Splinterlands; A Gamble, an investment, or just a game?

I recently wrote a post entitled “[Gambled on land and lost: A cautionary tale]”. It was a somewhat misleading title (as they so often are) to entice my fellow Splinterlands players to read my post.

To some extent it worked, people did read my post, commented and had thoughts and feelings about it. But the comments and further conversations that I received, after I shared the post on discord and talked with friends, lead me to think more deeply about gambling, investing and how we can support one another.

This post will cover a number of thoughts, feelings and questions relating to this play to earn space that we find ourselves in and I’d really like to hear more from you. So please comment, let me know what you think and let’s see how we can best help one another.

A recap:

So in my last post I wrote about how I got greedy, how I was full of FOMO and how I made a very silly mistake.

I owned a couple of Splinterlands land plots, I sold them to get some Hive that I wanted for the Ragnarok airdrop, I gambled the Hive at Hive Slot Games to try and get more but instead lost the lot.

I felt like an idiot, I had a moan about it and wrote a post to tell you all what an idiot i am. And many of you agreed with me :)

A bit about me:

I’ve struggled with gambling for most of my adult life. In the main I keep control of it but sometimes I have slips and make mistakes.

In my past I have worked a lot with addicts, mainly drug and alcohol, I have a degree in Psychology, a second one in Therapeutic Interventions for Addictions, and have CBT and counselling qualifications. I feel as though I have good understanding, knowledge and experience of addiction although I no longer work in the field nor claim to be an expert of any sort. I do however retain an interest in the subject and understand the damage that addictions can cause.
Sadly, none of this means that I’m immune from addictions. For me, I suspect, gambling will be a lifelong challenge but I’m accepting of that.

Anyway, that’s enough about me. What I’m really interested in is having a discussion with you about gambling, investing and play to earn.

Let’s start with the easy bits:

Hive Slot Gaming is 100% a gambling site. Since writing my last post I have been in touch with them and we are talking about how they might introduce safer gambling tools to their site.

Marcin’s response to my request for safer gambling tools seemed reasonable-ish (at least he got in touch). He told me that they are looking at ways to be able to exclude specific Hive accounts and that they are looking at writing a series of posts to draw players' attention to responsible gambling. In my mind, this would be a step in the right direction but for me a lot more needs to be done.

Not being a blockchain developer I have no idea how easy or difficult it would be to develop safer gambling tools similar to other online casinos but I’d love to see them introduce:

Deposit limits
Time outs
Age verification
Exclusions
Loss limits
And more

When I shared my experience on discord @SDelta rightly pointed out that exclusions wouldn’t work because players could very easily just open a new account.

And @Alienboy stated “It can't be said often or loud enough, ALL gambling is a con!”

Perhaps that is right and all gambling is a con? But then what is the difference between gambling on a game like blackjack, where the odds are not in your favour but it’s very clear what they are, and investing in the stock market, crypto, or even Splinterlands where the odds are unknown?

Let’s look into that a bit more. Casinos are a known risk and in the fullness of time, they will win and you will lose. Standard casinos have to be regulated so that the house advantage is regulated, so your funds are secure, and so that they will pay out if you do actually win. They also have to put safer gambling tools in place (in the UK at least).

But what about “investing” in crypto projects?

For many of the newer Splinterlands players they will currently be underwater with their investments.

If you view this just as a game, and that you are only paying for your entertainment then this probably isn’t an issue.

But if you have gone in deep with the hope or expectation that this would generate you income or make you rich then how do you currently feel?

I’d be interested to hear if you think that Splinterlands is meeting your expectations or if you feel as though you've been mis-sold something.

Personally I love playing Splinterlands and am happy with the level of investment that I’ve made. I think in time it will come good and I will see great gains whilst also having fun playing.

But I am mindful that I want this to be true. And those sorts of feelings can blinker you to the reality of a situation.

There are those that believe this sort of game is a pyramid scheme. That only the early players can benefit and make money. Does this ring true for you? And if you’ve been in the game longer, and have done well out of it, what is your view? Do you feel as though you are benefiting from new players and new money coming into the game or is that just the nature of the game?

I’d really like to hear from new and experienced players alike.

And my final question, for now at least, is

“should we do more to point out the risks to newer players or is it on them to do full research?”

