Pathological Gambling on the Rise and Wreaking Havoc
A night at the casino….most people wouldn’t consider this a problem. But what happens when you don’t even have to open your front door to open your wallet? Thanks to the Internet and credit cards, we can now play poker with someone in Taiwan that we have never even met. Technology and sheer availability of the “sport” have drawn attention to the once taboo recreational activity, making an impact on our society in a big way.
Pathological gambling, or compulsive gambling, is actually defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental health disorder because of its obsessive nature. It begins to interfere with everyday life as gamblers may play to pay financial debts, seek gambling as a means of escape, steal to support their habit, and lie to their loved ones about its severity. It is estimated that as many as 4 million Americans suffer from pathological gambling, and that number is growing.
Don’t expect this problem to go away anytime soon. In the past 50 years, profits from legalized gambling have climbed to a staggering $35 billion. Within just the past 30 years we’ve seen 680 casinos spread across 35 states. Almost 75% of states now have lotteries, and Internet gambling has nearly doubled every year since 1997 with profits in excess of $2 billion.
University of Arizona sociologist Jeff Sallaz puts it this way: Americans are spending more on legalized gambling than they are spending on movies, music and video games combined. Is it any wonder then why local governments are promoting gambling as a means to generate revenue? Purchasing a lottery ticket is viewed as helping the state’s educational fund.
Some attribute the growth to the domino effect—as more states legalize gambling, the more mainstream and commonplace it becomes. Gambling has also been popularized by the media and is no longer confined to the likes of Las Vegas. Aside from the Internet, it can be found at sporting events, local convenience stores, and on TV. Not surprisingly, compulsive gamblers are especially susceptible to this newfound availability publicized by the media.
Equally disturbing is the way the gambling industry targets the youth of America. Adolescents experience at-risk gambling behaviors at twice the rate of adults. Compulsive gambling also directly correlates with higher rates of suicide, divorce and criminal activity. Is this the bleak picture we have to look forward to?
According to author and therapist Dr. Gregory Jantz, there is hope. For the pathological gambler, he recommends avoiding the source of temptation, giving up control of one’s finances for a period of time, and examining the underlying cause of the addiction—usually a form of escapism. He also suggests these gamblers join an accountability group. One can’t help but think that governments and entrepreneurs cashing in on their demise might want to consider joining, too.
