emotions entirely.

Gambling can be fun, but only when you’re sure you’ve put in the right amount at the right time! And if your friends aren’t around, try to keep things about the game. You can still have fun, with fun snacks and some good music playing, but keep substances like alcohol to a minimum at the same time.

Play Safe and Have Fun

Games involving real money can be fun. However, you can soon lose a lot more than you’ve ever won. When it tips over into this scenario, the emotional turmoil can become overwhelming.

That’s why it’s so important to stay safe when playing such games. The more you’re aware of what you’re playing and how much you’re playing with, the better your hobby is going to serve you. Games like Freecell and Hearts can be very beneficial when you’re aware of the impact and take steps to prevent it from going too far.

Use the tips above to help refine your gaming strategy. Pay attention to how much time you’re spending on money games and how much of your income is going into them. And when you lose, don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to win it all back.

Plus, feel free to check out 247’s library of free to play games. Using play money is a lot of fun and can be a great stress reliever after a long day. And remember, you’ll never be at risk from playing on 247 Games!

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.