Pathological Gambling
Gamblers no longer need to
trek to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to find the action
they crave. They get at their door steps. Legalized
gambling is one of the fastest growing industries in the
United States. For most of the industry's patrons,
gambling is fun and a form of harmless entertainment.
For the four to six percent of gamblers who become
problem or pathological 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 pathological gambling?
Gambling can be defined as playing a game of chance for
stakes. Gambling occurs in many forms, most commonly
pari-mutuels, lotteries, casinos, bookmaking, 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
significant relationship. Current estimates suggest that
three percent of the adult population will experience a
serious problem with gambling that will result in
significant debt, family disruption, job losses,
criminal activity or suicide.
Pathological
gambling affects the gamblers, their families, their
employers and the community. 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 depleted. Then
they may steal money from family members.
The Custer Three Phase Model
Robert L. Custer, M.D., identified the progression of
gambling addiction as including three phases, namely,
the winning phase, the losing phase and the desperation
phase. During the winning phase, gamblers experience a
big win, or a series of wins, that leaves them with
unreasonable optimism that their winning will continue.
This leads them to feel great excitement when gambling,
and they begin increasing the amounts of their bets.
During the losing phase, the gamblers often begin
bragging about wins they have had, start gambling alone,
think more about gambling and borrow money, legally or
illegally. They start lying to family and friends and
become more irritable, restless and withdrawn. Their
home life becomes unhappy, and they are unable to pay
off debts. The gamblers begin to "chase" their losses,
believing they must return as soon as possible to win
back their losses. During the desperation phase, there
is a marked increase in the time spent gambling. This is
accompanied by remorse, blaming others and alienating
family and friends. Eventually, the gamblers may engage
in illegal acts to finance their gambling. They may
experience hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and attempts,
arrests, divorce, alcohol and/or other drug abuse, or an
emotional breakdown.
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