I’m going to post below the conversational thread that I had on discord because I think there is some more useful and interesting information in it (though quite a lot of it wasn’t much fun to read for me).

I don’t know how much can really be done to help protect people, or if we even should, however I do know that some people have a terrible time when they get into bad debt and I’m happy to chat with anyone that wants to chat.

I’ll also add some links here to professional organisations that can help if you’re struggling. Please feel free to add others in the comments especially as I’m only adding UK based support.

https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
https://capuk.org/
https://www.samaritans.org/
https://www.gamblingtherapy.org/
https://www.gamblock.com/

Discord chat

Me and land did not have a good week this week 😫
https://www.splintertalk.io/@supersamio/gambled-on-land-and-lost-a-cautionary-tale
Gambled on land and lost: A cautionary tale
I feel like a complete idiot and am beyond frustrated with myself. I’ve been playing @splinterlands since August now and have been thoroughly enjoying the game. It was my first…

@nameless_112 — Yesterday at 22:40
jesus dude thats awful...

@Deathpsycho — Yesterday at 22:53
how much did a plot cost in advance sale?

@SuperSamio — Yesterday at 22:57
It's pretty crappy. I spent about $800 on land and then fucked it up. Oops.
If you'd be happy / willing to reblog the post that would be awesome. Would love a response from Hive Slot Games but so far nothing.

@Deathpsycho — Yesterday at 23:04
that was not my question

@SuperSamio — Yesterday at 23:10
I think it was $10 or $15 ?

@Deathpsycho — Yesterday at 23:11
omg
ty

@zolajade | Golden Girl — Yesterday at 23:16
Well, I think the subtitle is misleading. You didn’t “gamble on land”, you gambled on games of chance

@Deathpsycho — Yesterday at 23:17
to me it sounds like mimimi i made a mistake i gambled away money with you please mom give me my stuff back
😇

@SuperSamio — Yesterday at 23:25
Ha, well I hoped people might read it. I wasn't sure how well the title I gambled and lost would have worked but perhaps it would have been better? And I'm not looking for anyone to give me my stuff back 😆 if only it worked like that. I'd be moaning constantly. If I had won I'd have been delighted to have taken my winnings but ultimately I never do win because I don't know when to stop - I hoped that was clear in the post. Thanks for reading it anyway 👍

@Deathpsycho — Yesterday at 23:27
zolajade | Golden Girl — Yesterday at 23:51
You might want to check out a 12 step program

@SuperSamio — Today at 00:05
Or just make better decisions. Normally does the job

@lightproject — Today at 00:36
and i thought i was a degen 🙀

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 00:37
? you can lose when gambling. What response are you expecting?

@lightproject — Today at 00:37
gambling is an illness should not be taken lightly
oh well this is a crypto related channel, everybody should know a bit about that

@Makakka — Today at 03:18
Exactly. The loss is not the gambling bc you learned a lesson the loss is you couldn’t reload. For example in 2019 when eth was sub 200 I fell victim to a scam losing a decent chunk of my eth stack about 20 eth. I reloaded 40 eth turning it into a win up to 4K. Still holding it. I learned a lesson and had a win.

Another example is I advised a friend of mine, a crypto noob, to invest his savings into the recent mcrt ido. He did but into the wrong wallet not only losing his investment but also a 15x in 6 days. He couldn’t reload all his savings were gone. The damage was not that he txed into the wrong wallet bc he learned a lesson. The damage was that he couldn’t reload.
Still time to pick up land so reload

@Alienboy — Today at 05:56
It can't be said often or loud enough, ALL gambling is a con!

@SDelta — Today at 09:33
It´s their business model to get you addicted while playing at an disadvantage, what would you expect if they come back to you?

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:34
I wasn't expecting a response as such. I would love for the owners of Hive Slot Games to consider adding some safer gambling tools to their site but I guess no one can make them and I'm sure they'll make more money without them.

