“Warriors take chances. Like everyone else, they fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control them.” Ancient Samurai saying

Three really strong interest that I have are Business, Gambling, and Investing. Three unique playing fields but they all have the same goal, to increase income. Business, is the most controllable followed by Investing and then Gambling. I find it interesting how many people use these three words interchangeably. Most people will always tell you that starting a business is a gamble thus you are gambling. Investing is risky therefore you are gambling there too. What a joke! Sure there is a level of chance that occurs in investing and business however, both can be won or earn a positive income consistently over time therefore it is not a gamble. In the following paragraphs I set the record straight regarding risk when it comes to business, investing, and gambling.

Business requires skill and building a business can be an art. As with walking across the street business can be associated with risk however, that risk is extremely controllable and can be minimized by knowledge and skill. Obviously, walking across an urban highway can be very risky and that risk can be minimal if walking across a highway in a rural town. Just like we can decide what risk we take on by deciding what type of road we want to cross on foot, we can also control risk in business by deciding what business we want to take on and in what industry. We can minimize risk and increase success by increasing our skill in building businesses. Some people with an employee mentality will feel that they have minimized their risk my not starting a business and instead they will get a job.

In actuality all they have done is put the risk in someone else’s hands. They leave the risk of the business they work for in the hands of the business owner they are working for. However, they also leave the risk of their primary earned income in someone else’s hands also. In this situation the employee risks losing their job, due to downsizing, bankruptcy, or any other negative consequence that could occur in business. To the employee who has a family, average household debt, other financial obligations and dependents the consequences of losing a job can be catastrophic. I find it more risky to leave my financial future in the hands of someone else versus taking control of it by starting and building my own business. Therefore, I strive to be a successful business owner and not an employee.

Investing once again does involve risk but, that risk can be minimized and sometimes eliminated by understanding your investments. Since you are normally investing in a business of another person there is still some risk associated with your investments because they are less controllable. In other words you are investing in someone else’s skill of running a business and not your own. Actually this type of risk is in some ways is similar to the risk taken on by an employee. Investing can be less risky than employment for several reasons. First, if you have done your research then you have a solid understanding of your investments, the business model they are based on, and the future before them. These are all things that most employees do not research before taking on a job with a company. Also most people don’t earn their primary income from one investment but the vast majority of employees do earn their primary income from their job. Investors can actually take on less risk than most employees by understanding the businesses behind their investments.

Gambling is sheer luck and therefore is the riskiest of all of my interest according to most people. However, I submit to you that even this is not completely correct. Now I will agree that gambling is definitely the riskiest but it is not all sheer luck. Gambling is a game of mathematics and understanding the mathematics behind your gambling game of choice will help you to succeed more often or at least make your bankroll last as long as possible. With the exception of Poker there are no legit professional gamblers that last very long as professionals. Poker is different because it is not a game of sheer mathematics and chance; a very large element in poker is the skill of the other players at your table. Most people are truly ignorant when it comes to gambling I often go to the casino watching people gleefully play games with a tremendous amount of odds against them and they have no idea. Just a quick about two casino controlled games that can most often be beat in the short term are Blackjack, as long as you are using basic strategy and yes there is a strategy to that game. If you playing that game just trying to get close to 21 you will lose and usually lose fast. The other game is Craps, this game has some of the best and worst bets in the casino all on one table. As long as you know what are the good bets versus the bad bets you can sometimes play for a very long time on a Craps table with a minimal bankroll. What makes gambling so enjoyable is not the risk that is associated with it but the instant gratification that is experienced when winning.

That was just a little bit about my favorite interest of Business, Investing, and Gambling and the risk associated with each. Risk can often be controlled or minimized this is most evident in business and less so with investing. Gambling is most often the riskiest but does offer the quickest gratification at times. Risk can be minimized with gambling as long as your understand the mathematics behind the casino games or you increase your skill compared to others at the Poker table. Hopefully this article help to put the concept of risk in a more proper perspective when associated with starting or building a business, choosing an investment, or walking into the casino.

