The title of this article is meant to be funny, in case you didn’t get it. The idea of putting the words cautious and think first usually do not lead to gambling. Betting and gambling can be a fun activity if done with control and wise planning. There in lies the problem. Most casinos are set up with odds that allow people to win just enough to get excited.
If you do a Google search for gambling two of the first three hits are from Gamblers Anonymous and National Council on Problem Gambling. This isn’t a joke and it is a sad state of affairs for many people once their gambling addiction comes to causing problems in their lives. The cost to many addicts is far more than the money in their pockets. For many gambling addicts it leads to complete bankruptcy. The bankruptcy is not only financial, money could be replaced, but it is those that loose their family and everything else they have worked for that it becomes devastating.
Gambling can be fun of course, like playing card games or video games. There is a reason it is called gaming and there is a reason it feels somewhere between a carnival and a bowling alley when you are in a casino. There are no worries to have if you go to play games and maintain focus on what it is. Of course there are professional gamblers and there are professional athletes as well. For every one that makes a living at it there are twenty more that didn’t make the cut. In the gambling world not making the cut means you are broke.
Throughout history of most civilizations there is gambling. And for most people it is not a problem. We owe it to our fellow citizen not to let them fall prey to their addictions and anyone that would take advantage of that for profit.