Playing is fun. For each and every one of us. Irrespective of our culture, age group or social class. Some people can’t wait for their football team to play their sporting arch-rivals, while others reach for their favourite video game. Some are masters of the board game, others love the thrilling suspense at the poker table. Each of us knows those euphoric moments when playing and fun – gaming fun – make life worth living.
At MERKUR SPIELBANKEN, gaming fun is our brand essence. It’s what drives us. We want to inspire, surprise and move our guests with our gaming experiences – in other words, to spread gaming fun. Indeed, the vast majority of our players enjoy spending a small carefree portion of their free time playing in one of our eight casinos. But it’s also clear that playing for money not only delivers a special thrill, it also carries a special responsibility. Where money is at stake, some people are at risk of losing their grip when playing for money.
This is why our mission at state-licensed casinos is to offer not only gaming fun, but also to provide safe gaming venues where our qualified professional staff are on hand to assist our guests: Anyone who becomes overconfident while playing, exceeds their limits or can’t find a way out, will receive our full support. Preferably as early as possible, well before problematic gambling behaviour becomes entrenched. Our motto is, “Have fun, come back, enjoy playing, but PLAY SAFELY!” In order to achieve this aim, it makes sense to understand what gambling actually is. We also need to critically examine our gambling behaviour on a regular basis:
Games of chance have always exerted a special fascination on people. The power of chance is what gives them their charm. Neither ability, knowledge, skill nor talent decide the outcome of the game – only chance, which makes it lucky for some and unlucky for others.
When it comes to gambling, we are all equal – no matter who we are or where we come from. In times characterised by constant self-optimisation and growing pressure to perform, games of chance offer an opportunity to briefly break away from the constraints and stresses of everyday life. All of us strive to take short breaks from time to time. It’s a basic human need that we all find our own ways of satisfying: in our favourite club’s stadium, at carnival time, a rock concert, a wellness hotel or a casino.
Some time-out with attendant thrills, as offered by casinos, can be very appealing. But it remains just that: some time-out. No less, but certainly no more. Casinos are not there to offer their guests a secure source of income. Games of chance are not predictable. We cannot actually influence or “outsmart” the game. Money staked provides no return. All the while real life – family, friends, work – goes on as normal. Bear all this in mind and you will maintain a realistic perspective on the leisure time pleasure of gambling.
To avoid playing fun turning into frustration, you must play responsibly. Always play in a self-determined manner and without external paternalism, and also ensure you apply the necessary self-reflection and stay alert to the risks of excessive gambling. People who enhance their own risk competence in dealing with gambling have already gone a long way to protecting themselves against a potential gambling problem or to recognising and counteracting it at the earliest possible stage. The following twelve principles can be used as a guideline for dealing responsibly with gambling:
Playing should be fun. This applies equally to games of chance. They offer an exciting and entertaining pastime, but are not a reliable source of income and are by no means an alternative to regular gainful employment. When playing for fun turns into serious gambling, it is time to stop.
Gambling is characterised by chance. This is something you should always be aware of. You cannot force your luck when gambling. It is not about skill. That is the reason you cannot influence the course of the game. Permanently maintaining a realistic perspective on the nature of gambling is important to prevent problematic gambling behaviour.
A casino is the wrong place for you if you have financial problems and urgently need money. Because in games of chance, the name says it all: Its outcome is based on pure chance. It is not calculable. It is impossible to plan or predict winnings. If you set out to earn money by playing, you risk losing your realistic perspective on gambling.
The fact that gambling involves playing for money is what makes its thrill so special. It’s just like playing skat: You wouldn’t have half as much fun if you weren’t playing with money. However, staked money can also be lost, of course – and when it’s gone, it’s gone. The consequences of potentially losing your stakes should always be taken into consideration. To limit your losses, it is therefore sensible to set a personal limit for your own gambling expenditure in advance – and not to deviate from it. It’s time to go home once you’ve reached your limit!
Players who believe they can “win back” lost money by increasing the stakes or their playing frequency are subjecting themselves to a fatal error. The probability of losing again is just as great – or as small – as that of winning, regardless of how often you play. This is the nature of chance, and it cannot be outwitted. Those who attempt to do so anyway are likely to accumulate greater losses than they would like. The only thing that helps in this situation is to set yourself a loss limit that does not exceed your own financial means.
Rent, insurance, food – we all have to manage our disposable income sensibly. In addition, we all have one or two wishes that we would like to fulfil and that we are saving for: our next holiday, a new racing bike, concert tickets. To ensure that financial obligations and personal dreams do not suffer, it is important that you only gamble with money that is not otherwise earmarked. This is the only way to ensure that gambling at the casino remains a carefree pastime that does not affect other areas of your life.
To avoid getting into debt and overstretching your financial capacity, it is also important that you always only gamble with your own money – never borrow money to play. Debts turn pleasure into pain – nothing remains of gaming fun.
Visiting the casino is a special and exciting experience – a short break from the stresses of everyday life. However, everyday life takes place elsewhere: with family and friends, at work, during sports or other hobbies. Only people with both feet firmly planted on the ground can enjoy a short, worry-free break at the casino.
Those who play permanently destroy the very magic they seek. To preserve the special nature of a casino visit, you should establish the frequency and duration of your gambling in advance. Ultimately, carnival time would also lose its charm if it took place 365 days a year. The same goes for football: you’d get bored if your favourite team played every day.
Anyone who plays sport knows the intense feeling of pleasure during and after a strenuous sporting session. But those who play sport also know that taking subsequent breaks is equally as important to give the body time to regenerate. The same applies to gambling: Constant thrills are unhealthy. Tension should be followed by relaxation so you can detach yourself from the game again, allowing you to return from your time out to everyday life and build up healthy anticipation for your next game.
Gambling is literally about luck, but luck will sometimes simply refuse to materialise. This is when players start talking about a ‘losing streak’ and become firmly convinced that it must come to an end at some point, or that it can be brought to and end by employing special gaming strategies. This is a deceptive hope. Because chance knows neither the Law of Series nor does it take into account a player’s disappointment. Therefore, there is absolutely no point in raising the stakes or playing more recklessly. Frustration and defeat are poor guides to responsible gambling.
Those who gamble should have a clear head in order to maintain a realistic perspective of the game. Intoxication clouds reason and judgement. Decisions made in these states are often later regretted – and they cannot be undone. Therefore, you should be clear that excessive alcohol consumption, medication and drugs are not compatible with fun and responsible gambling.