- Research article
- Open Access
- Published: 22 October 2019
Problem gambling in adolescents: what are the psychological, social and financial consequences?
- Goran Livazović ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0277-5534 1 &
- Karlo Bojčić ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7901-8833 1
BMC Psychiatry volume 19 , Article number: 308 ( 2019 ) Cite this article
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The paper examines the roles of sociodemographic traits, family quality and risk behaviour in adolescent problem gambling, with focus on the psychological, social and financial consequences from the socio-ecological model approach. This model emphasizes the most important risk-protective factors in the development and maintenance of problem gambling on an individual level, a relationship level, as well as a community and societal level.
The research was done using the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory with a sample of 366 participants, 239 females (65.3%) using descriptive statistics and t-test, ANOVA, correlation and hierarchical regression analysis.
Males reported significantly higher gambling consequences on all scales ( p < .001) and significantly more risk behaviour ( p < .05). Age was significant for psychological consequences ( p < .01), problem gambling ( p < .01) and risk behaviour ( p < .001) with older participants scoring higher. Students with lower school success reported significantly higher psychological consequences of gambling ( p < .01), higher risk behaviour activity ( p < .001) and lower family life satisfaction ( p < .001). The psychological, financial and social consequences were positively correlated with problem gambling ( p < .001). Age ( p < .05), gender ( p < .001), school success ( p < .01) and the father’s education level ( p . < 05) were significant predictors of problem gambling, with older male adolescents who struggle academically and have lower educated fathers being at greater risk.
Conclusions
Results indicate an important relation between adolescent gambling behaviour and very serious psychological, social and financial consequences. There is a constellation of risk factors that likely place certain individuals at high risk for problem gambling.
Peer Review reports
In this article, we present a socio-ecological analysis of significant sociodemographic, family, school and gambling related factors predicting problem gambling among adolescents, as well as the most important empirical conclusions based on survey results with 366 participants, with special focus on the role of psychological, social and financial consequences, as well as risk-protective factors related to sociodemographic traits, family, school and adolescent risk behaviour. The socio-ecological model includes risk and protective factors on an individual level (health and personal traits), a relationship level (the closest social circle that contributes to the range of experience); the community level (the settings for interaction); and the societal level (social and cultural norms, as well as diverse social policies) [ 1 ]. The gambling panorama has shifted significantly during the past decades, from an initially mild type of entertainment to a hazardous addiction resulting in a number of academic, behavioural, personality, social, interpersonal, financial, criminal or mental health difficulties for children and adolescents experiencing gambling-related problems [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Current frameworks conceptualise problem gambling across a risk continuum [ 5 ], as the term describes gambling behaviour that results in adverse consequences for individuals, families and communities [ 6 ]. These consequences can range from impaired mental health, physical health, relationship and family dysfunction, to financial problems, employment difficulties and legal issues [ 7 ].
Research on the characteristics and risk-protective factors in gambling
Despite being illegal for minors, gambling is a common activity among adolescents. On an international level, estimates of past year gambling participation and problem gambling in youth (from 2000 to 2009) were highly variable, with rates of 0.8 to 6.0% [ 8 ], suggesting they exceed those of adults [ 9 , 11 , 12 ]. Researchers have reported evidence that a combination of biological, psychological and social factors contribute to gambling behaviour [ 13 , 14 ]. A recent meta-analyses by Dowling et al. emphasized 13 individual risk factors (alcohol use frequency, antisocial behaviours, depression, male gender, cannabis use, illicit drug use, impulsivity, number of gambling activities, problem gambling severity, sensation seeking, tobacco use, violence, under-controlled temperament), one relationship risk factor (peer antisocial behaviours), one community risk factor (poor academic performance), one individual protective factor (socio-economic status) and two relationship protective factors (parent supervision, social problems) [ 12 ]. A number of problem gambling cross-sectional studies identified female gender, adaptive coping strategies, emotional intelligence, well-being, self-monitoring, personal competence, resilience, interpersonal skills, social competence, social support and bonding, school connectedness, parental monitoring and family cohesion as protective factors [ 3 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Integrated models of pathological gambling such as the Pathways model , introduced by Nower and Blaszczynski, suggest that a number of biological, personality, developmental, cognitive and environmental factors can be incorporated into a theoretical framework that helps explain youth gambling behaviour [ 23 ]. Derevensky et al. and Gupta and Derevensky suggest that in addition to helping youth understand the laws of probability, as well as independence of events and erroneous cognitions, attention must be paid to the underlying motivations leading to excessive adolescent pathological gambling (e.g., depressive symptomatology; somatic disorders; anxiety; attention deficits; self-regulation difficulties; academic, personal and familial problems; mood disorders; high risk-taking or poor coping skills) [ 24 , 25 ]. Researchers also emphasize risk factors such as parental/familial gambling and parental/familial approval of gambling, antisocial behaviour, deviant peers, substance abuse and school problems [ 14 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Problem gambling comorbid with mental health disorders has been associated with increased psychiatric symptoms; substance use problem severity; interpersonal, physical, financial and social difficulties; impulsivity and suicidality [ 31 ]. These factors play a role in the development and/or maintenance of gambling behaviour and problem gambling [ 27 ]. On the other hand, family life satisfaction (cohesion) and the quality of school affiliation, as indicators of social bonding, have been identified as protective factors in relation to youth gambling problems [ 13 , 14 , 30 ].
The present study
This research was aimed on explicating the role of sociodemographic traits (age, gender, residence in urban or rural surroundings) in profiling and predicting the average problem gambler characteristics, as well as studying the impact of traditional protective factors such as family life quality (lower/higher personal satisfaction), family structure (both parents/ other), the parents’ educational (lower/higher education) and professional status (employed/unemployed) and school related factors (school type, academic success). Special emphasis was placed on the relation between problem gambling behaviour and the psychological / social / financial consequences, as well as adolescent risk behaviour (physical violence/ alcohol/ drugs/ smoking/ risky sexual behaviour/school truancy/ deliberate destruction of property) from a predictive perspective. Based on the research aim and problems, the following hypotheses were established: (H1) sociodemographic traits have a significant impact on adolescent gambling; (H2) family life satisfaction, parental traits and school related factors represent protective factors in gambling aetiology; and (H3) problem gambling has significant psychological, social and financial consequences on adolescents.
Study design and research goal
The aim of the study was to examine the role of sociodemographic traits, family relations and parent characteristics, as well as school related factors in adolescent gambling behaviour with special focus on its psychological, social and financial consequences.
Statistical analysis
Quantitative analyses were conducted using descriptive and inferential procedures. The data was first processed for central tendency values on all measured items. The results were obtained using the t-test for independent samples and ANOVA concerning gender, age, place of residence, family structure, school success, school type, parents’ educational level and the parents’ employment status. A correlation analysis was implemented as to investigate the relation between sociodemographic traits, family life quality, risk behaviour, problem gambling and its psychological, social and financial consequences. A hierarchical regression analysis was implemented as to establish the most significant predictors for adolescent problem gambling. Due to a limited sample size and distribution, in order to perform the inferential tests, the “Age” variable was recoded into 2 groups, younger (14, 15 and 16) and older adolescents (ages 17–20). The variable “School success” was recoded into 3 groups, lower achievement (grades 1, 2 and 3 or F, D, C), average achievement (grade 4 or B) and higher achievement (grade 5 or A). The variable “Parent employment” was recoded into 2 groups, the employed and unemployed/other. The variable “Father’s education level” and “Mother’s education level” were both recoded into 2 groups, lower educated and higher educated fathers/mothers. The data were tested using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test for age ( W = .821; p=,000 ) and gender ( W = .602; p=,000 ).
Measures and data collection
A multidimensional questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of this research. The five-degree pen-paper Likert-scale survey consisted of 4 parts in Croatian language.
a) The first part encompassed questions about sociodemographic traits (gender, age, school type, parent education level, family economic well-being, urban or rural residence, academic success, study programme).
b) The second part consisted of a non-standardised 4 item scale with questions on family life quality (i.e. I get along with my parents; I can ask my parents for help; My family agrees on rules mutually ), that was computed and transformed into a new composite variable named “Family life quality”, with consequent reliability analysis showing a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .97).
c) The third part consisted of a non-standardised 8 item scale with questions on risk behaviours, which was computed and transformed into a new composite variable named “Risk behaviour” (i.e. I use physical violence to solve problems; I smoke cigarettes; I drink alcohol; I deliberately destroy property…), with consequent reliability analysis showing a satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .70).
d) The last, fourth part of the questionnaire was based on the Canadian Adolescent Gambling Inventory [ 32 , 33 ], with 3 standardised subscales on the financial consequences, the social consequences and the psychological consequences scale. The CAGI was developed specifically for adolescents [ 34 , 35 ]. It is a paper-and-pen survey with 44-items, aimed at measuring the range and the complexity of gambling behaviour, rather than a dichotomy of either presence or absence of problem gambling, as is found in most existing adolescent and adult instruments [ 32 , 33 ]. The CAGI has 19 items that measure gambling frequency using six-point response options and time spent gambling in a typical week on 19 forms of gambling and two items to measure money and items of value lost gambling [ 33 ]. It measures four gambling-related domains of loss of control, social, psychological and financial consequences, and a fifth, Gambling Problem Severity Scale (GPSS). In our study, the social consequences scale (i.e. I missed sports practice or other activity because of gambling; I missed a family gathering because of gambling… ) had a satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .67), the psychological consequences scale (i.e. I felt guilty for losing money on gambling; I felt sad or depressed because of the amount of money I lost gambling ) had a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .93), and the financial consequences scale (i.e. I borrowed money for gambling; I stole to obtain money for gambling or repaying debts… ) had a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .85), while the Gambling Problem Severity Scale (GPSS), (i.e. I planned gambling; After gambling, I returned to try win back the lost money… ) also had a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .88). In previous research studies, CAGI was found to yield satisfactory estimates of reliability, validity and classification accuracy [ 32 , 33 ]. Studies have shown it is an appropriate instrument for epidemiological studies as well as for clinical and school settings [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ].
Participants
A convenience sample was recruited to reflect the characteristics of the adolescent population. The research was conducted with 366 participants, 239 female and 127 male adolescents aged 14 ( N = 35; 9.6%), 15 ( N = 142; 38.8%), 16 ( N = 20; 5.5%), 17 ( N = 25; 6.8%), 18 ( N = 133; 36.3%), 19 ( N = 9; 2.5%) and 20 ( N = 2; 0.5%). A total of 98 (37.8%) participants reported living in rural areas, and 161 (62.2%) lived in urban surroundings. 144 (39.3%) participants attended gymnasiums, and 222 (60.7%) vocational schools. 292 (79.8%) reported living with both parents, 13 (3.6%) only with their fathers, and 53 (14.5%) with their mothers, while 8 (2.2%) live with someone else. The 366 participants had a 4.1 GPA with 32.2% ( N = 118) achieving an A (excellent), 53% ( N = 194) achieving a B (very good), 12.6% ( N = 46) achieving a C (good) and 2.2% ( N = 8) that failed class (F). Participants reported that 6% ( N = 26) of their fathers completed only elementary school, 229 (62.6%) finished high school, 47 (12.8%) completed college and 63 (17.3%) had university education. Some 6% ( N = 23) of mothers completed elementary school, 225 (61.5%) finished high school, 42 (11.5%) completed college and 76 (20.8%) had university education.
Ethics and study procedure
A paper-pen survey with high-school participants was conducted in March 2018 via group assessment during class in the Osječko-baranjska and Vukovarsko-srijemska region in Croatia. Participants were introduced to the research goal prior to responding and given instructions on the procedure, as well as basic definitions on gambling behaviour. Individuals were excluded if they were unable to understand and provide informed consent. All participants were informed and guaranteed complete anonymity, in line with the Ethical Code of Research with Children [ 36 ]. Procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. A trained research assistant was responsible for the survey implementation. The research assistant was present at all times during the survey procedure and helped with possible explanations and survey guidelines. After completion, the participants were asked to check the survey answers as to guarantee responding to all the questions. The data was processed using SPSS (v20.0.0) with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, t-test and one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis.
