Staying in control

Everything else here is arithmetic. This is not, and it matters more than all of it. A positive edge is worth nothing to someone who cannot stop.

Signs worth taking seriously

• Betting to win back losses, or betting bigger after them.
• Betting money set aside for something else.
• Hiding how much you bet, or lying about results.
• Betting to change how you feel rather than because the price is good.
• Games you have no interest in, purely to have action.

Things that actually help

Deposit limits set in advance, at the book, where changing them takes days. A bankroll that is a real, separate number. Time away that is scheduled rather than earned. Self-exclusion, which every licensed operator must offer and which works.