Gambling addiction is on the rise. It is estimated that out of every 100 gamblers, three get addicted to different games involved with gambling. When it comes to addiction, it need not be the games involved only with casinos or online casinos.
Addiction can develop related to any games such as lottery, craps, roulette, and blackjack among others. Although men tend to get more addicted compared to women, addiction of women is on the rise these days. It has been observed that men tend to get addicted to gambling in an early age while women tend to pick up the habit at a much later stage in life. However, it is equally difficult for both men and women to give up gambling addiction.
Causes of Gambling Addiction
- At times too much of love for a particular game makes someone desperate. This desperation to win a game becomes an obsession. People often forget that any gambling is based on probability and the chances of winning vary from game to game. Irrespective of the expertise of a player, it is entirely possible to end up on the losing side.
- Confined space and a lonely mind can make a person get addicted to games such as roulette, blackjack etc. Thanks to the internet, people are able to connect 24/7. It is entirely possible to gamble any time and from anywhere. So, make sure that you socialise beyond the world of online casinos.
- A gambler often gets addicted thinking that he can become rich by gambling. Often people gamble in the hope that gambling will change their life and their financial scenario. It becomes very late when they realise that they have gambled everything that they had. It is therefore, important to realise that gambling is only a source of entertainment and not a pathway to get rich.
- Greed is also one more reason why people get addicted. Once a player starts winning, he wants to keep the winning streak going. But it seldom happens. Once the player starts losing, he keeps on chasing his lost money. This vicious cycle continues, and it only keeps going back and forth. This is how slowly addiction gets into the system.
- They say company matters and it surely does. Often people start gambling with friends who are big time gamblers. From entertainment it becomes a habit. To ensure that gambling doesn’t become an addiction, you have to ensure that you don’t keep the company of those who are regular gamblers.
- Many times emotional problems lead an individual to start gambling. To come out of the misery, many people hide under gambling. Success in a gamble is an emotional way out for these people. Often people suffering from mental depression report that a win in while gambling gives them a high. It is much like a rush of adrenaline.
- At times people who are pretty confident about their number and logical skills, get addicted to gambling. They forget the basic premise that there exists a 1/n probability of losing each and every game one plays.
Curing Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction can only be detected by an expert after a thorough examination. A minimum of five symptoms should match in order to declare an individual as a gambling addict. In order to ensure that you don’t get addicted, make sure that you treat gambling as a source of entertainment and not as an income stream.
If you feel that you cannot control your urge to gamble you might need medical attention. Another good way to get cured is by meditating. A lot of positive results have been recorded from this technique in the recent past.