Descriptive and inferential analysis
Sociodemographic characteristics and gambling.
The earliest reported age of gambling initiation was 7 ( N = 1, 0.3%), while gambling initiation was most prevalent at ages 14 ( N = 13, 3.6%), 15 ( N = 10, 2.7%) and 18 ( N = 11, 3%). Out of 366 participants, 154 (42.1%) participants reported never having gambled. Our results show that playing cards, dares and challenges or skills represent the most prevalent adolescent gambling activities (Table 3 ), while 6.6% ( N = 24) of them bet regularly in sports betting houses and 5.8% ( N = 21) do it online, 3% ( N = 11) regularly bet on casino slot machines and 3.6% ( N = 13) bet on live casino games, and 6.9% ( N = 25) bet on casino games online (Table 1 ).
Our t-test for gender differences results show that gender is a significant factor for psychological ( p < .001), social ( p < .001) and financial consequences ( p < .001) of gambling, as well as problem gambling ( p < .001) and risk behaviour ( p < .05), with males reporting significantly higher values on all scores (Table 2 ).
Our results were not significant for the social and financial consequences of gambling in relation to age , but showed significant age differences in psychological consequences ( p < .01), problem gambling behaviour ( p < .01) and risk behaviour ( p < .001) with older participants scoring higher (Table 3 ).
Our research has shown (Table 4 ) that lower school achievers report significantly higher psychological consequences of gambling in relation to more successful students ( p < .01).
Our results show no significant differences in gambling behaviour or its consequences in relation to the school type participants attend (Table 5 ), but indicate significantly higher risk behaviour for vocational school students ( p < .001).
Results on family and parent characteristics in gambling aetiology
The place of residence (urban/rural) was significant for the quality of family relations t(362) = 10.03; p < .001, with rural participants reporting significantly higher family life satisfaction ( N = 98; M = 12.07), but more risk behaviour as well, t(362) = 2.26, p < .05. Family structure (both parents/other) was significant for family life quality t(362) = − 2.35, p < .05, with participants from structurally deficient families reporting higher family life satisfaction ( N = 74, M = 8.74), and for risk behaviour t(362) = − 2.50, p < .01, as participants from structurally deficient families reported more risky behaviour ( N = 74, M = 11.90). Our results show the mothers’ employment status was significant only for family life satisfaction, as those who had employed mothers reported more satisfaction t(362) = 3.71, p < .001 ( N = 245, M = 8.01). The fathers’ employment status was not significant for any of the examined variables. Both the mothers and fathers’ educational level did not show significance in relation to any of the examined variables.
Correlation and regression analysis results for problem gambling
Our results (Table 6 ) show a moderate to strong positive correlation between the psychological, financial and social consequences with problem gambling ( p < .001). There was a positive moderate correlation between problem gambling and risk behaviour, as well ( p < .001). Participants reported a positive weak correlation between school success and the psychological ( p < .001) and social consequences of problem gambling ( p < .01).
Our hierarchical regression analysis results show that age ( p < .05), gender ( p < .001), school success ( p < .01) and the father’s education level ( p . < 05) are significant sociodemographic predictors of problem gambling in adolescents, with older male adolescents who struggle academically and have lower educated fathers being at greater risk (Table 7 ). Interestingly, our results show that more psychological, social and financial consequences in gambling positively predict problem gambling ( p < .001).
This study was focused on explicating the role of sociodemographic traits (age, gender, residence in urban or rural surroundings) in profiling and predicting the average problem gambler characteristics, as well as studying the impact of traditional protective factors such as family life quality, family structure, the parents’ educational and professional status and school related factors. Special emphasis was placed on the relation between problem gambling behaviour and the psychological / social / financial consequences, as well as adolescent risk behaviour.
Adolescent gambling preferences
Derevensky and Gilbeau indicate that typical forms of teen gambling include: card playing for money (poker), sports wagering, dice and board games with family and friends; betting with peers on games of personal skill (e.g., pool, bowling, basketball); arcade or video games for money; purchasing lottery tickets; wagering at horse and dog tracks; gambling in bingo halls and card rooms; playing slot machines and table games in casinos; gambling on video lottery/poker terminals; wagering on the Internet; and placing bets with a bookmaker, recently mostly via the Internet or smartphones [ 14 ]. Our results show that playing cards, dares and challenges or skills represent the most prevalent adolescent gambling activities (Table 3 ), while 6.6% ( N = 24) of them bet regularly in sports betting houses and 5.8% ( N = 21) do it online, 3% ( N = 11) regularly bet on casino slot machines and 3.6% ( N = 13) bet on live casino games, and 6.9% ( N = 25) bet on casino games online.
Williams [ 37 ] has reported that gambling tendencies differed from study to study and location to location, as his study has shown that games of skill were the most popular gambling activity (51%), followed by card games (47%), sports betting (27%) and dice games (24%) [ 37 ]. This is not similar to some studies reporting greater rates of lottery participation by adolescents [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]. On the other hand, our present results are consistent with other studies in Alberta which found that adolescents favoured card games, games of skills, and sports betting as compared to other gambling activities [ 37 , 41 , 42 ]. Even though 23% of the Alberta sample reported one or more symptoms of problem gambling, only 2.5% met actual criteria for problem gambling [ 37 ]. This prevalence rate is lower than found in most other studies [ 40 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. It is also lower than the Shaffer et al. meta-analysis which reported prevalence rates of adolescent problem gambling to be 3.9% [ 49 ].
The role of sociodemographic traits in adolescent problem gambling
Our first hypothesis (H1) assumed that sociodemographic traits have a significant impact on adolescent gambling. Our results show distinct gender differences (Table 2 ), with males reporting significantly higher gambling consequences on all scales ( p < .001), but risk behaviour, as well ( p < .05). Previous research established a relationship between male gender and gambling or problem gambling [ 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. Sheela et al. found gender was significantly associated with adolescents’ gambling behaviour, with males having nearly three times the odds of being gamblers compared to girls [ 54 ]. A study by Di Nicola et al. has shown higher prevalence in gambling frequency among males, and significant gender differences in maladaptive gambling behaviour, with males scoring higher on the SOGS–RA score ( South Oaks Gambling Screen: Revised for adolescents ) [ 55 ]. Similarly, Elton-Marshall, Leatherdale and Turner have shown that online and land-based gambling was significantly more popular among males [ 56 ]. Mutti-Packer et al. indicated that gender was a significant predictor of baseline levels of gambling, as females reported lower initial levels of gambling problems [ 57 ], while studies by Williams [ 37 ] and Gonzalez-Roz et al. [ 58 ] showed no statistically significant differences between gender and gambling behaviour. However, a recent meta-analysis reported male gender to be among the strongest risk factors for problem gambling [ 12 ], which was confirmed in our present study results.
In their investigation on the role of age, Sheela et al. did not find significant associations between age and adolescent gambling behaviour [ 54 ], but an earlier age of first gambling activity was established as a risk factor [ 59 ]. Several research studies found no significant age differences in psychological consequences of gambling, social consequences of gambling, financial consequences of gambling and problem gambling behaviour, as well [ 30 , 55 ], while McBride and Derevensky showed that a greater proportion of non-gamblers were under the age of 18 years, whereas a significantly greater proportion of social gamblers were aged 21–24 [ 60 ]. In a study conducted by Kristiansen and Jensen, the proportions of at-risk gamblers and problem gamblers were significantly higher among older age groups [ 61 ]. Kristiansen and Jensen reported a weak, non-significant relationship between age and the SOGS-RA score, with older respondents reporting more gambling problems [ 61 ]. This is consistent with our findings and could imply that gambling behaviour is related to personal maturation, more agency and social emancipation, but also indicate that preventive actions need to be targeted at specific age groups. As evidence indicates, wagering something of value on an uncertain event often begins as early as grade school [ 44 ], with age 11 being the average age of onset found in a couple of major studies [ 25 , 47 ]. Still, our results show a worrying age decline as the earliest reported age of gambling initiation was 7, while it was most prevalent at ages 14, 15 and 18, implying a need for an earlier onset and optimization of efficient prevention programs in schools and community activities.
Family life, parental traits and school related factors in problem gambling
The second hypothesis (H2) assumed that family life satisfaction, parental traits and school related factors represent protective factors in gambling aetiology. Our research has shown (Table 4 ) that lower school achievers report significantly higher psychological consequences of gambling in relation to better students ( p < .01). A large amount of international research has found that problem gamblers tend to be concentrated among those lacking college education, and who have dropped out of high school, while several studies have demonstrated correlations between higher spending on gambling and lower levels of education [ 62 ]. Gambling during adolescence has been linked with psychiatric, social, and substance misuse problems in adulthood [ 63 ]. Both recreational and problem gambling have been associated with adverse social functioning and mental health in adolescence including poor school performance and difficulties with aggression and mood [ 53 , 64 , 65 ]. Foster et al. also reported that students who gambled on school grounds had poorer academic performance [ 66 ], while a study by Gonzalez-Roz et al. showed no statistically significant differences between school success and gambling behaviour [ 58 ]. Our results also demonstrate significantly higher risk behaviour activity ( p < .001) and significantly lower family life satisfaction among participants who report the lowest school achievement ( p < .001), so the intensity of psychological consequences could also stem and be related to a feeling of rejection due to problems in family, school failure and risk behaviour participation.
Our results showed no significant differences in gambling behaviour or its consequences in relation to the school type participants attended, but indicated significantly higher risk behaviour for vocational school students. These results are in line with similar studies which have shown that vocational school students have significantly higher risk behaviour prevalence than gymnasium students, with no significant school type differences in gambling behaviour [ 53 , 67 ].
The place of residence (urban/rural) was significant for the quality of family relations, with rural participants reporting both significantly higher family life satisfaction, but more risk behaviour as well. Family structure (both parents/other) was significant for both family life quality and risk behaviour, with participants from structurally deficient families reporting higher family life satisfaction and riskier behaviour. Similarly, Foster et al. also did not establish significant gambling differences in relation to family structure [ 66 ], but Canale et al. reported that two family characteristics increased adolescent gambling – living with unrelated others or a single parent, and in poor families [ 68 ]. Our results show the mothers’ employment status was significant only for family life satisfaction, with participants who had employed mothers reporting more satisfaction. The fathers’ employment status was not significant for any of the examined variables. Both the mothers and fathers’ educational level did not show significance in relation to any of the examined variables. Even though our study did not investigate parental gambling behaviours, previous research has positively correlated parental gambling and adolescent gambling, with children of problem gamblers tending to gamble earlier than their peers [ 10 , 44 , 52 , 69 , 70 ], implying the need to educate parents on family risk factors for problem gambling.
The consequences of adolescent problem gambling
The third hypothesis (H3) assumed gambling had significant psychological, social and financial consequences on adolescents. Our results established a positive correlation between the psychological, financial and social consequences with problem gambling (Table 6 ), consistent with previous research on emotional problems and gambling, for example a positive relation between time spent gambling and depression [ 52 , 71 ], also found in a study by Williams [ 37 ] and Rossen et al. [ 72 ], who reported that students with unhealthy gambling practices reported significantly more mental health issues and other addictions/risky behaviours [ 72 ]. Among the high-risk behaviours, adolescents that smoke, consume alcohol and participate in physical fights had significantly higher odds for gambling addiction. In a study by Castrén et al. both smoking and drinking for intoxication were significantly associated with at-risk and problem gambling compared with non-smokers and respondents who had not been drinking for intoxication [ 73 ]. Gambling frequency has been found to be highly associated with other forms of antisocial activity, for example, delinquency [ 74 ]. Additionally, Williams [ 37 ] points to a number of studies that reported a positive relationship between risk-taking and gambling, which was confirmed by a meta-analysis by Dowling et al. [ 12 ].
