Friday, March 5, 2010

Gambling : Serious Addiction

By Jacob Ross

Gambling has an addictive effect on the people who play it. Studies show that though many people participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behavior which involves variation in brain chemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behavior in some people. Reinforcement schedules may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after repeated losses.

Gambling is betting money on any game or event. It exists in a variety of forms, from nickel-and-dime poker to state-sponsored lotteries. Different forms of gambling are legal in different parts of the United States and many other parts of the world like Macau and Suncity.

The argument goes like gambling is immoral and illegal but on the other side you would see so many people, both young and old falling prey to this addiction called gambling.

If gambling is an addiction and it is bad then you and me have to find ways and means to finish it off from the bottom. But what we see today is legitimization of gambling not only in the US, but all over the world. The City of Las Vegas is seen as a role model for business and entertainment purposes.

Very few people all over the world are good at gambling. This makes them heroes to all other gamblers who want to emulate them and imitate them. It is an addiction which destroys homes, makes people go bankrupt destroying homes and families and rendering people jobless.

For a gambling addict, the game or bet is his dope. If people want to gamble privately, it should not be thought of as some kind of addiction and has to be stopped but there should be heavy taxes and restrictions on gambling-related businesses to protect the public from harm, something that generally doesn't happen.

Defining what gambling addiction is and where it comes from is a point of conflict for psychologists and behavioural scientists. Some of them think that it's a symptom of some other pathological or neurotic behaviour. Others think Lady Luck takes on the importance of a mother figure for a gambling addict.

The severity of a gambling problem can range anywhere from the occasional missed utility bill to a life-threatening relationship with bookmakers and organized crime.

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