@SDelta — Today at 09:37
you have online casinos which are full of shit but at least need to be registered somewhere and need some kind of customer protection

Hive Slot games is not a registered company, could be a 15 year old in his mothers basement. Of course there is no gambling control tool on their side. The entire point of crypto is decentralization and putting decision power back in your hand. Comes with a lot of advantages but you can´t expect to be protected from your own decisions
same reason why scams are not really possible to get undone
most times you get scammed because you made a bad decision and gave your login details to a scammy site

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:38
Sure. I understand that point. But safer gambling tools often work in the casinos favour as people can then manage their limits more effectively and will gamble for longer.

@SDelta — Today at 09:39
pretty sure they make good money and don´t need to pay taxes or anything so why fuck around with safer gambling tools
on another point, I think it takes courage to speak openly about fuckups like you did

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:40
Maybe just to build a better reputation and to seem more legit? They can of course do what they want but it won't take long for a better alternative to join the space and they will seem crappy if they don't try and compete. Business is business after all

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:41
Thank you. I very much appreciate that and it wasn't easy. I do feel like an idiot for doing it. Especially when I've been there so many times before but have avoided it for quite some time now

@SDelta — Today at 09:42
you are an idiot

question is if you want to stay one and if not what your actions are to fight being an idiot
if you want a helpful tip
try to view yourself as an alcoholic
visit a meeting for alcoholics and everytime somebody says "alcocol" exchange it for "gamble" or "poker"

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:43
by safer gambling tools, do you mean warnings or something people just scroll past?

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:43
I don't need to add that to my problems as well 😆

@SDelta — Today at 09:43
this will show you where you might end in 10 years if you take no action or it will show you ways out of it

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:43
when has warnings ever stopped people ? really.

@SDelta — Today at 09:43
also it will show you that there are people way, way deeper in shit then you are 😄

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:44
I mean being able to set deposit limits, time outs, banning your self from sites etc. A warning notice isn't much use

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:44
can't you configure parental controls on yourself for the same?

@SDelta — Today at 09:44
As you can just open new hive accounts for free this would have litteraly zero effect on hardcore gamblers

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:44
of course it takes self-restraint to do that. Lol.

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:44
True.

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:44
you can lock yourself out of your computer if you're dedicated enough.

@SDelta — Today at 09:45
Freedom and Focusme are great tools for that, I use them daily

https://focusme.com/
FocusMe
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FocusMe™ – Official | The Best Website Blocker & Focus App
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@SuperSamio — Today at 09:45
Ha, I do appreciate all of the advice. 😆

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:45
FWIW I did gamble on hive, quickly learned odds weren't as advertised and never looked back.
when stuff say 95% but you only get 75% that's a huge difference.

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:46
I've not seen that but will take a look. That actually looks useful. TY

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:46
I certainly didn't win 95% of the time
I thought I could beat the odds by doubling up.
odds were faulty, and lost about 5 hive I think fooling around with it.
better off gambling on pancakeswap, stuff you can "see."
or the stock market really

@SDelta — Today at 09:47
I used it to lock me out of my trading software after market close and that really helped

Most people rely on willpower to get shit done but willpower is a ressource that gets used up during the day

the more stuff you can automate and the more stuff you can put out of question, the more you can use your willpower for the really important questions

same principle as when you want to stop eating sweets you should just stop buying it and put alternatives in an easy to reach space

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:48
I've actually worked with a lot of addicts in the past. I know how to break the cycles etc but knowing and doing are always very different. At the end of the day I made a mistake that I won't make again. I just thought it was worth sharing my story as a lot of people struggle with this sort of thing

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:49
reminds me of "I'm an expert on quitting smoking because I've done it nine times already."

@SDelta — Today at 09:49
you already said you have been at that place several times in your life

probably said "I won´t do it again" a few times already

If you say it again now you are once more relying on willpower .. and you will fail very likely

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:49
That's really useful to read. Thanks, I will try that out.

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:49
Agreed.
And what's worst is that I still think that I enjoy gambling. And when I have big wins I really do.
But when it goes to shit it sucks.
I guess I'm just having a little cry about it 😆

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:51
just gamble in the stock market, at least then the odds are on your side.
or as some addicts call it "buy the dip."

@Supersamio— Today at 09:52
Yeah no one ever lost on the stock market

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 09:52
it's not that people don't lose, but if you HODL index for 20 years, no one has lost.... (in US, I believe.)