Predictors of adolescent problem gambling
Our hierarchical regression analysis results show that age, gender, school success and the father’s education level all significantly predicted problem gambling in adolescents, with older male adolescents who struggle academically and have lower educated fathers being at greater risk (Table 7 ). Our results also established that more intense psychological, social and financial consequences in gambling positively predicted problem gambling. For example, Gupta and Derevensky [ 9 ] reported that excessive gambling in boys caused emotion-focused coping strategies, such as anger, frustration or anxiety during negative events. Similarly, Williams found a positive relationship between time spent gambling and depression [ 37 ]. All our regression results are in line with Rossen et al., who found that males are disproportionately at risk of problem gambling [ 72 ]. The same study found that students with unhealthy gambling practices were significantly more likely to report co-existing mental health issues (e.g. depression and suicide attempts) and other addictions/risky behaviours (e.g. use of alcohol and weekly cigarette smoking). For example, Williams found that time spent gambling was a significant predictor for higher levels of impulsivity, possessing more positive attitudes towards gambling, having been in trouble with the police, having suffered from depression, possessing less knowledge about gambling and having greater cognitive errors [ 37 ]. While Ste-Marie, Gupta and Derevensky found that gamblers with the highest scores on state and trait anxiety, as well as for social stress, were likely to meet the criteria for probable pathological gambling [ 28 ], a recent meta-analysis on problem gambling revealed that aggression, anxiety symptoms, attention problems, a big early gambling win, dispositional attention, psychological distress (including internalising symptoms), religious attendance and suicidal ideation were not significantly associated with subsequent problem gambling, so results are inconclusive [ 12 ]. Even though our results did not show a significant role of family structure in gambling, a study conducted by Allami et al. has shown that, at age of 16, parent–child connectedness and higher parental involvement significantly predicted fewer gambling problems, while peer connectedness may have an effect on problem gambling, but that effect likely depends on peer gambling behaviour [ 75 ]. A recent meta-analysis on gambling established parent supervision and socio-economic status as significantly negatively associated with subsequent problem gambling [ 12 ]. Our regression analysis did not establish family life quality or parent employment as significant predictors, while Jackson et al. found that participating in gambling activities was associated with parental employment [ 76 ]. They found no significant associations between gambling and family structure, nor between gambling and parental education. The same study also found a positive association between gambling involvement and depressive symptomology, deliberate self-harm and arguments with others; as it did between gambling participation and engagement in substance use and antisocial behaviours. These behaviours, with the exception of smoking, were significant predictors of greater involvement in gambling [ 76 ]. Interestingly, a study by Williams established a positive attitude toward gambling as the most consistent predictor of gambling behaviour, as well as problem gambling [ 37 ]. Among other established predictors, Williams found that larger amounts of money won while gambling, positive attitudes towards gambling, impulsivity, more gambling-related cognitive errors, greater risk-taking and less knowledge about gambling, were the variables that significantly contributed to the prediction of higher gambling frequency in order of predictability [ 37 ]. Similarly, having won a large sum of money gambling was the best predictor of increased time spent gambling. In addition, spending more time gambling was also associated with higher levels of impulsivity, possessing more positive attitudes towards gambling, having been in trouble with the police, having suffered from depression, possessing less knowledge about gambling and having greater cognitive errors, in descending order of predictability [ 37 ]. Reductions in positive attitudes towards gambling, prior trouble with the police and increased knowledge were the only three variables that significantly predicted decreased gambling frequency [ 37 ]. Surprisingly, even though we did not establish predictive relations between risky behaviour and problem gambling, it has been found to be highly associated with other forms of antisocial activity. For example, delinquency has been found to be positively related to both gambling frequency and problem gambling [ 73 ].
Implications for research and practice
Problem gambling is a complex research area, so findings are sometimes contradictory even though such behaviour is proven to disrupt personal, family, financial, professional and social relations [ 62 ]. Our study was focused on explicating the role of sociodemographic traits, family relations quality and risk behaviour in adolescent problem gambling. Such quantitative studies on sociodemographic factors related to personal characteristics, family life satisfaction and school surroundings are relatively scarce. While many adolescents gamble occasionally and don’t experience significant problems, studies suggest they constitute a vulnerable population for gambling problems, especially with the onset of online gambling. Low numbers of treatment seeking adolescent problem gamblers may be related to the fact that they do not consider disruptive gambling as problematic and underestimate its impact. Treatment-wise, high comorbidity with other disorders may obscure problem gambling, as other problems get more clinical attention, while the heterogeneity within a relatively narrow age range implies the need for divesified approaches [ 77 ]. Our results indicate 3–7% of adolescents who regularly participate in serious gambling activities, in line with a study by Volberg et al., who reported 2–8% of adolescents having serious gambling problems, with another 10–15% being at-risk for the development of a gambling problem, especially young adults ages 18–25 [ 78 ]. Our regression analysis showed that the average at-risk individuals are older male adolescents who struggle academically, have lower educated fathers, attend vocational schools and report low family life satisfaction. It is interesting we established that problem gambling was positively predicted by psychological, social and financial consequences, in accordance with studies that established high comorbidity of problem gambling with psychological conditions [ 79 ], but their relation remains unclear as to the nature or relationship of the three variables in the prevention or inhibition of gambling. Adolescent problem gamblers use less task-focused coping and more avoidance coping strategies than non-gamblers, while male excessive gamblers demonstrate more emotion-focused coping strategies, such as anger, frustration or anxiety during negative events [ 80 ]. Therefore, gambling behaviour is closely related to feelings of serious social, psychological and financial consequences for adolescents. Similar to adults with a gambling disorder, adolescents report having a preoccupation with gambling; repeated attempts at recouping losses; increasing wagers to reach a physiological level of excitement; lying to others about gambling; with anxiety and depression when trying to reduce their gambling. A considerable number of adolescents report gambling as a coping mechanism to psychologically escape daily problems (parental, peer, and school-related) and other mental health issues [ 13 , 81 ]. Surprisingly, family life quality, parent employment and risky behaviour were not established as significant predictors for problem gambling in our study, so the role of parents and family should be further investigated. Lussier et al. examined the concept of resilience for youth gambling problems and other adolescent high-risk behaviours and suggested that family cohesion was an important element in adolescent resilience [ 17 ]. Exposure to an object of addiction at a young age or exposure to a parent’s addiction could both increase the likelihood of developing an addiction. One recent study found that children of pathological gamblers were four times more likely to develop the disorder, so it is important that health professionals, teachers and other experts understand the family background [ 82 ]. Recent findings suggest that some of the early factors associated with the onset of problem gambling in cross-sectional studies have not been identified in subsequent longitudinal studies, which suggests that these factors may be, in fact, consequences of problem gambling or co-exist because they share common causes [ 12 ]. Therefore, longitudinal studies shift the policy focus from elements that co-occur with problem gambling in youth at a certain cross-sectional point in time to predictive factors of gambling at a future time-point, including adulthood. Adolescent gambling behaviour should be viewed on a continuum, from non-gambling to social or occasional and recreational gambling to at-risk gambling, up to problem or pathological, compulsive or disordered gambling [ 14 ]. In conclusion, clinical and research evidence suggests that efficient prevention strategies have an impact through providing facts about gambling which improve knowledge and significantly reduce misconceptions, resulting in more realistic attitudes towards gambling [ 83 , 84 ]. Still, their effectiveness needs further investigation, thus emphasising the need for future efficient preventive social and educational policy.
Limitations
Several limitations of the current study should be noted. The research sample was small; therefore, conclusions of a larger scale and results generalization are out of the scope of this study. In addition, the extent of underreporting or over-reporting of behaviours cannot be determined, although the survey questions demonstrate good intercorrelational reliability. The “Gambling social consequences” scale demonstrated lower reliability, even though standardised survey instruments were implemented. Sociodemographic traits, family relations, risk behaviour and problem gambling experiences were self-reported, but previous studies have shown these measures to be valid [ 85 , 86 ]. Despite these limitations, a strength of the study was the use of instruments with reliable psychometric properties to measure adolescent gambling behaviour and its social, psychological and financial consequences.
The results of our study indicate that there is a distinct role of socio-demographic characteristics in the aetiology of adolescent problem gambling, that are mostly related to gender, age, academic achievement and the father’s educational level. What begins as an exciting benign form of entertainment for most, could result in serious problems for an identifiable group of young people. It should be noticed that our findings clearly indicate an important relation between adolescent gambling behaviour and very serious psychological, social and financial consequences, as well as risk behaviour. There is a constellation of factors that likely place certain individuals at high risk for problem gambling. The increasing awareness that the aetiology underlying gambling problems is not universal, that risk factors may be different for individuals, and that there are a number of distinct pathways which could lead to pathological or disordered gambling, pose new important questions for researchers and practitioners on the structure and focus of preventive activities.
Availability of data and materials
All research data is available upon demand, and was submitted to the Editorial Office in the publication process. Requests for data and materials should be addressed to the corresponding author.
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The first author, GL, envisioned the research framework and was involved in writing the theoretical part of the paper, conducted the empirical data analysis and discussion on the results of the study. The second author, KB, was involved with the practical research data gathering and survey implementation, organised the field research and was involved with the discussion on the results of the study. Both authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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Livazović, G., Bojčić, K. Problem gambling in adolescents: what are the psychological, social and financial consequences?. BMC Psychiatry 19 , 308 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2293-2
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When gambling might be a problem
- By Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS , Contributor
Follow me on Twitter @Howard_Shaffer
Just as we’ve finished welcoming the new year, sports fans are getting ready to celebrate the Super Bowl. This event marks the single most active gambling-related activity in the world. For most gamblers, betting on the outcome of a sporting event, lottery drawing, casino table game, or any event with an outcome determined by chance represents an entertaining recreational activity. However, for some, gambling can become an addiction.
Excessive gambling recognized as an addiction
Gambling disorder is now a part of the American Psychiatric Association’s latest version of its diagnostic manual ( DSM-5 ). Gambling is the first “behavioral” addiction included in the substance-related and addictive disorders section of the manual. For the first time, the APA recognizes that substance-related addiction and difficult-to-control behavioral addiction are similar enough to be grouped as comparable expressions of addiction.
Now, clinicians, scientists, policy makers, gambling purveyors, and the public alike recognize that addiction can emerge from patterns of excessive behavior that derive from either using a substance, such as tobacco or alcohol, or engaging in activities like gambling, video game playing, or sex. This might come as a surprise, but it’s true. You can become addicted to gambling just like you can become addicted to alcohol or other drugs.
History and causes of gambling problems
Historically, opinions about gambling have tended to mirror the social and moral climate of the day. Gambling problems aren’t anything new; there were scientific papers written about excessive gambling as far back as 1798 and, reaching even further back into history, there are cave drawings depicting gambling-related behaviors. However, the concept that problem gambling is not a moral defect but instead a disorder is relatively new. Most experts and clinicians now consider gambling addiction as a legitimate biological, cognitive, and behavioral disorder. Further, although mental disorders can lead to problem gambling, gambling to excess also can lead to other problems.
Gambling problems have many potential causes: genetics, erroneous thought patterns, impulse control disorders, poverty, and personal experiences, for example. An estimated 2% to 3% of the US population has experienced some kind of gambling-related problem during the past 12 months. That means about 5.5 million people currently have a gambling disorder, or gambling-related problems that don’t quite rise to the level of a disorder.
Do you have a gambling problem?
To see if you might be struggling with a gambling disorder, try this quick three item screen:
- During the past 12 months, have you become restless, irritable, or anxious when trying to stop and/or cut down on gambling?
- During the past 12 months, have you tried to keep your family or friends from knowing how much you gambled?
