Complete Guide to Gambling
It would be reasonable to assume that everyone has a basic understanding of gambling, as the main concept is pretty straightforward. Gambling in its purest form is the act of risking money on an uncertain outcome with the chance of winning money in return. However, there's more to it than that.
Gambling is actually a very broad subject. You could spend years studying it and still only learn a fraction of what there is to know. Hopefully that doesn't steer you away from gambling altogether, because although there might be a lot to learn, it's definitely worth it. That's precisely why we've put together this comprehensive guide to gambling and provided you with a ton of useful information and advice.
If you're a complete beginner, you'll find everything you need to know to get started. Or if you're already a seasoned gambler, there's still plenty of information that you might find useful. If you're interested in online gambling, then we've got you covered on that front too. We tell you the best places to bet and play online, and help you identify what sites are best for you.
For more details on everything we have to offer in this gambling guide, please continue reading down the page.
If you've never gambled before, or are relatively new to gambling, we suggest you take a look at the following article before anything else.
The GamblingSites.org FAQ answers a comprehensive range of commonly asked questions about gambling in general, online gambling, and this website.
Gambling is such an extensive subject, because it comes in many different forms. Rather than trying to cover all of these in a single guide, we've compiled separate guides for each of the main types.
The purpose of this guide is to teach you everything you could possibly want or need to know about gambling. That's quite a claim, given how extensive the subject is, but we're confident in our work. We're constantly improving and adding to the guide too, as we aim to make this the most comprehensive guide to gambling you'll find anywhere on the web.
Our primary focus is to make sure you enjoy yourself while gambling. We want to make sure that you gamble responsibly, but that you also give yourself the best possible chance of winning some money. Please be aware that we can't guarantee we'll help you win untold riches. There's certainly the potential to win money from gambling, but there's always some risk involved too.
In order to make it as easy as possible for you to find whatever information you might be looking for, we've divided this guide into several sections. Two of the most popular sections are our collection of articles on the basics of gambling, and our introduction to online gambling. There's more information about what these sections cover below, but if you want to jump straight to either one of them you can use the following links.
Find out if gambling is really worth the risk, and if it's the right pastime for you.
There are several different types of gambling, and we've explained all the main ones.
Online Gambling
A lot of the information you'll find on GamblingSites.org is about online gambling. This is because the internet is where we do most of our betting and gaming, and one of our goals is to help our readers have the best possible online gambling experience.
The basic principle of gambling, in all its forms, is largely the same regardless of whether you are gambling on the web or in any other environment. There are some key differences though, and there are certainly a few things you should know before you start gambling online. We cover these in the following articles.
An important part of helping our readers have the best possible online experience is by making sure they know where to do their betting and gaming. We do this by ranking the top gambling sites in various categories. Our rankings are based on a wide range of factors, and we only ever recommend sites that we have used ourselves and know to be reputable, safe, and trustworthy.
More Gambling Information
In the following sections of our guide we deal with a range of additional gambling related topics. Some of them are included because we thought you would find them interesting, while others cover information that you really need to know. Remember, we're always adding to our guide so please check back soon if you don't see anything here that grabs your attention right away.
Regional Gambling Laws & Regulation
The laws relating to gambling vary greatly around the world. In some regions, gambling in all its forms is completely legal and fully regulated. In others, gambling of any kind is explicitly illegal and punishable by law. In many regions, the laws are somewhere between these two extremes.
The fact that different countries have different gambling laws isn't really a problem by itself. What can be a problem, however, is the fact that in many countries the laws are very unclear. It can be difficult to know for sure what's legal and what isn't. This is especially true when it comes to online gambling.
The gambling legislation in some countries is very outdated, having been created long before the internet existed. This can make it difficult to interpret how certain laws relate to online betting and gaming. Online gambling also presents the issue of jurisdiction. If you are sitting in front of your computer in the United States, using a gambling site that is based in Costa Rica, which set of laws will apply to you?
All in all, the legalities of gambling are very confusing. That's why we've put together a guide to regional gambling laws and the relevant regulation that applies. It covers the legal state of gambling in regions all over the world, including a state by state analysis for the United States.
Online Gambling History
Online gambling may still seem like a relatively new phenomenon to many, but it's actually been around for nearly 20 years already. It has a fairly short history, but it's still important to learn it nonetheless. We've compiled a detailed history of online gambling, which includes histories of specific gambling sites and other companies within the gambling industry.
Biographies of People Involved in Gambling
In this section we've provided biographies on a wide range of people involved in the gambling world in some way. There's information on pioneers in the online gambling industry, casino tycoons, famous gamblers, professional poker players, gambling criminals, and many more. These biographies take you into the life of influential gambling legends of the past and present, making for a very interesting read.
Gambler's Fallacy
The gambler's fallacy has resulted in the downfall of many gamblers. It's the mistaken belief that random events are somehow affected by what has happened previously. Thinking in this way can be disastrous for a gambler. In this section we've explained why in detail and provided information on a number of popular progressive betting systems that are essentially based on the gambler's fallacy.
Gambling Math
You don't have to be a math expert to enjoy gambling, and you don't even need to fully understand the role that math plays. It's worth noting though, that math is involved in basically every single aspect of gambling. Understanding its role can give you a significant advantage over other gamblers, and it can even improve your overall chances of winning. If you're interested in finding out more, then we invite you to take a look at this section.
A Final Point
If we could only give you one piece of advice, then it would be to always be prepared to lose when gambling. Most gamblers win money here and there, but in the long run the majority of gamblers will be at a loss. This is why it's very important to only ever gamble with money you can afford to lose. If you're having fun and not spending money you need for other things, then losing it doesn't really matter. It's basically just spending money on a form of entertainment but it's very important to always gamble responsibly.
With that being said, it IS possible to be a long term winner from certain forms of gambling. There's no magic system that will guarantee consistent profits, but you can be successful if you are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn the necessary skills and strategies required. This guide will help you do just that.
Warning: Gambling Is Addictive
Gambling should be fun, but it can become a habit that is difficult to control. If you ever feel like you might be addicted to gambling you should stop immediately and seek help. The following article contains information on dealing with gambling addiction.