For many people, gambling is fun and harmless, but it can become a big problem. This kind of compulsive behavior is often called “problem gambling.” An addiction to gambling is a progressive addiction that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions. It is classified as an impulse control disorder. Problem gambling is harmful to physical and psychological health. People living with this addiction may suffer from depression, migraine, distress, bowel problems, and other anxiety-related issues. As with other addictions, the outcome of gambling can lead to feelings of discouragement and helplessness.

In some cases, this can lead to suicide attempts. The rate of gambling problems has increased worldwide in recent years. Due to its harmful consequences, gambling addiction has become a major public health problem in many countries.

Gambling is not a financial issue, but an emotional problem that has financial consequences. This also affects the way the person with the disease is connected with his family and friends. For example, they may miss important family events or lose their jobs. Anyone affected by gambling can ask, “Can I stop if I want to stop?” If the answer is “no I can’t,” it is important to ask for help. This article contain a very useful information that will help you with gambling addiction like reasons for gambling, the common signs of gambling addiction, Stages of the gambling addiction, tips how to avoid addiction, preventive measures, gambling sites’ responsibility, underage gambling and how to protect children, where to get help with gambling addiction, etc.

MAIN REASONS OF GAMBLING ADDICTION

What makes someone gamble is not well understood. Like many problems, problem gambling can result from a combination of biological, genetic, and environmental factors.

Biological Reason

The biological causes of gambling addiction encompass each person’s unique physiology and genetics. First, people differ in the extent to which they enjoy playing as a form of entertainment. Some people can enjoy this form of entertainment so much that it becomes very tempting and difficult to resist. Other people would not experience similar difficulty. This is because they do not participate in the same degree of pleasure. Likewise, the ability to moderate impulsive desires with rational thinking is a brain function that varies between people. Some people may have a reduced ability to resist certain types of impulses. Thus, these people were more at risk of developing an addiction because of their genetic vulnerability.

Interestingly, the normal functioning of the human brain and chemistry brain makes people vulnerable to addiction. Healthy chemistry and brain function motivate us to repeat pleasant behaviors. From an anthropological point of view, this function guaranteed that we adopted behaviors that guaranteed our survival, such as eating and having sex. Unfortunately, it also makes humans vulnerable to developing addictions that are harmful to enjoyable activities.

Availability Of Online And Offline Gaming Opportunities

Internet gambling ( a term widely interchangeable with interactive distance and online games) refers to the variety of betting and gaming activities offered by Internet-enabled devices, including computers, mobile and smartphones, tablets, and digital TV. This is also consistent with the theory that the Internet is not inherently addictive, but that individual variables interact with gambling behavior to determine the level of involvement and subsequent problems. Therefore, a simplified dichotomy between Internet games and offline games is insufficient to conceptualize the relationship between Internet gambling and related problems. This mode of play, facilitated by technological progress, greater availability of the Internet, and the possession of Internet-compatible devices, is not a separate type of gaming activity.

On the contrary, it is a mode of access distinct from personal gaming on land or from land sales outlets and telephone bets. As such, it is a largely automated activity that can be done privately, anytime, anywhere, using broadband internet connections, allowing quick bets and notification the results. The possibility of playing big bets, continuous games, quick feedback, and instant and easy access to a large number of betting options has raised fears that gambling on the Internet may contribute to excessive gambling.

Personality

Psychology also helps to understand the many causes of gambling addiction. Psychological research has helped to understand why people repeat certain activities, even when the repetition of these activities has harmful consequences. Indeed, people learn to anticipate certain benefits of drug addiction, even if they are harmful. These benefits may include:

  1. Reduction of stress.
  2. Boredom relief.
  3. Pleasant sensations.
  4. Coping with negative feelings or situations.
  5. It implies the advantage of avoiding withdrawal symptoms.

People have different skills and abilities to deal with unpleasant emotions or circumstances. When people have poor coping skills, they are more vulnerable to gambling addiction. Many addicts do not have enough coping tools in their toolboxes. They rely too much on what they have – their addiction. Drug addiction offers a temporary but ultimately ineffective way of dealing with life’s problems. Likewise, people have different degrees of stress and different skills to reduce stress. People with high stress, who lack the skills to reduce stress, are also more vulnerable to addiction.

