As an avid player of online casinos and gambling online I just assume that people who play at traditional land casinos would be able to deal with being able to play at online casinos. Unfortunately a recent incident with a friend has taught me that this isn't necessarily the case.

I had a friend you see who would normally accompany me on trips when going to land based casinos not too far from where I live. I just assumed that she'd be able to know her limit like she did when we were playing at these physical casinos but I can see now that this isn't really the case and that many people who do play at land based casinos when they step into the zone of online casino gaming they really can't contain themselves and it could lead to a sort of obsessive gambling habit and in this case with my friend a really big problem. She cut herself off from the real world, wouldn't take my calls or that of her families (which I brought into the picture when I wasn't able to get a hold of her). I beleive that online gambling does have some negative qualities that people should be aware of and that if you're not able to handle it and get too much into it that you should really quit close all your casino accounts online and walk away never to play again. I think that doing so would really be the only sure way to ensure that you don't get caught up like my friend did. Anyways things are better now and she's getting the necessary treatment but really wow what an expereince and one that I don't want to go down.

I myself am an avid gambler and play online all the time but I don't chase the dream of winning millions but rather look at online gambling and all forms of gambling for that matter as entertainment and that's it!

Augustine

No doubt it's a real pity that this has happened. It's amazing how getting addicted to gambling is far easier when it's done from home. It makes sense though I guess when you think about it in that players who play from home can play whenever they want and have access to casino games at a few mouse clicks and thus as a result it's definitely easier to get hooked and pulled into a problem habit. I think it's good that you've confronted your friend about it and involved their family. It's unlikely that your friend will ever be able to enjoy playing at online casinos and gambling again but it's better that way then for them to seclude themselves and to throw away their live savings and for what at the end of the day nothing.

I'm really sorry to hear about that it's a shame. I couldn't agree with you more though in the sense that online casinos really aren't for everyone and that some people just don't know how to handle themselves when it comes to playing at online casinos. It's a real shame though and it would be nice if those who enjoyed playing online could enjoy playing online and in moderation but unfortunately that's not the case a lot of the time.

Anyways glad to hear that your friend is doing better though!

Good post and very true things... I beleive that it's very hard for some people who just start out not to get carried away. I think it would be a good idea for online casinos to limit newbies only to a certain spend at their casinos initially before allowing them to spend whatever they wanted.

It sucks that people can't control themselves sometimes as playing online is really far more convenient then playing at land based casinos and does have a lot of benefits that you don't get in land based casinos in general.

Yeah it's totally true there are tons of people out there that don't know how to handle themselves when it comes to playing at online casinos. Those people should definitely stick to playing at land based casinos only!

I beleive that if people have a gambling problem that regardless of whether they play online or offline they'll still have a gambling problem. The best way to curb any gambling problem is to enforce strict restrictions as per what the maximum amounts are that people can possibly play. I think that it's key in ensuring that people don't gamble excessively and more importantly beyond their means!

I thought that I had a gambling problem at one point but after reflecting on what I was doing I realized that I didn't and was able to play and set limits for myself. It does help a lot if the casinos I played at would offer me the ability to set my own limits but most of them unfortunately don't offer anything as such. Hopefully the casinos online of the future will be able to offer such things if they do I think that it will definitely help eliminate cases where there are problems like this for players.

It's very true and very sad that people can't control their spending habits. It's not just online if you guys think so you're fooling yourselves. Many people who have problems and play online already have had problems that stem from their expereince in land based gaming.

I guess people that have addictive personalities need not play at online casinos. There should almost be some kind of a test that you first need to pass in the event that you want to play at an online casino. If you don't pass you can't play or get certain limits. I think that by doing this it would certainly make gambling online safer and more friendly but moreover far more acceptable by the government groups out there.