Recreational gaming is low-risk gaming. It involves responsible spending and the setting of personal guidelines to govern your behaviour. Managing gaming expenditure ensures both enjoyment and peace of mind. Participate in achieving this goal by setting a sensible limit to your gaming activities.

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONSIBLE GAMING

Low-risk gaming has a pre-determined acceptable limit for losses. Any money spent on gaming needs to be considered an entertainment cost. This will vary depending on your income and expenses.

Low-risk gaming is recreational. The benefits of gaming are found in the excitement of taking a chance and the thrill of winning. Financial gain should not be the main motivation for gaming. Gaming is not going to get you out of debt.

WHEN IT'S NO LONGER A GAME

Most players enjoy the experience of gaming without any problems but a small percentage of people find that gaming can become a problem. Peermont is concerned if a guest becomes involved in gaming to the extent that it becomes a problem.

Our aim is to help you to identify whether or not you have a problem and guide you towards obtaining the help that you need. The following questions have been designed to help you to identify if your gaming has become a problem.

• You sometimes lie or cover up the extent of your gaming
• Your gaming is affecting important relationships in your life like marriage, friendships, work and social relationships
• You have seriously considered engaging in illegal activities such as theft, fraud or misappropriation of funds in order to procure money for gaming
• You have asked or intend to ask members of your family or friends to give you money to "bail you out" of a financial crisis caused by your gaming habit
• You spend essential family maintenance funds on gaming • You play with money you can't afford to lose on a regular basis
• You take casino credit in large amounts relative to your means and you are unable to pay back this debt
• You spend money on gaming as a means of trying to repay debts
• You deny you have a problem with gaming even after other people have told you so
• You lie about many or all of the above.

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you may have a gaming problem and we urge you to seek help by phoning the National Responsible Gaming Programme’s toll-free help line 0800 006 008. It’s a free call and anyone can use this service. Trained helpline counsellors will tell you about the different forms of help that are available.

BENEFITS OF GETTING HELP

You will begin to:

• Get your life back in control
• Begin paying off your debt
• Find support for your problem
• Resume a stable family and work-life
• Remove the grip of fear and worry which you and members of your family have in your lives as a result of problem gambling