COMMON SIGNS OF GAMBLING ADDICTION

The signs and symptoms of problem gambling (a disorder of the game) include:

Unlike most casual gamblers who stop when they lose or set a loss limit, people with problem gambling are forced to keep playing to get their money back, a pattern that is becoming increasingly destructive with time. Some people with a gambling problem may have a remission when they play less or not for some time. However, without treatment, remission is usually not permanent.

STAGES OF GAMBLING ADDICTION

Gambling addiction does not happen overnight. The rate of progression varies considerably, and certain types of gamblers (especially those who play “skill” games of chance) may gamble for years, even decades, before becoming pathological in their addiction. Other players, especially those who play to escape or who play games such as slot machines or video poker terminals, can progress much faster.

TIPS TO AVOID GAMBLING ADDICTION

Are you nervous, sick, and distressed when you are not playing? You must change your gambling habits immediately. Otherwise, you may become addicted to gambling. Some tips to avoid playing and what else can you do:

PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO TAKE TO AVOID BECOMING GAMBLING ADDICT

Players who do not feel addicted to the game should introduce voluntary exclusion periods. However, in serious cases of gambling, players should follow the advice of special organizations such as Gamblers Anonymous or GamCare. However, it is important to prevent rather than cure, and many online casinos have a list of ways to avoid gambling problems. They are very important, and all players should be aware of them. Some of the preventive measures are listed below:

GAMBLING SITE RESPONSIBILITY

Any business is directly responsible for its activities and must ensure that the principles of responsible gambling are respected and understood by all parties, from regulators and platform providers to providers and players of casino games. At the same time, any platform provider must ensure that its software products are integrated into a comprehensive management system that provides a safe and fair gaming experience. This means that although platform providers are not in direct contact with end-users, they are still subject to moral and legal obligations to provide online operators with the means and tools necessary to control:

As we know that all players in the gaming industry are responsible for promoting an ethical gaming activity, we understand that the gaming software is aimed at players who need to see these activities as a means of loosening. To this end, the gaming website can provide the following recommendations to players:

UNDERAGE GAMBLING AND HOW TO PROTECT CHILDREN

Underage gambling is something that all online gambling sites take very seriously. Most countries prohibit play by people under the age of 18. If you know a minor who is playing online, it is strongly encouraged to intervene, and you must be a guide throughout this process. We ask you to intervene not only because gambling for minors is illegal, but also because exposure to gambling at a young age can put the minor at serious risk of developing an addiction to gambling later in life. Gambling is highly regulated, whether it’s buying a lottery ticket, using a slot machine, or playing in a casino. Usually, the game is for adults only. Children may not be able to enter the casino. If a minor is found guilty of minor gambling, he will receive a criminal charge, which will be part of his criminal record. In some states, your parents can also be charged with a crime.

PREVENTION OF UNDERAGE GAMBLING

The prevention of games for minors is one of the most important aspects of responsible gambling, and it should be emphasized that people who have not reached the legal age (18 or 21 years old) should not play with real money. Online operators, in turn, must take all necessary measures to ensure that minors’ gaming activities do not take place on their websites and that the laws that protect minors in their specific jurisdictions are observed.

Informing the operator that a minor can use your service is an important step. It is important to provide the operator with as much information as possible, as this will help them locate the account and take action. Keep in mind that operators are prohibited by law from providing customer account information, but that doesn’t mean you can’t provide information. After receiving the information, most operators will act quickly to verify the person’s age by requesting some form of a photo ID and may even restrict access to the account until this process is complete.

Operators must present a clear registration process for all players and the mandatory verification steps to be followed to guarantee the age of the players.

At the same time, it is recommended that parents monitor and take all necessary means to prevent access by installing applications and parental control programs on their devices. There is software that will allow you, as parents, to restrict your children’s access to online casinos. This robust solution will serve as a protective layer between your children and online play, and this will help you feel comfortable while you contact the operator of your child could have played.

WHERE TO GET HELP FOR GAMBLING ADDICTION

ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL HELP WITH YOUR DEBTS

Identifying the exact moment when you overcame your debts can be tricky. But if you think you will never repay your loans without a dramatic change in circumstances, you may be stuck in a bad situation. You may need to seek outside help, and this means paying attention to avoid obscure companies that promise to free you of your debt quickly and painlessly. Consider using the resources of these organizations to make a financial turnaround. The list below is the organization that can help you with debts.

Useful Websites

Show More