Mental Health is Essential for Responsible Play
Published: August 11, 2025
Gambling is primarily a game of the mind, whether you’re gambling in a casino or betting on sports through an app. Taking care of your mental health is thus an essential strategy for ensuring you keep to your limits and recognize the inherent risks. In honor of National Wellness Month, let’s examine several unexpected ways you can prioritize your mental health and spread wellness to others.
Stay In The Moment: Getting into a routine often helps us turn off our brains and concentrate on other things. But allowing gambling to become part of your routine, or tuning out while you gamble, can result in greater risk. Whatever you do, try to stay in the moment. Life’s more fun when you’re there to really experience it.
Take Time For Yourself: Our lives can often get busy. Responsibilities, jobs, and family can put demands on our time and attention. But taking time for yourself is a necessity. By making time to enjoy hobbies and activities other than gambling, you’ll be making space to breathe and unwind, rather than adding additional stress.
…And For Others: We all need support. Whether it’s from family members, friends, a community organization, or a stranger willing to give you a bit of their time, having support — and offering support to others — helps us lessen our stress levels and build up the people around us. If gambling is taking you away from spending time with others, try seeking out support.
Know Your Limits: One key to responsible gambling or sports betting is knowing your limits. But that principle applies to your mental health too. Recognizing when you might be approaching your own mental limits is key to preventing stress. If you know your limits, you can stick to them better, which helps improve your mental health.
Get Outside: Outdoor time is essential to your mental health. As summer weather turns to fall, make sure to take a break from any screens and your day to day, including gambling and betting, to enjoy the great outdoors. Even a few minutes a day will improve your mood.
Is gambling making you feel bad, or impacting someone you know? Don’t hesitate to call the free and confidential Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or text 4HOPE to 741741. Trained and understanding specialists are ready to take your call 24/7. Additionally, the Ohio Gambling Telehealth Network now offers virtual telehealth services at no cost.