Stay in control

Our subject is hotels, and encouraging people to gamble has no place in it. Each resort here earns its place without a single visit to the gaming floor. For readers who still choose to play, the habits below keep things in proportion.

• Find out the minimum gambling age for the place you are visiting before anything else; rules differ, and casinos ask for ID.
• Settle on a sum you can part with happily, and lock everything else, cards included, in the room safe.
• Set an end time on your phone and get up from the floor every so often.
• Count any loss as money already spent on the evening; never chase it, and never borrow to stay in.
• Skip the casino on nights when you are exhausted, low or have been drinking.

Watch for these: going past your own limit, being cagey with family or friends about time spent playing, and feeling on edge when there is no chance to play. Together they suggest gambling may be slipping out of hand. Many casinos let a guest ban themselves from the floor on request, so ask at reception how it is arranged.

• Gambling Therapy, gamblingtherapy.org: free online help with live chat in many languages, open worldwide.
• Gamblers Anonymous, gamblersanonymous.org: local meetings in many countries where members share what worked for them.
• Gam-Anon, gam-anon.org: support for anyone whose partner, parent, child or friend gambles.
• Your local helpline: look up the national gambling helpline where you live, or ask a doctor or community clinic for it; most are free and confidential.