- During the past 12 months, did you have such financial trouble as a result of gambling that you had to get help with living expenses from family, friends, or welfare?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should evaluate your gambling and how it fits into your life. There are many resources to help, and my colleagues and I have published an easily accessible book that can help you to evaluate your gambling and decide whether you might be a candidate for treatment. Some people need treatment to recover from addiction, while others recover on their own with no help from anyone.
To figure out whether you might benefit from a change, you need to take stock. A variety of mental health issues often accompany excessive gambling. You might have some of these symptoms even if they don’t reflect a full-blown disorder. It’s worth it to figure out whether gambling and associated activities are adversely influencing your life. Understanding how gambling works for you is a worthwhile exercise, even if you choose to continue gambling.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) .
Optimizing DSM-IV-TR Classification Accuracy: A Brief Biosocial Screen for Detecting Current Gambling Disorders among Gamblers in the General Household Population . Canadian Journal of Psychiatry , February 2010.
Change Your Gambling, Change Your Life: Strategies for Managing Gambling and Improving Your Finances, Relationships and Health . Jossey-Bass, 2012.
About the Author
Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, CAS , Contributor
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Gambling harm: a global problem requiring global solutions
- Gerda Reith Gerda Reith Affiliations School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK Search for articles by this author
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31991-9
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International Gambling Studies
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Perceived stigma and self-stigma of problem gambling: perspectives of people with gambling problems
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- https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2015.1092566
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Minimal research has investigated the stigma associated with problem gambling, despite its major hindrance to help-seeking and recovery. This study explored perceived stigma and self-stigma to examine stigmatizing beliefs held, how they may be internalized, coping mechanisms, and effects on help-seeking. In-depth interviews with 44 people experiencing gambling problems were analysed using interpretive phenomenology. Results revealed an overwhelming perception that problem gambling attracts acute public stigma and is publicly viewed as caused by personal failings. Participants had serious concerns about being viewed as ‘a problem gambler’, fearing demeaning stereotypes, social rejection, hostile responses and devaluing behaviours. Many participants internalized perceived stigma as self-stigma, with deleterious reported effects on self-esteem, self-efficacy, perceived social worth, and mental and physical health. Deep shame was a near universal emotion and exacerbated by relapse. Secrecy was the main coping mechanism used, with perceived and self-stigma found to act as major barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. The findings can inform the development of a valid understanding and conceptualization of problem gambling stigma. This is a prerequisite for effective stigma-reduction strategies to reduce public stigma and discrimination, and to lower perceived and self-stigma and increase the use of treatment services and other interventions by people with gambling problems.
- Problem gambling
- gambling disorder
- help-seeking
- stereotypes
Stigma has been defined as an ‘attribute that is deeply discrediting’ that reduces an individual ‘from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one’ (Goffman, Citation 1963 , p. 3), leading to the devaluation of his or her social identity in a particular social context (Crocker, Major, & Steele, Citation 1998 ). Stigma can be related to a physical attribute (e.g. a disability or deformation), group identity (e.g. race or religion) or personal traits perceived to arise from blemishes of character (e.g. drug addiction, mental illness, problem gambling; Goffman, Citation 1963 ). Most research into stigma has pertained to a range of mental disorders. This research has identified stigma as the major challenge facing mental health (Hinshaw, Citation 2006 ) and to engagement in mental health treatment (Corrigan, Citation 2004 ). Various theoretical models have therefore been developed to explain different aspects of stigma, such as why (Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan, & Kubiak, Citation 2003 ; Jones et al., Citation 1984 ; Scheff, Citation 1966 ; Weiner, Citation 1986 ; Weiner, Perry, & Magnusson, Citation 1988 ) and how (Link, Yang, Phelan, & Collins, Citation 2004 ) it is created.
Little research has specifically investigated the nature of stigma associated with problem gambling, a condition ‘characterised by difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on gambling which leads to adverse consequences for the gambler, others, or for the community’ (Neal, Delfabbro, & O’Neil, Citation 2005 ). This is surprising, given that stigma and shame have been identified as major barriers to help-seeking for problem gambling (Gainsbury, Hing, & Suhonen, Citation 2014 ; Hodgins & el-Guebaly, Citation 2000 ; Pulford et al., Citation 2009 ; Rockloff & Schofield, Citation 2004 ; Tavares, Martins, Zilberman, & el-Guebaly, Citation 2002 ). At the time of writing, only five peer-reviewed publications have focused specifically on problem gambling stigma: a review identifying numerous gaps in knowledge and future research directions (Hing, Holdsworth, Tiyce, & Breen, Citation 2014 ) and four empirical studies, all with samples restricted to university students (Dhillon, Horch, & Hodgins, Citation 2011 ; Feldman & Crandall, Citation 2007 ; Horch & Hodgins, Citation 2008 , Citation 2013 ). Thus, little is known about the public stigma attached to problem gambling, how it is perceived by people with gambling problems, and the self-stigma they may experience.
Public stigma is the reaction of society to stigmatized individuals based on the formation of negative attitudes towards the stigmatized population (Corrigan & Shapiro, Citation 2010 ; Corrigan & Watson, Citation 2002a ). Public stigma can be manifest in the attitudes and behaviours of individuals towards groups and individual people with the stigmatizing condition, in the general social norms within a particular social context, and reflected in institutional policies and practices that restrict opportunities of those with the stigmatizing condition (beyondblue, Citation 2015 ). Public stigma is therefore a social process that distinguishes between those considered ‘normal’ and those who are not (Rusch et al., Citation 2005 ). Stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination are central components (Corrigan & Watson, Citation 2002a ). One prominent conceptualization of how public stigma is created depicts it as an integrated process involving labelling, stereotyping, separating (social distancing), emotional reactions, and status loss and discrimination (Link et al., Citation 2004 ). The degree of public stigma applied appears dependent on several perceived dimensions of the attribute or condition. These dimensions can include the ease or difficulty of hiding it (concealability), perceived extent of individual responsibility for the attribute (origin), whether it can be reversed over time (course), how disruptive it is to interactions with others (disruptiveness) and how much the attribute elicits responses of disgust/revulsion (aesthetics) and of fear/danger (peril) (Jones et al., Citation 1984 ).
The four empirical studies on problem gambling stigma have focused on various aspects of its public stigmatization. Feldman and Crandall ( Citation 2007 ) found that pathological gambling was the 13th most stigmatized condition amongst 40 mental disorders. Horch and Hodgins ( Citation 2008 ) found that disordered gambling was more stigmatized than cancer, but equally as stigmatized as alcohol dependence and schizophrenia. Dhillon et al. ( Citation 2011 ) observed that the stigmatization of problem gambling varied with the culture of both the stigmatizer and the stigmatized. Horch and Hodgins ( Citation 2013 ) identified a range of negative stereotypes associated with ‘problem gambler’ and ‘gambling addict’, with some variations for each label. These studies suggest that problem gambling attracts considerable public stigma relative to other health conditions, but that the degree of stigma depends on who is doing the stigmatizing and who is being stigmatized.
Perceived stigma is the awareness of public stigma, or a belief that others have passed judgment and hold stigmatizing thoughts or stereotypes about a condition (Barney, Griffiths, Jorm, & Christensen, Citation 2006 ; Corrigan, Watson, & Barr, Citation 2006 ). One study of over 80,000 participants across 16 countries concluded that perceived stigma is frequently and strongly associated with mental disorders worldwide (Alonso et al., Citation 2008 ). Whether accurately interpreted or not, perceived stigma has been associated with negative outcomes when held by people with the stigmatizing attribute, including lower self-esteem; adherence to treatment; social adjustment and quality of life; and higher work, role, and social limitations (Alonso et al., Citation 2009 ; Link, Struening, Neese-Todd, Asmussen, & Phelan, Citation 2001 ; Perlick et al., Citation 2001 ; Pyne et al., Citation 2004 ; Sirey et al., Citation 2001 ).
Perceived stigma appears very high amongst people with gambling problems. A (non-peer-reviewed) study (Carroll, Rodgers, Davidson, & Sims, Citation 2013 ) found that participants with gambling problems invariably expected others to think badly of them, which discouraged help-seeking due to fear of being labelled ‘a problem gambler’, of being judged by treatment providers and of others finding out they were attending treatment. However, the effects of perceived stigma vary. While some people react with anger, others are indifferent, and some may internalize these negative attributes as self-stigma (Corrigan & Watson, Citation 2002b ).
Self-stigma is the prejudice which people with a stigmatizing attribute turn against themselves, where they come to believe and internalize negative public stereotypes, resulting in diminished self-esteem, self-efficacy and perceived social worth (Corrigan & Watson, Citation 2002b ; Scambler, Citation 1998 ) and behaviour modifications to cope with their ‘spoiled identity’ (Goffman, Citation 1963 , p. 3). These coping mechanisms can include secrecy through hiding the condition, withdrawal from social interaction and support, educating others about the condition, challenging prejudice and discrimination, and cognitive distancing from the stigmatized group (Link et al., Citation 2004 ). Hing et al. ( Citation 2014 ) have suggested that secrecy is the most common way of coping with the self-stigma of problem gambling.
No peer-reviewed studies have directly examined self-stigma associated with problem gambling. An unpublished doctoral thesis examined how individuals seeking treatment for problem gambling navigated self-stigma in relation to professional stigma (stigmatizing attitudes, labels and categorizations by treatment providers; Anderson, Citation 2014 ). Findings revealed the considerable burden that professional stigma places on clients, and how it can impede treatment and recovery by limiting client disclosure and prompting some to withdraw from therapy. Carroll et al.’s ( Citation 2013 ) study illuminated some psychological effects of self-stigma. The 30 interviewees with gambling problems rarely referred to ‘stigma’; instead, ‘shame’ was the most commonly used term to describe their emotions, along with ‘embarrassed’, ‘weak’, ‘stupid’, ‘guilty’, ‘disappointed’ and ‘remorseful’ (Carroll et al., Citation 2013 ). These feelings appear to reflect loss of self-esteem and perceived social worth, as found for other mental conditions (Corrigan, Citation 2004 ; Watson, Corrigan, Larson, & Sells, Citation 2007 ).
While prior research into problem gambling stigma has provided valuable insights, the experience of those most affected remains largely unexamined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore perceived public stigma and self-stigma amongst individuals with a gambling problem to examine the stigmatizing beliefs they hold, how these beliefs may be internalized, the stigma coping mechanisms they use, and effects on help-seeking. Achieving a better understanding of problem gambling stigma may eventually increase strategies to create more tolerant public attitudes, reduced stigma, higher rates of help-seeking, and improved recovery prospects.
Approval for this study was obtained from [withheld for anonymity] Southern Cross University Human Research Ethics Committee. As a qualitative approach suitable for research with marginalized groups of people, phenomenology was used to generate shared meanings of experiences implicit in original descriptions of experiencing a phenomenon (Creswell, Citation 2007 ; Moustakas, Citation 1994 ). Lengthy semi-structured interviews generated rich detailed descriptions and enabled exploration of what is important to participants (Geertz, Citation 1983 ; Smith, Jarman, & Osborn, Citation 1999 ) in their experience of problem gambling stigma.
Recruitment and sampling
Phenomenological studies require only small samples because it is the in-depth quality rather than quantity of data that enables insightful analyses . Participants were recruited through a prior survey, conducted by the authors, of 203 Australian adults who had recently experienced a gambling problem. This survey included only people who self-reported experiencing a gambling problem in the previous three years. Recruitment emails were sent to 395 eligible people on our research centre’s database of previous survey respondents who had consented to receive invitations to participate in future research. Thirty-six emails bounced back and 117 completed responses were received for a response rate of 32.6% from this population. Google advertisements were used from 5 June to 28 July 2014 and gained an additional 86 responses. Respondents received a AU$20 shopping voucher for completing the survey. A survey question invited respondents to participate in a telephone interview about problem gambling stigma. Amongst the 58 survey respondents who agreed to an interview, 44 interviews were achieved, with the remainder being non-contactable despite multiple contact attempts.