In my last article, I gave you the tell-tale signs of problem gambling. I also talked about setting limits for yourself. After reading this article, you will know a great deal about how to set limits for yourself when you’re going out to your local casino, or even if you’re staying at home and playing online.

Gambling can be an enjoyable pursuit, and provide a great deal of entertainment. Whether it’s a night out with your spouse or with the guys or with the girls, a trip to the casino can be exciting and fun. That’s where the key lies. Gambling, above all else, should be something that you do for fun, not because you need the money. There are numerous things that you can do to ensure that you don’t fall into the trap of problem gambling and make sure those trips to the casino remain enjoyable for you and everyone around you. Let’s take a look at some of those things.

1) Don’t think of gambling as a way to make money

Like any good business, a casino (whether land-based or online) is set up to take in more money than it gives out. Sure, when you get to the casino, you see pictures of people holding big cardboard checks with an obscene amount of money on it. What you don’t see are the dozens of people that lose a lot of money at the same casino so a big winner can hit every once in a while. A common trait among people that are problem gamblers is the steadfast belief that they will eventually be the ones holding the big cardboard check. Don’t let that happen to you. Gamble for fun, not as a means to an end.

2) Always gamble with money that you can afford to lose

I stressed this in my previous article, and I can’t possibly stress it enough, so here it is again. Gamble with money that you have set aside for fun and entertainment purposes. If you see a book or something about your game of choice that intrigues you, purchase it with that same money. Do not, under any circumstances, gamble with money that you would use to pay expenses like rent, utilities, insurance, or any other things of that nature.

3) Set a money limit

Decide ahead of time how much money you are going to spend. If you have played for a while and lost that money, stop playing. If you come out ahead, savor it. If you don’t feel that you can do this yourself, you can give your ATM card to a responsible friend, or simply withdraw your cash ahead of time and leave the card at home so you can’t take out any more cash.

4) Set a time limit

Setting a time limit can be just as important as setting a money limit. Don’t let gambling interfere with things you are required to do, such as work or school.

5) Never chase losses

When you lose what you were planning on spending, stop playing. Don’t go over your limits to try to hit the big score. It almost always leads to nothing except greater losses and more problems.

6) Don’t gamble when you are upset or depressed

It’s hard enough to make good decisions when you’re gambling. Feelings like anger or depression will only make those decisions that much harder to make.

7) Balance gambling with other activities

Go to the gym, hang out with your friends, go hiking, or do any number of other things. But don’t let your life center around gambling.

If you simply follow these rules, you can continue to have fun at the casino and not have to worry about incurring big losses. Like the old public service announcements used to say, the more you know, the better off you will be. Make your next trip to the casino an enjoyable one!

When the issues on gambling are being raised, the issue on its legalization will never be silenced. There are loads of debates about it weighing which is of really weight: the advantages or the disadvantages of having gambling legal in countries.

Well, there are points to count on and these points come from both sides.

There are claims that when legalized, illegal gambling that lures people to be addicted and have miserable lives would be ignored. For those who believe in this thought, they think that legalizing gambling and whatever forms of it would lead to a more regulated system in a country. Another thing they want to raise is that if legal gambling is established, there would be government-owned gambling venues; this would pull people to support legal games than those that are not permitted by the government. The angle of incurring taxes from gambling would definitely be a help as believed by its proponents.

On the other hand, even though how these contentions try to become strong arguments, there are destroyers of these.

In other countries that do not believe on the benefits of legalizing gambling, they stand with the arguments that if the government opens the door to legalizing gambling, it would just be like teaching citizens to really be into gambling, no matter how legal or regulated it is, it would not lose the fact that it is still gambling, a means of asking people to venture on what they have and try their luck by betting their money or other possessions. This is also a means of luring people to gamble when normally they do not.

There are loads of loopholes pinpointed by those people who are against the existence of the so-called legal gambling. The biggest loophole is that legalizing gambling is like legalizing greed. A government that would allow this to happen would be a very irresponsible one. Instead of encouraging its citizens to be productive in such a way that they would realize what the dignity of work is.

There are portions of the world that embraces legal gambling, there are those which do not believe in the benefits it could give. The choice of being into gambling lies in you as a citizen, as an individual.