To gamble means to “bet on an uncertain outcome” or to “stake something on a contingency: take a chance,” according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. The implication is that gambling is risky. That is true. It does a disservice to gloss over that and pretend that it’s just a fun pastime with no risk. The people who say that gambling is dangerous are right. It certainly can be if you are not smart about it. That is why gambling smarts are so important.

While I hate to make broad generalizations, I’m going to here for the sake of the blog. There are two types of gamblers. One is someone who walks into a casino knowing nothing about the games and just plays with no strategy. They usually blow a lot of money before they’re done. The other is a knowledgeable gambler who uses the correct strategies and often comes out ahead, making money at the casino, though they still lose money more often than they win.

Using gambling smarts means knowing the difference between a good game and a bad game. If you want a game with good odds, a progressive slot is not the game for you. However, it’s a great game if you want to take a shot at a huge jackpot on a single play. If you play strategy-based games like blackjack and poker, you have a better chance of winning money at the casino. You also have to learn the strategy and employ it wisely, though.

Even within a certain game, gambling smarts will come into play. If you’re playing roulette, for example, there are many different bets you can place. Some are safer bets but they have lower payouts. The bets with the best payouts have the worst odds. Balancing those costs and benefits can help you choose a betting strategy. Speaking of strategy, having gambling smarts also means knowing not to use progressive betting systems. Those systems will simply deplete your bankroll more rapidly. It is best to stick to flat betting instead.

If you choose games with the best odds for what you are seeking and place the best bets in those games, you will have more success playing casino games. There are guarantees, of course. If there were, it wouldn’t be gambling.

Online gambling is becoming more popular in Greece, or so says an online gambling website, onlinegamblingpal.com. According to the source, you can tell that online gambling is becoming more popular there due to the large number of Greeks who are reporting winning money at online casinos right now.

Okay, or I guess that could be a coincidence. It gets worse, though. Here is an actual quote from the website: “The southeastern country is currently facing major financial problems, which could be solved by playing at online casinos.”

Really? So Greece is in the middle of a financial meltdown due to irresponsible spending and the solution is to gamble? That seems a little odd. Unemployment in Greece is ridiculous, though that is partly because so many people there would rather not work and simply make money off of government assistance programs. Recent austerity measures imposed by the EU, however, have led to rioting in the streets by communists, unions and other radicals. And while those people are burning cars, throwing rocks at police and marching on government lawns, your friends at onlinegamblingpal.com want you to think that the solution, if you’re Greek, is to take all of your money and spend it at an online casino in the hopes of doubling your cash or better.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that’s a bad strategy. In fact, it is the exact opposite of what I propose almost every day on this website: Never spend money that you can’t afford to lose. If you are hurting for money and need a quick buck, the casino is not an answer, because it is more likely to take your money than give you some.

Of course I support online gambling and I think it can be a very enjoyable activity if done responsibly. The key is the word “responsibly.” There are some websites out there – and onlinegamblingpal.com seems to be one of them – who don’t care about that and just want to encourage you to spend, spend spend. I’m not like them. If you don’t have enough money right now then go to your favorite online casino and play the free games. You can play the same games for free using fake money. Just keep your credit card in your wallet and enjoy the fun games. Hopefully soon you’ll be in a better financial situation and can go back to playing real-money games.