Participants
Amongst the 44 interviewees, 28 were males, with about two-fifths of participants aged less than 35 years (Table 1 ). Twenty-three participants described their ethnicity as Australian, with the remainder from backgrounds including Indian, English, Serbian, Greek and Asian.
Published online:
Table 1. age and sex of participants..
Gaming machines, horse race betting and online sports betting were reported to have caused most gambling problems amongst males, although many discussed multiple problematic forms. Seven males had experienced gambling problems for less than 2 years, 10 for 2–10 years, 5 for 11–19 years, and 6 for over 20 years. Most females were aged over 44 years. All reported gaming machines as most problematic except one who reported horse race betting. Three had experienced gambling problems for less than 2 years, 9 for 2–10 years, and 3 for over 20 years (1 unknown). Fifteen described their ethnicity as Australian and one as Greek. Thus, female participants tended to be older and to have experienced gambling problems for longer; males were more likely to have problems with wagering, and women with gaming machines.
All recruits were sent a participant information sheet, informed consent form, and the interview questions (to enable the gathering of more considered responses from the interviewees). All interviews were conducted by telephone by 1 of 2 clinical psychologists, lasted 30–60 minutes, were digitally recorded and later transcribed. Participants received a AU$50 shopping voucher as reimbursement for their time.
Interview schedule
The interview schedule contained four main sections: (1) demographics and gambling of participants; (2) perceived public stigma, including how problem gamblers are perceived to be viewed by others and experiences of stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours; (3) self-stigma, focusing on participants’ feelings about having a gambling problem; and (4) coping with stigma and effects on help-seeking behaviour.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to generate deep insights and understandings into how individuals make sense of the phenomenon being studied, including the meanings and perceptions they place on their particular experiences (Smith et al., Citation 1999 ). Themes were identified from participants’ accounts, and connections made between themes to group them in a meaningful way. Trustworthiness of the data was enhanced by professional transcription of interview recordings, and checking transcriptions against recordings and for inconsistencies in individuals’ responses (Stiles, Citation 1993 ). The interviewers also periodically reflected their understanding to participants during interviews to check accuracy of interpretation, in a ‘recycling’ process (Atwood & Stolorow, Citation 1984 ). Trustworthiness of the interpretation was enhanced by a second researcher reviewing all transcripts to ensure that salient themes and sub-themes had been faithfully captured, and that no important themes or sub-themes had been overlooked in the first analysis. Validity was also enhanced by using a range of participants’ quotes to support interpretation, tagged below by participant number, gender and age range, respectively. Results are discussed as they are presented to position them within theoretical models of stigma and in relation to previous research.
The analysis identified numerous themes and sub-themes, summarized in Table 2 , and these are included as subheadings or underlined in the analysis below.
Table 2. Themes and sub-themes in results.
Perceived public stigma: stigmatizing beliefs held by participants, perceived origin of problem gambling and other dimensions.
They’d say, ‘Oh, all you’ve got to do is stay away [from gambling].’ They look at it as being a weak person that is a problem gambler, someone that’s got no control over what they’re doing. (48, F, 65+)
I used to think a problem gambler – it was their own fault and what they thought they were doing, and why on earth didn’t they just stop it and how could they possibly do what they were doing to themselves and for their family and others? That view has changed as a result of my own experiences. I am now understanding that it’s not necessarily something that’s within control. So I have a great deal of sympathy. (25, M, 55–64)
It’s really just those people that don’t gamble, don’t understand that it is an addiction. So they’re the ones that stigmatise them … they tend to put a stigma on it rather than understand the problem. (33, M, 25–34)
To just assume that someone can just stop without help; I don’t think that that’s fair to expect people to snap out of it. (9, M, 18–24)
They think that they’re just wasting their time in the venue. They think they’re thieves. They’re liars. They have no life. They have no family. (16, M, 18–24)
Labelling and stereotypes
It makes you think that they’re looking at you and seeing that weakness and perhaps that’s all they’re ever going to see after that and they’re never going to be able to see you as successful or well-rounded and everything else. (4, M, 35–44)
It is a stereotype that problem gamblers are incapable of being a normal human. (33, M, 25–34)
Some which generalise gambling into like one category and it’s like them all … I generally disagree with that because I know that I’m a good person. (41, M 18–24)
Separating through social distancing
They don’t want to make friends with them. They keep their distance from problem gamblers. (8, F, 55–64)
They either can’t be bothered with you or they just think you are an idiot. (48, F, 65+)
Emotional reactions
I thought they’d support me but they haven’t … I’ll say, ‘Look, I enjoy going to the club’, and then I can see the look of disdain in their faces. You know, can’t you do something better like clean your house instead of spending all the time at [the club]? (8, F, 55–64)
My best friend … reacted really angrily because he felt like I was wasting my life and my money and my current situation with my family. And I thought he would’ve been more sympathetic to my situation, but he reacted angrily to me. It shocked me! (51, M, 35–44)
I thought my parents would be really angry and judgmental because they’re very religious but when I did tell them, they were nothing but supportive and they got me help with a counsellor and just stood by me. (9, M, 18–24)
Devaluation and discrimination
When I’m not there, they say something else. (21, M, 35–44)
I often feel people maybe are watching me … that’s only my own feelings, it’s not that anyone has said anything to me. (43, M 45–54)
You throw 50 after 50 in, and there’s a little old lady betting 25 cents next to you, and she’s watching you betting $50 a hit, so – yeah. She’s definitely judging you. (16, M, 18–24)
Like being looked down on, almost as if it was criminal. (51, M, 35–44)
I was a regular at a particular place and obviously I’d continually lost there … the staff … act like they’re better than you … they look down on you. And so, when they’re going to serve me, like for a drink …it’s just like ‘oh, just hurry up. Get it and go’… I didn’t go back after that actually because you’re having to deal mentally, to try to win your money back without having to deal with people thinking you’re below them. (51, M, 35–44)
Well, this was the most embarrassing thing that happened to me. When I self-excluded myself from one of the clubs, my girlfriend’s husband was a security guy who’d go and pick the money up. And they must have photos up in the office, and she said to me, ‘So and so saw your photo in the office of the club that you self-excluded yourself from.’ I just felt terrible. But he shouldn’t have even mentioned that because that’s a privacy issue. So I was really not happy about that. I rang up the club and I felt that they should not have those photos on show for people to come in from outside to be seeing … And I felt in that case, I was being discriminated against because I felt that they didn’t care. (48, F, 65+)
Following an experience of judgment or discrimination, many participants recalled feeling angry, defeated, inadequate, surprised or just terrible. Three interviewees, however, maintained that they did not care as they were ‘thick skinned’, ‘tough’ or ‘I simply laughed it off’ (36, M, 55–64), although it is possible that these claims reflect a certain bravado used as a coping mechanism to hide deeper feelings of shame. These three participants were all male, ranging in age from 35 to 64; however, further research is needed to ascertain whether reported resistance to negative judgment is gender-based and to identify other influential factors. For some participants however, perceived stigma appeared to be internalized as self-stigma.
Self-stigma: internalization of stigmatizing beliefs by participants
Perceived public stigma can result in a spoiled social identity which may adversely impact on subjective identity; the resulting self-stigma then affects what stigmatized people think about themselves (Goffman, Citation 1963 ). When participants were asked how having a gambling problem made them feel, the impact on their self-image was striking, reflecting the diminished self-esteem, self-efficacy and perceived social worth that accompanies self-stigma (Corrigan, Citation 2004 ; Watson et al., Citation 2007 ). Most participants described feeling ‘weak’, ‘stupid’, ‘worthless’, ‘bad’, ‘ashamed’ and ‘embarrassed’. Emotions such as anger and annoyance (at themselves), as well as guilt, dominated. Feeling ‘surprised’, ‘disgusted’, ‘scared’, ‘incomplete’, ‘anxious’, ‘saddened’ and ‘uneasy’, and experiences of loss of dignity and ‘crying inside’ were also mentioned.
Makes me feel very depressed. You know, it lowers my self-esteem. (46, F, 45–54)
I can go really good all day and just exercise and then if I decide I’m going to go to the club that night, then I feel that when I come home I will binge on chocolate or whatever else, because my self-esteem just – I’ve got none. (48, F, 65+)
I feel sick in the stomach. I dry retch because I’m that sick. (8, F, 55–64)
You turn to hide away a bit more and avoid conflict, and you don’t stand up for yourself. And physically, it’s hard. It’s – I get a lot of stress and stomach pain or build up a lot of stomach acid. (33, M, 25–34)
Depression. Yeah. It’s – well, physically, it’s like in waves … it has caused me massive weight gain and laziness, fatigue, just as a side effect to depression. (51, M, 35–44)
I feel less of a person that I can’t control something. (2, M, 35–44)
Sick, ashamed, angry and guilty. (8, F, 55–64)
It made me feel bad about myself because I knew that it was silly and I knew that it was pointless. (14, M, 45–54)
It was just more about correcting a weakness, I don’t really worry too much about the criticism. (36, M, 55–64)
So a lot of the time I don’t actually think about what others think about me because I can hide it, keep it to myself. It’s probably just me judging me, rather than them judging me. (4, M, 35–44)
A lot of it is to do with how others perceive you and what you think they think of you because of it. (9, M, 18–24)
It used to be about others but now it’s how I perceive myself, because after a while I thought ‘Oh, what they think doesn’t matter’, but I can’t get away from what I feel about myself. (48, F, 65+)
It never affected me physically at all. And, mentally, I’ve sort of a bit of a ‘screw you’ attitude or do whatever I like. It’s my money. (36, M, 55–64)
Coping with stigma
It took a long time for me to actually come forward and kind of admit that I had a problem. Yeah. It obviously took a long time to get over that. The shame, as you say, there’s the shame of it. And just to be able to come out and say it. (27, M, 25–34)
I don’t tell them anything and I have a million and one excuses of where the money went or why I’ve got, how I got this, and why this is not paid. So it’s basically being devious because I don’t want them to look at me and think – I don’t even want their pity, you know, I just want them to think of me, same as others would be. (48, F, 65+)
Because I don’t like to admit that I have a problem and, you know, that would be admitting to my husband that I do have a problem. But I like to think that, you know, I can control it … but I know like next week when I’ve got my month’s pay, I’ll be like ‘Oh well, I’ll just go [gambling] for a little’. (32, F, 45–54)
I feel it made it a lot harder to get started [on recovery]. I don’t know whether that was due to real external stigma or it’s just my rejection. But I did struggle for months, maybe even a year, to actually talk to other people about it. And that was definitely … my perception of the stigma. (50, F, 25–34)
I think they’re ashamed … they turn a blind eye and just, you know … ignore that there’s a problem … it’s a taboo subject. (8, F, 55–64)
It’s harder too. It’s a struggle because you just don’t feel confident enough to be raising the issues, you relapsed, and all that … So it was more predicament and you go ‘Oh, I really don’t wanna be a joke or I don’t wanna look like an idiot so I’m just gonna shut my mouth and hope it goes away’. (50, F, 25–34)
The interviews revealed minimal evidence of use of other forms of coping, such as withdrawal, educating and challenging (Link et al., Citation 2001 ), although cognitive distancing was evident in delays in problem acknowledgement and avoidance of help services, as these would confirm the presence of a gambling problem to self and others.
The influence of stigma on seeking formal help for problem gambling
Self-exclusion.
