A notebook for sessions: the columns I would keep again

I started keeping a casino diary after realising I could not say, with any honesty, what the hobby cost me per month. A few weeks of notes answered that, and the layout I settled on is easy to copy.

The columns

Use a simple table, paper or spreadsheet. Mine has seven columns: date, start time, game, stake level, money in, money out, and minutes played. An eighth, labelled "why I stopped", turned out to be the most revealing.

What the entries showed me

After a month I added the totals. Eleven sessions, about eight hours, £240 in and £165 out. Net cost £75, or just under £10 an hour. That is a sensible price for entertainment, comparable to a pub evening, and it matched my intended budget. Without the diary I would have guessed a lower figure.

Reasons for stopping

- Timer ended: fine - Budget reached: fine - Bored: fine - Chasing a loss: warning - Tired or irritated: warning

Counting the warnings was more helpful than counting the money. Three sessions ended for reasons I did not like, and two of them were late at night.

Keeping it honest

Write the entry directly after the session, not the next day. Record deposits as well as withdrawals, including small top-ups. Compare your totals with the site's own history page each month. Anyone using Betpanda or a similar platform can export or screenshot the transaction list for this.

A sample week

To show how little it takes, here is a typical week from my notebook. Tuesday, thirty-five minutes of roulette at £2 a spin, in £30, out £22, stopped because the timer rang. Thursday, twenty minutes of slots, in £20, out £0, stopped because the budget was reached. Saturday, forty minutes of blackjack, in £30, out £41, stopped because I was bored. Three lines, ninety-five minutes, and a net cost of £17 for the week. Reading it back, the Thursday session was the only one that felt rushed, so I now start slot sessions with a smaller stake.

Using the data

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Set a monthly line in advance and check whether you stayed under it. If you did not, reduce the limits. If the figures cause worry, pause play and consider speaking to a support service for gambling concerns.

A diary does not make the games better, but it makes your behaviour visible. Only adults of legal age should play.