{"id":3268,"date":"2020-03-18T15:34:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T15:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/?p=3268"},"modified":"2020-10-10T08:23:03","modified_gmt":"2020-10-10T08:23:03","slug":"gambling-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/gambling-articles\/gambling-addiction.php","title":{"rendered":"Gambling Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

The expansion of the gaming industry in the last two decades has captured the imagination of players from around the world.\u00a0 More and more jurisdictions are allowing for legal brick-and-mortar casinos in areas that did not previously allow gambling.\u00a0 State and national lotteries promise millions in winnings while creating a new funding source for governments.\u00a0 The advent of the internet has given rise to a wave of online casinos, poker rooms and sports books.<\/p>\n

As the growth in gambling outlets has grown, so has the problem of gambling addiction.\u00a0 With so many more avenues for players to access their favorite games, as well as ways for them to fulfill their dreams of winning big jackpots, the fun and excitement of gaming quickly becomes an obsession with chasing losses.\u00a0 Problem gamblers will often deplete their savings, sell their belongings and exceed their credit limits, all in pursuit of the \u201chigh\u201d that comes with winning.<\/p>\n

Gambling Addiction Symptoms<\/em><\/strong>
\nMillions of players, both in casinos and online, enjoy the experience of playing their favorite games, win or lose.\u00a0 However, many others purse gambling as a compulsion, rather than as entertainment.\u00a0 Problem gamblers will play regardless of the time, expense or logistics involved, as long as the play satisfies their insatiable craving.\u00a0 Some symptoms of gambling addiction include:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Lack of control.<\/em>\u00a0 Problem gamblers play until their funds are depleted
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Keeping secrets.<\/em>\u00a0 Problem gamblers often hide their gambling activities from friends, family and co-workers.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Desperate for money.<\/em>\u00a0 Problem gamblers will sell belongings or ask close friends for more money to fuel their addiction.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Increasing debt.<\/em>\u00a0 Problem gamblers go into debt with friends, increase their credit card spending, or borrow money from illicit sources to continue playing.<\/p>\n

Gambling Addiction Statistics<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe statistics surrounding problem gamblers are both disturbing and frightening.\u00a0 Poverty, debt, crime, divorce and suicide are other issues that often follow in the wake of the problem gambler.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Poverty<\/em>.\u00a0 Most players who take part in state or national lotteries have incomes below the national poverty level.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Debt<\/em>.\u00a0 Male problem gamblers in the US have an average debt of $75,000, most of which comes from high-interest credit cards.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Crime<\/em>.\u00a0 Nearly two-thirds of all problem gamblers commit crimes \u2013 including robbery, burglary and assault \u2013 to fund their gambling addiction
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Divorce<\/em>. The divorce rate among problem gamblers is more than double that of non-gamblers.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Suicide<\/em>.\u00a0 Half of all problem gamblers consider suicide; twenty percent of problem gamblers attempt suicide.<\/p>\n

Gambling Addiction Among Young People<\/em><\/strong>
\nWith the spread of internet gaming sites and the growing popularity of online poker, the prevalence of problem gambling among youngsters is a growing concern.\u00a0 On average, young people use and understand the internet more than their parents, thus they frequently access online gaming sites.\u00a0 They may use their parents\u2019 credit cards \u2013 often without their parents\u2019 knowledge or permission \u2013 to start an online gaming account.<\/p>\n

From 2001 to 2005, according to research study conducted by Family First Aid, the use of internet gambling sites by high school and college-age youngsters increased sevenfold.\u00a0 Psychologists and other experts cite the youngsters\u2019 familiarity with video games and the technology that allows the online gaming sites to translate the traditional casino experience into a video-game format.<\/p>\n

How to Determine if You are a Gambling Addict<\/strong><\/em>
\nGamblers Anonymous, the support group designed to help problem gamblers, has designed a questionnaire for players to determine if they are problem gamblers.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
\n2.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
\n3.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did gambling affect your reputation?
\n4.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
\n5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Did you ever gamble to get money to pay debts or solve financial difficulties?
\n6.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
\n7.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0After losing, were you compelled to win back your losses immediately?
\n8.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
\n9.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
\n10.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
\n11.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
\n12.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
\n13.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
\n14.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
\n15.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
\n16.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have you ever done or considered doing something illegal in order to finance gambling?
\n17.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
\n18.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations make you want to gamble?
\n19.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Did you ever have the urge to celebrate any good fortune by gambling?
\n20.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have you ever considered suicide as a result of your gambling?<\/p>\n

If you have answered \u201cYes\u201d to seven or more of these questions, you may want to consider getting help for your gambling problem.<\/p>\n

How to Get Help for a Gambling Addict<\/strong><\/em>
\nAlong with the growth in the gambling industry, the avenues for problem gamblers to get help with their addictions have also expanded.\u00a0 The most established source for help is Gamblers Anonymous.<\/p>\n

Gamblers Anonymous is a twelve-step program, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, where problem gamblers can get help from other people who have faced the same problem.\u00a0 GA is also one of the most successful recovery programs for problem gamblers.<\/p>\n

Psychotherapy is also a useful tool to help problem gamblers deal with their addiction.\u00a0 Cognitive behavioral therapy can help the patient deal with the underlying issues behind the gambling addiction in an effort to stave off the cravings for action.<\/p>\n

If you feel that you may have a gambling problem, you can visit the Gamblers Anonymous web site at\u00a0www.gamblersanonymous.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The expansion of the gaming industry in the last two decades has captured the imagination of players from around the world.\u00a0 More and more jurisdictions are allowing for legal brick-and-mortar casinos in areas that did not previously allow gambling.\u00a0 State and national lotteries promise millions in winnings while creating a new funding source for governments.\u00a0 … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":3268},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3268"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamblingcity.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}