One of the things my wife wanted me to do was to self-exclude. For more than a year after it came out, I saw that as a sign of failure and it was an admission that I was not strong enough and not good enough and not the sort of person I wanted to be. That surely the goodness I can stop this without having to be prevented from going somewhere and having that sort of potential embarrassment … I did [self-exclude] in the end. And that was a pretty traumatic experience to be honest. (25, M, 55–64)
In a venue – If I’d have done that … I would have felt that that I would have let myself down by not being able to deal with it myself … when you do this online business, you’re not going to go to the public and say, ‘Oh, I’m barred from . . .’ Ultimately, I’ve just barred myself from these websites. (36, M 55–64)
Peer support groups
I didn’t want to join . . . it’s not just admitting to yourself, it’s admitting to the world and then everyone is going to look at you different and you don’t want that. (48, F, 65+)
Formal counselling
I haven’t really felt that that [stigma] affects going to see a counsellor because generally, once you get to that point, you need to talk to someone, and the stigma doesn’t really bother you. (33, M, 25–34)
I know they’d be kind and supportive and they’re there to help you, but everybody is judgmental in some way whether they realise they do it or not. (1, F, 25–34)
I’d get ostracised at work. (52, F, 25–34)
It makes you feel like you have a worse problem than you do. (41, M, 18–24)
The counsellor is just waiting for me to fall out of line, and then it’ll be no stopping her. (8, F, 55–64)
Online and telephone support
About half the participants had sought help via online or telephone services. There was no indication that participants felt judged or stigmatized by these services, likely due to their anonymity. Previous research (Cooper, Citation 2001 , Citation 2004 ) has found that using anonymous forms of help allows people to avoid some forms of stigma by being able to withhold personal information and have greater control over disclosure. Indeed, 70% of participants using online gambling help in Cooper’s ( Citation 2001 ) study had previously avoided using face-to-face gambling services due to fear of stigma.
This study explored how people with gambling problems experience and cope with perceived and self-stigma. Highly evident was the overwhelming perception that problem gambling attracts high levels of public stigma, and that the public views problem gambling as being caused by personal failings. These findings are consistent with stigma theories (Corrigan et al., Citation 2003 ; Jones et al., Citation 1984 ; Weiner, Citation 1986 ) and with the limited previous research into problem gambling stigma (Carroll et al., Citation 2013 ; Dhillon et al., Citation 2011 ; Feldman & Crandall, Citation 2007 ; Horch & Hodgins, Citation 2008 ). Participants’ perceptions of the public stigmatization of problem gambling also reflected all elements theorized as comprising the process of stigma creation (Link et al., Citation 2004 ). This suggests that the formation of problem gambling stigma probably occurs through similar mechanisms to those for other mental disorders. Many participants appeared to have internalized perceived stigma as self-stigma, with deleterious effects reported on self-esteem, self-efficacy, perceived social worth, and mental and physical health. Deep shame was a near universal emotion amongst participants with self-stigmatizing beliefs, prompting secrecy as the main coping mechanism (Link et al., Citation 2004 ) to preserve a (problem-free) social and subjective identity (Goffman, Citation 1963 ). The findings confirmed that perceived and self-stigma are major barriers to seeking help for problem gambling (Gainsbury et al., Citation 2014 ; Hodgins & el-Guebaly, Citation 2000 ; Rockloff & Schofield, Citation 2004 ; Tavares et al., Citation 2002 ).
The importance of addressing stigma towards many mental illnesses has been recognized internationally. The World Health Organization ( Citation 2001 ) has highlighted the need to combat stigma related to mental illness and promote action against such stigma. Public education and awareness campaigns may reduce stigma and discrimination, increase use of treatment services, and close the gap in the perception of mental and physical health as two distinct issues. However, research on educational campaigns suggests that these tend to reach those who already agree with the message (Rüsch et al., Citation 2005 ). Importantly, some campaigns about problem gambling may actually increase stigma, by increasing the separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’, such as by describing people with gambling problems as neglecting their families, unable to pay their bills, and irresponsible. Therefore, care is needed to create an appropriate message, which is difficult given the diversity of communities targeted.
Involving families and consumers in the planning and development of policies, programmes and services may also help provide a powerful, vocal and active force for change. Stigma may be reduced by increasing the contact of communities with people with gambling problems, as this contact may decrease stereotyping (Rüsch et al., Citation 2005 ). Including contact with consumers has been found to increase the effectiveness of educational interventions (Pinfold et al., Citation 2003 ; Schulze, Richter-Werling, Matschinger, & Angermeyer, Citation 2003 ). By replacing stereotypes with more positive images, public stigma towards people with gambling problems may be reduced.
Making treatment services and interventions available in a more anonymous, private way may reduce the extent that stigma is a barrier to these. Broader provision of online treatment options may be highly useful to encourage help-seeking for gambling problems as these enable anonymity (Gainsbury & Blaszczynski, Citation 2011 ; Rodda & Lubman, Citation 2014 ). Although this may not reduce stigma, it may encourage help-seeking, which can lead to reduced problems and addressing self-stigma. Efforts may also be needed at an institutional level; for example, by educating health professionals about stigma, how to reduce stigma, and the importance of screening for gambling problems. Similarly, there is also room for intervention with service providers, who are not immune to stigmatizing their own clients (Gray, Citation 2002 ). One study (Hayes et al., Citation 2004 ) has found preliminary evidence for an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Training that may successfully reduce stigmatizing attitudes and behaviour in counsellors.
A precondition for effective stigma-reduction interventions is to arrive at a valid model for the stigma of the condition being examined (Schomerus et al., Citation 2011 ). It is hoped that this initial research into stigma-related experiences will prompt further research to better understand problem gambling stigma and efforts to reduce its deleterious effects. Stigma is a complex phenomenon and much more research is needed, including on the stigma on families of people with gambling problems and on structural discrimination, especially within the health care system. Knowledge is also scant about the effects of stigma within co-morbid conditions, which is important, given that gambling problems are highly co-morbid with other mental health issues (Black & Moyer, Citation 2014 ; Petry, Stinson, & Grant, Citation 2005 ). Research is also needed into how stigma is affected by having multiple marginalized statuses in addition to problem gambling, such as other addictions, mental health disorders and homelessness. Attention to multiple disadvantaged social statuses is important in designing effective interventions to combat stigma and to find the root cause of health disparities (Stuber, Mayer, & Link, Citation 2008 ). Having multiple marginalized statuses has been found to have differing effects on stigma (Deacon, Citation 2006 ; Goudge, Ngoma, Manderson, & Schneider, Citation 2009 ; Meyer, Schwartz, & Frost, Citation 2008 ), but this has not been investigated for problem gambling. Additionally, the role of gender in problem gambling stigma requires dedicated studies, especially considering that females appear to be less stigmatized than males for having a mental health problem (Farina, Citation 1981 ), but more stigmatized for alcohol or drug abuse (Robbins, Citation 1989 ). Hing et al. ( Citation 2014 ) have speculated that women are more likely to be and feel more stigmatized for problem gambling due to a perceived failure to live up to expected gender roles, which can lead to intense shame and guilt. However, men may also feel comparable levels of shame and guilt if they fail in performing their traditional gender role of breadwinner (Simon, Citation 1995 ).
Although awareness of the impact of stigma is increasing in some jurisdictions, further research is needed to identify and develop strategies to best reduce stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours, and to increase the strategies for people with gambling problems to cope with stigma until public stigma has substantially diminished.
We also acknowledge the contribution of Anastasia Hronis to early drafts of a literature review which informed this manuscript.
Conflicts of interest
Competing interests: All authors have received funding support and provided consultancies to organizations directly and indirectly benefiting from gambling, including Australian governments and industry operators. They each declare no conflict of interest in relation to this manuscript.
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Gambling The negative effects of gambling have been researched, touted, published and spewed forth from the mouths of researchers and do-gooders for decades, yet there has been an astonishing lack of research accomplished on the positive aspects of gambling influences on modern society (or even past societies for that matter). The reason behind such paucity might be that there are no positive aspects to gambling and that it leads to a plethora of problems that have negative connotations written all over them. On the other hand, it could also be that researchers have just not taken the time or made the effort to determine the positive aspects primarily because it is so easy to see the negative over the positive. This lack of effort on the researcher's part could also be that they do not wish to be seen personally commending an act that so many others find reprehensible. Yet,…
Works Cited
Abbot, M. Volberg, R. Bellringer, M. & Reith, G. "A Review of Research on Aspects of Problem Gambling." Auckland University of Technology, Gambling Research Center, 2004 London Responsibility in Gambling Trust
American Psychiatric Association. "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition." 1994: Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association
Griffiths, Mark. Wardle, Heather. Orford, Jim. Sproston, Kerry. Erens, Bob. "Gambling, Alcohol, Consumption, Cigarette Smoking and Health: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey." Addiction Research & Theory April 2010: 18 (2) pp. 208 -- 223
Griffiths, M.D. "Gambling Addiction and its Treatment within the NHS." 2007 London: British Medical Association
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The Christian and Gambling." Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. http://www.rpc.org/morals/gambling.htm
Dew, Diane. "Gambling and the Bible. http://dianedew.com/gambling.htm.
Gambling and the Bible." The Interactive Bible. http://www.bible.ca/s-gambling.htm
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Barrett, Will. (24 Nov 2003) Can we save 'problem gamblers' from the consequences of their actions? Online opinion: Austrialia's e-journal of social and political debate. Available at:
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=887
Blaszczynski, Alex. (2003). " Pathways to Pathological Gambling: Identifying Typologies." Journal of Gambling Issues. Available at:
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?encquery=349531a9e7f7055d10824a960b6f6a704802808b2403ab1740f65a07c758b205&invocationType=keyword_rollover&ie=UTF-8
Gambling Far Beyond Entertainment Gambling
Thus, people become too involved in the gambling itself, loosing control of taking back their senses. This then can result in a serious gambling problem, which if not treated properly, can harbor serious negative ramifications within the context of the person's life. Support groups and addiction programs can help keep people from being consumed by their habits. This is stark contrast of the defining elements of a hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be things to do on the side to increase enjoyment, not to consume the entire whole of the individual. Additionally, gambling has long been known for its negative consequences; which definitely keep it from fulfilling the defining elements of a hobby. It has also been long associated with other forms of addictive vices, such as drinking and drug abuse. Thus, gambling can go hand in hand with other crimes, and be a facilitator for the existence of crime…
Anderson, Dan. (2010). Gambling as a profession. ABC Article Directory. Retrieved February 17, 2010 from http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/Gambling-as-a-Profession/313306
Gamblers Anonymous. (2010). Official gamblers' home page. International Service Office. Retrieved February 17, 2010 from http://www.gamblersanonymous.org /index.html
Gambling Among College Students
Gambling among college students is a growing problem on campuses across the country. A study released in May 2004 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association showed a growing tendency toward gambling among college-student-athletes, prompting the NCAA to commission a task force to study the problem (Dooley Pp). According to NCAA President Myles Brand, "The scope of sports wagering among intercollegiate student-athletes is startling and disturbing ... Sports wagering is a double threat because it harms the well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of college sports" (Dooley Pp). The study revealed that gambling was a bigger problem among male athletes, about 35%, than compared to 10% of females (Dooley Pp). Football, golf, wrestling and lacrosse were the sports with the highest percentages of male athletes betting, while the sports with the largest numbers of female wagering were golf, lacrosse, basketball and field hockey (Dooley Pp). One college student confessed that he…
Dooley, Jason. "Gambling on the Rise among College Student-Athletes, Study
Reports." The Daily News:Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. 5/16/2004; Pp.
Breaux, Kia Shante. "Gambling seen on the rise among college students."
Associated Press. Online. 4/17/1998; Pp.
