Gambling is addictive, and it can be the cause of great financial loss; hence it cannot possibly be good for us, right? We would beg to differ.
Whereas the first part of our first sentence is true, what can help with this negative side of gambling is knowing when to stop. If you are a disciplined person who knows how to find a balance in life, gambling can be beneficial for you. Read on to find out how.
Gambling is fun and exciting and it increases the level of happiness
Regardless of your age, it is unarguably of great importance to have fun. It can help you reduce the stress of everyday life and it can even prevent diseases in the long run, thus increasing your quality of life and level of happiness and satisfaction.
For many people the first contact with gambling was some sort of card game when they were kids. And of course, at a young age, you do not play with real money. Actually, you probably play just for the sake of winning, of being the best.
This shows that gambling simply brings up the competitive spirit and brings fun and joy to those involved due to the possibility to win the game and be the champion, even without the aspect of earning money. Very similar to sports, playing games against your friends is exciting and that can be the biggest award, even if there are wooden sticks on the table instead of chips.
It has also been scientifically proven that gambling can increase your happiness level: research has shown that this does not stop with age, as it was shown that gambling helped the happiness of nursing home residents rise as they engaged in different forms of gambling.
You get to learn new skills or finally apply some of the ones you already have
Let’s jump back to childhood again: remember all those math problems you had to solve in class as a kid and you kept wondering “When will I need this in real life”? Actually, many of those can help you win a blackjack game, for example.
Math and statistics can be of great assistance in developing your own strategy and winning a game. And not just the stuff you learned in school: You can always research more in libraries and on the Internet, and find tricks to win a round of Roulette or tips on how to manipulate a slot machine. And widening your knowledge like this is beneficial for your brain since it is a mental exercise.
But it is not just math that gets applied while playing games like Poker. You also need a bit of ability to read through people when you are playing games against live opponents. To do this, you need some basic psychology knowledge that you can later apply in other aspects of life as well.
Helps you socialize
And again, we must go back to our childhood, when playing a game is a regular, daily thing for a kid. Games are usually played in groups, so they are the natural source of socialization and a way to make friends.
But, as we grow up, creating friendship becomes a little harder and more complicated. And then, if you are involved in a game of Texas hold’em or just sitting at a Roulette table, you could find yourself surrounded by people with similar interests. You might strike up a conversation with them and get to know them spontaneously, maybe even build a lasting relationship.
Besides making new friends, games like Poker can be a reason for a group of friends to get together and spend some time playing, sharing news, laughing, and relaxing. Just like when they were kids. And similarly, they might not care too much about the amount of money involved. Or they might make it into an occasional group trip to a casino, where gambling might not be the prime goal, but rather spending time with each other.
Key takeaways
Movies, books and especially real life experiences teach us that gambling is a bad habit, that it causes addiction and it is very often connected to crime as well as other addictions, like alcohol and drug abuse. But it is far from being just that.
If you can be moderate at gambling, you can truly experience its benefits. Fun and excitement, socialization, and especially learning and applying new skills can increase the quality of life. The main advice in order to avoid the negative sides of gambling is to observe it as a hobby and not as a source of income.
