Gambling Becoming Popular
March 13, 2006
Gamblers no longer need to
trek to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to find the action
they crave for. It is now available today in their own
hometowns. Legalized gambling is one of the fastest
growing industries in the United States of America.
Gambling's tremendous
popularity is
evident in the recent increase in the number of
off-track-betting parlors and riverboat casinos that dot
the Midwest and the Mississippi Delta. Billboards on
major highways portray the action and excitement
available at such facilities. For most of the industry's
patrons, gambling is fun and a form of a harmless
entertainment. For four to six percent of gamblers who
become problem or compulsive gamblers, however, it can
be a devastating illness that negatively affects every
aspect of their lives.
What is the difference between casual social gambling
and compulsive gambling?
Gambling can be defined as a game of chance for stakes.
Gambling occurs in many forms, most commonly
pari-mutuels (horse and dog tracks, off-track-betting
parlors, Jai Alai), lotteries, casinos (slot machines,
table games), bookmaking (sports books and horse books),
card rooms, bingo and the stock market. Pathological
gambling is a progressive disease that devastates not
only the gambler but everyone with whom he or she has a
relationship. In 1980, the American Psychiatric
Association accepted pathological gambling as a disorder
of impulse control. It is an illness that is chronic and
progressive, but it can be diagnosed and treated.
Who is affected?
Current estimates suggest that three percent of the
adult population will experience a serious problem with
gambling that will result in significant debts, family
disruptions, job losses, criminal activity or suicidal
attempts. Pathological gambling affects the gamblers,
their families, their employers and the community and
everyone around. As the gamblers go through the phases
of their addiction, they spend less time with their
family and spend more of their family's money on
gambling until their bank accounts are exhausted. Then
they steal money from family members. At work, the
pathological gambler misuses time in order to gamble,
have difficulty concentrating and finishing projects and
may engage in embezzlement, employee theft or other
illegal activities. IIAR works with employers to offer a
comprehensive program of evaluation, treatment,
counseling and support for employees and their families.
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