Gambling Odds
Gambling Odds Casino gambling in the United States is growing rapidly and shows no signs of abating. Since the first casinos opened on Native American reservations, many states have seen the potential revenue that gambling can add to its coffers. hen Pennsylvania decided to add casino gambling in 2006, it was with the idea that it could generate enough revenue to supply some tax relief. But within just five years, eleven casinos have opened in the state brining in a total of $3.66 billion in revenue, surpassing New Jersey to become the second-largest casino destination in the country behind Nevada (alters). This remarkable surge in gambling would not exist if not for the desire of average people to make large amounts of money in a short time. Every person who enters a casino seems sure that their large payday is imminent and they continue to spend, reasoning that eventually one…
Walters, Patrick. "Pennsylvania Now 2nd Biggest Gambling Market in America." NBC10
Philadelphia. NBCUniversal, Inc., 4 Apr 2012. Web. 18 Apr 2012.
Eadington, William R. "The Economics of Casino Gambling." The Journal of Economic
Perspectives 13.3 (1999): 173-192. Print.
Gambling - A Victimless Crime
These subcultures discourage respect for property, encourage violence and revenge, and depress the economy of the areas in which they operate (Consensual pp). Federal and state laws prohibit the placing of bets on professional and college sporting events in every state except Nevada, yet, illegal sports wagering continues to prosper (Saum pp). The main reason for the increase in illegal sport wagering is that society accepts gambling and believes there are no victims (Saum pp). In fact, gambling is becoming an accepted activity in areas of the country that never before had access, virtually everyone can buy a lottery ticket, bet on a horse, or drive to a riverboat casino just a short trip away (Saum pp). Due to its growing popularity, people are becoming less sensitive to the dangers of gambling and more and more are viewing sports wagering as a socially acceptable way to enjoy sporting events with…
Consensual crime." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensual_crime
Peck, Donald L. "When Casino Gambling Comes to Your Hometown: The Biloxi Experience.(law enforcement management strategies)"
The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 1/1/2001. Retrieved July 13, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.
Saum, William S. "Sports Gambling in College: Cracking Down on Illegal
Gambling Has Long Been a
As such the stigma that once existed concerning gambling no longer exists. People are therefore more likely to engage in gambling activities and more likely to develop an addiction to gambling. The author further explains that even though there are still social conflicts concerning the implementation and expansion of certain types of gambling such as, video lottery, terminals gambling has become a largely accepted practice (Cosgrave (2010). In addition, gambling is an activity that is mass-marketed by private gambling companies and states as type of leisure activity (Cosgrave (2010). This mass-marketing of gambling sends a message to consumers that gambling is an activity that is accepted and even expected in that particular community. As such people are more likely to participate in such and activity and less likely to feel guilty as a result of such participation. Cosgrave (2010) further explains that gambling addictions have a great deal to do…
Casey, E.(2008) Women, pleasure and the gambling experience. Ashgate Publishing.
"Compulsive Gambling Addiction and Treatment." Addiction Research. Retrieved April 26, 2010 from: http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/compulsive-gambling-addiction-and-treatment_17.html
Cosgrave, James F. And Thomas R. Klassen. 2001. Gambling against the state: The state and the legitimation of gambling. Current Sociology 4(5):1 -- 22.
Cosgrave J.F. (2010). Embedded Addiction: The Social Production of Gambling Knowledge and the Development of Gambling Markets. Canadian Journal of Sociology. Vol 35, No 113-134
Gambling The Addiction and How
The Gamblers Anonymous group makes the point that they are not affiliated with any particular religion, but they have spiritual tenets within the structure of their recovery program. They also indicate that compulsive gambling is not a financial problem; it's an "emotional problem" and along with the addiction the individual involved can begin experiencing problems with his or her marriage, with employment, with friends and with the law. The Mayo Clinic says that compulsive gambling is an "impulse-control disorder." hat that means is that the person involved is not able to "…resist engaging in behavior that's harmful to you or to someone else." (Mayo Clinic). Those with impulse-control disorder generally receive a feeling of "emotional arousal or excitement" prior to engaging in whatever behavior they are obsessed with. Following the emotional arousal and excitement, the person -- when he or she actually begins physically engaging in gambling -- gets a…
Gamblers Anonymous. (2010). Questions and Answers. Retrieved Nov. 14, 2010, from
Gambling in Cyberspace Gambling Has
Cyber gamblers might feel less threatened since the context entitles them to hide their identity; thus, the individual feel less responsible for his or her actions. Note also that in the workplace, gambling does not raise much commotion as that of pornography. More so, if it does not seem to interrupt the employee's performance. But the problem may still be in the premature stage with its long-term effects yet to be witnessed. If the employers fail to anticipate the outcome of their employees' addiction to online gambling, they might someday find themselves at the losing end - earning much less due to employee unproductiveness. Employers must be made aware of the problems online gambling brings; with this, is the responsibility to keep their employees well-informed about it too. Information dissemination should not be expected to instantly solve the online gambling problem, but should be regarded as a tiny step worth…
Page, Leigh (2007). Online gambling ups odds of a problem in workplace. Business Insurance, 41 (26).
Gambling Bioethics Gambling A Literary Review Gambling
Gambling Bioethics Gambling: A literary review Gambling has a paradoxical role in modern society -- while it is a legal and socially-acceptable activity, it can also be highly addictive and yield negative consequences for the bettor. A literary review of existing studies on gambling behavior suggests that certain factors are likely to increase the behavior of gambling activities The higher the involved 'information search,' the higher purchase intention on casino's consumers In general, the more investment an individual places in the process of 'information searching,' the higher the degree his or her likelihood of making a purchase. This was demonstrated in a study of apartment-seeking designed to understand information investment: "the results demonstrate that the information processing leading to choice will vary as a function of task complexity" and the more complex the decision-making and the greater the investment of time in searching information, the higher the likelihood of a…
Derevensky, Jeffrey L., Rina Gupta and Giuseppe Della Cioppa. (1994). A developmental perspective of gambling behavior in children and adolescents. Journal of Gambling
Studies, 12 (1): 49-66
Payne, John. (2004). Task complexity and contingent processing in decision making:
An information search and protocol analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human
Gambling Pro the Positive Effects
) (2003,p. A20). Vatz notes that those who gamble too much and suffer as a result have freely made that choice as "No force extrinsic to willpower forces people to gamble" (2003, p. A20). Opponents also use the argument that African-Americans suffer "alleged disproportionate financial devastation" (Vatz and einberg, 2003) when organized gambling is legalized. They also, however, cite research that notes that "blacks actually are less likely to gamble than whites" (Vatz and einberg, 2003), although those who do gamble do so more often and lose more money. This leads opponents to claim that they suffer disproportionately from the "pathological" form of gambling; Vatz, as noted earlier, does not accept that there is pathology associated with the 'choice' to gamble, which would make moot the points concerning African-American gambling damage. Benefits of legalizing organized gambling hether or not there is any truly psychological or pathological component in gambling (and…
Horn, Bernard P. "Is There a Cure for America's Gambling Addiction?" USA Today, 1997, May.
Krebs, Brian. "U.S. Internet Gambling Crackdown Sparks WTO Complaint; Caribbean Nation Charges that U.S. Policies Violate International Trade Accords" Washingtonpost.com, 2003, July 21.
Lopez, Walter K. "Legalized Gambling: Racing for Dollars." New Mexico Business Journal, 1991, Feb.
Sheehan, Tom. "Bill Would Tax Video Gambling Machines." La Crosse (WI) Tribune, 2001, June 05.
Gambling Addiction Center the Center
Only a small percentage of people with severe AOD problems seek treatment (Loveland, 2003). Among those who do, there is a high attrition from initial contact through screening, assessment, and admission, and even greater attrition when this process involves a waiting list for services (Loveland, 2003). The BHM model seeks to infuse front-end, or pretreatment, recovery-support services into the community (Loveland, 2003). The goals of such pretreatment services are to: 1) "encourage the self-resolution of AOD problems through natural or mutual aid resources as an alternative to professionally directed treatment, 2) intervene at early stages of problem development before high-intensity services are needed, 3) intervene in severe forms of AOD problems before recovery capital is fully depleted, (4) reduce the attrition in sobriety-seeking and help- seeking experiments, 5) help individuals use community-support systems (Loveland, 2003), 6) engage individuals within their current developmental stage of change. In short, these services are…
Loveland, David (2003) a model to transcend the limitations of addiction treatment: the acute model of intervention is being challenged by models that wrap episodes of professional treatment within a continuum of recovery-support services. (Features Article). Behavioral Health Management
Riessman, Frank (1998) the peer principle: the key to addiction treatment.
Kertesz, Louise (1997) Addressing addiction: groups fight on-size-fits-all substance-abuse coverage. Modern Healthcare
HUMPHREYS, KEITH (1999) Professional Interventions That Facilitate 12-Step Self-Help Group Involvement. Alcohol Research & Health
Gambling and Ethics A Contradiction
What about the privacy and security of gambling patrons that organizations such as the Mirage Casino violate on a regular basis to gather information in data mining in an attempt to know the patterns of their patrons and to maximize profits from them? Perhaps the questions are much like those for the cigarette industry. Here is an industry that governments have become heavily dependent upon for income but which has severe social consequences. Certainly, it is not enough to hang a disclaimer sign by the door warning the patron of the consequences. Society also has to deal with the consequences of human stupidity as well. A main issue raised against gambling by antigambling activists is that gambling is inherently wrong. They argue that it is against human nature and nobility on a base level. The gambler violates their own conscience by yielding to greed. Gambling is in essence an irrational…
Gambling the the Effects on the American Society
Legalization of Gambling and the Effects of Society Though the federal law does not criminalize gambling, there are heavy restrictions particularly on the interstate and online gambling. Each state in the U.S.A. has the mandate and freedom to prohibit, or allow and regulate gambling within the confines of its own borders. The casino-style of gambling is seen to be minimal in terms of is spread across the U.S. with only Louisiana and Nevada where the casino-style gambling is legal across the state. Both the local governments and the state government have in place licensing and zoning restrictions which effectively restricts gambling to smaller geographical regions like Mississippi, New Jersey, Atlantic and such like confinements. One way of legalizing gambling in the U.S. across the state without fear of disorganizing the society, is to first overcome the fear of unintended consequences of legalizing gambling. The state needs to have in place…
Williams R.J. et.al, (2011). The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling. Retrieved June 3, 2016 from https://www.umass.edu/seigma/sites/default/files/SEIG%20Report-Williams%20Rehm%20%20stevens%202011.pdf
Merton R.K., (1968). Manifest and latent Functions. Retrieved June 3, 2016 from http://n.ereserve.fiu.edu/ba57828.pdf
Legalized Gambling Is Defined as the Staking
Legalized Gambling Gambling is defined as the staking of money as well as goods that have a material value on a particular event with the intention to win extra money (or material goods with value for that matter). The result of this wagering becomes evident in a short period of time. It has now become a commercial activity that is conducted internationally, meanwhile the legal gambling market was estimated at $335 billion in 2009 (The Economist, 2010). The games that are played by gamblers in the modern casinos of today were first originated in China and Europe (The History of American Gambling, 2012). Some of the games that originated in Europe include baccarat, blackjack, craps and roulette; meanwhile those that were originated in China include keno and pai gow poker (Gambling History, from the beginning, 2011). There are many countries of the world where gambling has been banned. At the…
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Crisp, Beth R.; Thomas, Shane A.; Jackson, Alun C.; Thomason, Neil; Smith, Serena; Borrell, Jennifer; Ho, Wei-ying; Holt, Tangerine A. (2000). "Sex Differences in the Treatment Needs and Outcomes of Problem Gamblers" (abstract page). Research on Social Work Practice 10 (2).
