By Samantha Williams
Taking a gamble is taking a risk, and although anti-gambling lobbyists act as though every single citizen in the known Universe is prone to problem gambling; this is quite simply not the truth. The truth is; that of all the millions of people who take a gamble world-wide, very low percentages have problems. There are higher incidences of problem gamblers with drink/drug problems, but then these people generally present with all kinds of addictive behaviors. Teenagers are vulnerable also – hence legal gambling ages of 18 years and above – depending on the country or the state, as in the US.
A gamble is a universal activity, something nearly everyone around the world likes to do if given the chance. For some, they enjoy testing their knowledge or predictive ability, for others it’s all about skill; but for the overwhelming majority, a gamble is just plain fun, with that added element of excitement – the possibility of winning! Generally the lower the gamble the longer the odds will be, with not a great chance of achieving EV. But sometimes – ever-so-seldom, a lucky players’ ship will come in, and this is why we call it a gamble.
The lottery is a prime example. Lotteries are established with apparently altruistic ideologies – the concept of allowing even the poor a chance of evening out the playing fields and catching onto a life-changing win. Lottery wagers are generally small and even governments such as Japan, which don’t allow casinos online or off, still allow various lottery activities; football pools and so on. Although the Japanese Government has recently been exploring the potential for casinos, both online an off!
No matter what anti-gamblers punt, we just want to have fun – Governments can disallow us from taking a gamble by law, but they will never put a stop to these games. History has proven time and again that people will always gamble; even if they have to take their games underground. The USA and online gambling is a prime example – it is disallowed through UIGEA, but there are also a ton of grey areas, and while estimates vary – it is believed as many as 15 million people in the US, play online poker, and that’s only one gambling game. It’s like something that is in everyone’s genetic make-up; just like being competitive in sports, or having blue eyes or brown skin.
One thing that needs to be acknowledged is that just as a person who has a glass of wine with their dinner is not an alcoholic – they want to unwind and relax. If another person wants to spend an hour online playing the new Star Trek slots game, this does not make them a problem gambler. It is not the alcohol or the game which causes problems – people cause the problems.