@Great_Attractor — Today at 09:54
Bro in your post comments you mention "gambling gene" How the f do you expect to change when you think like that? It's not a gene take responsibility for every decision
That will help you more down the road

@SDelta — Today at 09:54
you´re gambling every second of your life, of course you enjoy it.

you are gambling on the fact that you will still be alive tomorrow, otherwise you wouldn´t waste your time here with me right now

gambling is an important part of human nature, it´s not your problem. Your problem is a missmatch between your results and your expectations

If you start gambling in a casino with the last great profit in mind and craving for the dopamine that will give you, then a loss will fuck you up and you will keep putting more money inside

if you start gambling in a casino with the last loss in mind and the desire to never get that feeling again, then a loss will make you realize it´s better to stop now then later

@Great_Attractor — Today at 09:54
This is like eating all day and saying I got a bad metabolism
Not trying to hate but you need to hear this IMO, you need people in your life to tell you this and stop padding you in the back
If you know the steps to stop it takes action now, because saying I won't do it again won't do anything for you bro, change comes because we want it and take steps not by talking about it.

@SuperSamio — Today at 09:59
I've enjoyed the chat guys. Ty. I take full responsibility for my actions and don't have anyone padding me on the back (what ever that means). Sometimes things get miss interpreted in text when you can't see expressions and hear tone etc. But I can tell you that I'm not in a bad place, I can cope with my decisions and change absolutely comes from talking about it.

@SDelta — Today at 10:00
on that point of Attractor, I highly disbelief that you know how to stop your addiction, otherwise that plot fuckup would not have happend

you´re just behind a safewall of theoretical knowlege that makes you feel like you are in control while in reality you don´t know how to stop, otherwise you would have stopped long ago

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:00
Shame all of this isn't on my blog post

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:00
just like how I'll stop procrastinating on stuff lol....... and I really waste too much time on various Discords.
eventually time runs out and hopefully consequences aren't too dire.

@SDelta — Today at 10:01
feel free to do a new post and reflect on the past conversation here, might be helpful in your personal development

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:02
I disagree. I think your earlier points were much more on the mark for me. I like gambling. We take risks every day and it's about managing expectations. As I said somewhere else, I'd have been very happy to take the money if I'd won.

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:02
I might well do. There has been some good stuff and it's a topic that people clearly have interest in

@Great_Attractor — Today at 10:02
Wish you the best nonetheless not trying to be a dick, but you need someone to tell you this instead of telling your its ok and bs like that.

@SDelta — Today at 10:03
fair enough, I hope at least one or two points of mine made it across

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:03
I love winning too, but then you realize you can't magically beat the odds... the best you can do is manage them in way so that it's on your side

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:04
I don't think you're a dick. You're entitled to your opinion and I wouldn't have posted if I wasn't up for conversation and challenges

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:04
Wonder if this can be an effective gambling algorithm 50-50 odds, 1 x (if lose) double. If win, start at 1.
logically speaking, it'll reset at some point cause multiple consecutive losses are so unlikely.

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:05
It's called the Martyngale principle I think? Generally it's fine if there are no house limits and you have unlimited resources and time

@SDelta — Today at 10:05
that´s called martingale
works very well in trading, blackjack .. anything basically

it just stops working when your bankroll hits it limit

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:06
yeeeeep
I think gambling sites have bad luck protection too
so that tempers it.
Or rather RNG isn't really random

@SDelta — Today at 10:07
problem about martingale really is that it works 100% of the time until it stops working

a trading strategy I developed gives you roughly 10$ profit per trade 99.9% at the time, but that 0.1% takes away your entire bankroll

@SuperSamio — Today at 10:07
Well if you guys want to flow me on splintertalk (however that works) then I will try and get a new post up in the next couple of days. There has been some really interesting stuff here and some new tools for me to try. TY

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:07
hah
I'll just play with options, it's the only mathematically winning strategy that I found.
although trading on hive allows you to buy stuff like 40% below market price, so can't really go wrong ther.e

@SDelta — Today at 10:08
Martingale basically means you double down, so at some point your entire bankroll is at risk.. and no matter how safe a profit is you get with martingale, the risk of a 100% loss every time, even if it´s just a 0.0001% just makes it as risky as every other approach

@Wildebunny the Eternal — Today at 10:09
Yep