Economic Impact of Legalized Gambling in America
Economic Impact of Gambling Economic Impacts Of Gambling The economic impact of legalized gambling in the United States The economic challenge of the contemporary period requires that renewed focus be given to any approaches that may improve the economic fortunes of states and ultimately the country. Gambling is one of approaches to economic development that is stymied with both positive and negative economic opportunities. States that legalize gambling are often faced with a factor that improves the fortunes of some groups and reduces or limits the gains of others. Thus the economic impact of gambling; while it is demonstrably a mixed experience continues to thrive because of the fiscal benefits to the state, and powerful individuals in the society. When one examines the economic impact of legalized gambling there is a need to examine what happens to communities, legitimate businesses, and the state. This work will confine its analysis to…
Thompson, O.G. (2002) People Against a Casino Town Information Economic Impact of Legalizing Gambling. Retrieved from http://pactoregon.org/facts-economic-thompson02.html
Asian Culture and Gambling
gambling in the Asian-American community. Specifically, it will discuss the differences in how Asian customs or cultures effect how they gamble, and why Asians are much more prone to be pathological gamblers. It will include some Asian superstitions and beliefs about gambling. Asian gambling is a major trouble spot in Asian communities around the world. Asians love to gamble and wager -- it has been part of their history for centuries. Asian gambling is growing in numbers and in seriousness, and numerous communities are now addressing the Asian gambling problem, while struggling to understand just why Asians love to gamble so much. Asian Culture and Gambling Asians have a long and colorful history, and much of it includes gambling in one form or another. Scientists, researchers, and experts cite numerous reasons for the Asian propensity for gaming, from cultural and societal, to boredom, the need for excitement, and a lack…
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< http://www.asianweek.com/2001_04_06/bay1_gambling.html
Internet Gambling Consumers Industry and Regulation
Internet Gambling: Consumers, Industry, And Regulation usiness Management Final Year Project Online gambling is a large and growing industry. Estimates from an industry consulting group indicate that as many as 2,000 firms worldwide are involved in offering a number of different types of online gambling, resulting in an estimated $25.4 billion in winnings and as much as twenty times that in revenue. Why is online gambling so popular, and what does this imply for society? This research was aimed at exploring the scope of internet gambling industry, the methods of internet gambling, as well as current state of regulation towards gambling industry. The author then considered implications for the industry as a whole. Findings of the research indicate that there are a wide range of people involved in online gambling, and that online gambling's ease of access plays a significant role in the industry. This is a significant problem because…
American Gaming Association. (2010). Internet gambling. Retrieved from http://www.americangaming.org/Industry/factsheets/issues_detail.cfv?id=17
Avcock, J. (2010). Spyware and adware. London: Springer.
Brown, S.J. (2006). The surge in online gambling on college campuses. New Directions in Student Services, 113, 53-61.
Derevensky, J.L., & Gupta, R. (2007). Internet gambling amongst adolescents: A growing concern. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 5, 93-101. Doi: 10.1007/s11469-007-9057-9.
Employee Gambling Casino Gambling Has
At the same time, there are several examples of corruption within casinos in terms of employees. In Atlantic City, for example, one of the largest gambling rings was recently infiltrated in November of this year. Police charged twenty three individuals including six casino employees, with illegal sports gambling. According to reports, the group took in more than $22 million in bets on college and professional basketball and football games since March of 2006. The bets were taken inside a poker room at a popular gambling hotel. A supervisor of the poker room was arrested in the action on charges of promoting illegal gambling. According to police reports, the group employed casino employees through bribes and payoffs to avoid detection (Clark, online). Casino owners agree a primary problem with casino employee gambling is the likelihood for addiction coupled with the availability of company funds, resources, and assets. As Michael D. umbolz,…
Ader, Jason N. Bear Stearns 2002-2003 North American Gamin Almanac. Las Vegas: Huntington Press, 2003.
American Gaming Association. "Casino Employment." Industry Information. 2003. American Gaming Association. December 10, 2007 http://www.americangaming.org/Industry/factsheets/general_info_detail.cfv?id=28.
American Gaming Association. "Responsible Gaming." Industry Information. 2003. American Gaming Association. December 10, 2007.
Buntain, Rex. "There's a Problem in the House." International Gaming & Wagering Business 3.1(1996): 39-45.
Compulsive or Pathological Gambling Pathological Gamblers and
Compulsive or pathological gambling [...] pathological gamblers and why they do not gamble for entertainment or retreatist purposes, but rather to try to chase their losses and beat the machine or the game they are playing. Pathological gamblers do not know how to stop gambling and in trying to chase their losses, they turn into problem or compulsive gamblers. Problem gambling is a huge problem in society today, and with the prevalence of casinos in so many more areas of the country, it just continues to grow. Some experts believe pathological or compulsive gambling is not a disease, however, most experts agree compulsive gambling is a life-threatening disease that not only affects the gambler, it affects all of those around him or her, from family and friends to employers, business associates, and creditors. Compulsive gambling is a disease, and it affects far more than simply the gambler, as any loved…
Barker, Thomas, and Marjie Britz. Jokers Wild: Legalized Gambling in the Twenty-First Century. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2000.
Blaszczynski, Alexander P. "A Winning Bet: Treatment for Compulsive Gambling." Psychology Today Dec. 1985: 38+.
Editors. "Home Page." National Council on Problem Gambling. 2004. 8 May 2004. http://www.ncpgambling.org /
Fisher, Sue. "The Pull of the Fruit Machines." The Sociological Review. Vol. 41, No. 3 August 1993.
Gambling a Social Problem Gambling
In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al., 1998). hile it is true that gambling addiction has increased among American Indian residents as a result of building casinos, in many instances improvements in standards of living took many of them out of poverty, decreasing the rate of behavioral problems and anti-social activities. In summary, both proponents of gambling-is-a-social-problem thesis and their opponents have strong arguments at hand. The debate is likely to continue without being resolved as it is a controversial topic and gambling among the U.S. population leads to mixed results: both positive and negative. orks Cited: Cornell, Kalt et al., American Indian Gaming Policy and Its Socio-Economic Effects. Cambridge, MA: Economic Resource Group, Inc., 1998. Print. Hardoon, Karen et al., "Psychological Variables Associated ith Adolescent Gambling." Psychology of Addictive…
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Cornell, Kalt et al., American Indian Gaming Policy and Its Socio-Economic Effects. Cambridge, MA: Economic Resource Group, Inc., 1998. Print.
Hardoon, Karen et al., "Psychological Variables Associated With Adolescent Gambling." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 18.2 (2004): 170-179. Print.
Larimer, Mary & Neighbors, Clayton. "Normative Misperception and the Impact of Descriptive and Injunctive Norms on College Student Gambling." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 17.3 (2003): 235-243. Print.
Momper, Sandra. "Implications of American Indian Gambling for Social Work Research and Practice." Social Work 55.2 (2010): 139-146. Print.
Sociology - Gambling the Sociology
These impulses may result in compulsive behavior ultimately leading to financial ruin and family devastation; partly for this reason, most American states had prohibited games of chance and other forms of gambling under a paternalistic attempt to protect people from their own compulsions (Lears p. 193). Las Vegas benefited from a confluence of circumstances that brought in workers and tourists to partake of something other states outlawed, and in time, gambling became the most lucrative industry in the region, employing more local residents and generating more revenue from non-residents than any other industry. Later, the connection between legalized gambling and its revenue-generating potential attracted criminal influences that shaped much of Las Vegas politics for decades. Partly because of the long-term association between gambling and criminal activity and partly because of age-old religious principles defining concepts like work, virtue, and sin, gambling was widely considered a blemish on society. The additional…
Bringing Legalized Casino Gambling to Galveston TX
Legalized Gambling in Galveston In the city of Galveston, Texas, it has been proposed to legalize gambling in order to support and encourage economic growth. Certainly legalizing gambling has been proven to increase revenue both in terms of development monies to the city and then also in the tourist trade as those who live in regions without gambling will likely travel to Galveston since it would be a closer cite for legal gambling than say Las Vegas, Nevada or Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, there are also several negatives associate with the legalization of gambling in any location, particularly in locations where there are no current systems of legislation allowing for it in any close proximity, such as would be the case in Galveston. The primary benefit to the community of Galveston, Texas to the legalization of gambling would be economic. For a community which has limited economic prowess in…
Goodman, Robert. (1994). "Legalized Gambling as a Strategy for Economic Development."
United States Gambling Study. UofM Amherst: Amherst, Mass.
Kang, Yong-Soon, et. al. (1996). "Resident Attitudes Toward Legal Gambling." Annals of Tourism Research. 23:1. 71-85.
Kearney, Melissa S. (2005). "The Economic Winners and Losers of Legalized Gambling."
Relation of Game Theory and Gambling
Game theory is a critical form of decision making that is used in various subjects like economy and political science. Its relevance is becoming prominent in the success rates that have come out in gambling and sports betting. The theory is basically an amalgamation of different models of cooperation and conflict between various decision makers (Myerson, 1991) Thus, it can be safely stated that the theory itself is not just one piece of information solidly put out there yet it's a combination of different authors and experts. As mentioned earlier, the game theory has been linked to economic models, science, gambling like poker or sports betting and social situations as well. In the game theory the simplest way of putting it is analyzing the number of players and the moves that they are likely to take. Using this information, a person can guess and figure out the number of choices…
Anon. (1994) Gambling. In The Columbia Encyclopedia. (6th ed) n.a: Columbia University Press
Anon. (2004) Gambling. In The Columbia Encyclopedia. (6th ed) n.a: Columbia University Press
Anon. (2012) Gambling.In The Columbia Encyclopedia. (6th ed) n.a: Columbia University Press
Aumann, R. And S. Hart (eds) (1992) Handbook of Game Theory. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Nature of Pathological Gambling and the Behavior
nature of pathological gambling and the behavior associated with it. The article begins by focusing on the necessity and relevance of behavior-analytic explorations of pathological gambling, which has not, according to the report, drawn widespread research attention up to the time of writing. One might therefore surmise that the article addresses an important component of behavior studies, since it can provide not only a deeper understanding of the compulsion being discussed, but also potential solutions for those who struggle with a gambling addiction. The study might even provide some grounds for further research into other types of addiction as well as other focus points within the gambling addiction paradigm. It therefore provides rich grounds for discussion around the focus of investigation itself as well as a wider branch of potential exploration. The literature review is not extensive, and forms part of the introduction. General sources are consulted to explain the…
Against the Idea of Legalizing Gambling in
against the idea of legalizing gambling in the town of Youngstown, Ohio. he writer takes the reader on a short history of the town and exposes the gangster activity that has always thrived within the town. he writer uses this as a springboard to argue that gambling becoming legal would only encourage a repeat of such mob activity. here were four sources used to complete this paper. LE's NO REPEA HISORY As the residents of Youngstown debate the issue of legalized gambling, there are many forces being exerted on both sides of the issue. Youngstown, Ohio has been economically deprived for some time and the city government as well as community advocates are scrambling to re-vitalize the area. When advocates of legalized gambling look at cities across the nation who have allowed it, they see improved economics through jobs and tourism as well as money for the school system being…
Those who lobby for the legalization of gambling toss out large dollar figures that they insist would be pumped into the school system. "About $186 million annually for all Ohio schools -- money that would be earmarked for schools in the Ohio Constitution, unlike the experience with the Ohio Lottery when it was first approved 24 years ago (James, 1997). " However what the town would lose in money due to extra law enforcement, court time and costs of the District attorney office, victim programs for crimes committed and other gambling related needs would offset any monies the town may or may not garner for the schools.
For a town to be in the financial situation that Youngstown is brings many options to the table. While city officials scramble to find solutions and answer to their constituents the idea of legalizing gambling can look very appealing. The appealing part wears off after the economy straightens out and we are left with the crime, the mafia and all that it brings with it for the rest of the city's existence. It is a much better idea to
Ethics and Its Role in
However, while there are investors willing to invest on the profitability of gambling on the Internet, there are still many investors that are reluctant to pursue an investment on online gambling because of the financial insecurity of these sites. These gambling sites are also known and are purportedly practicing "illegal transactions," since online gambling in the U.S. is prohibited. The lack of confidence in investing on online gambling and insecurity of the financial channels and transactions of these sites stem from the fact that "[t]here is also a question mark over whether U.S. banks and financial services businesses which process online gambling transactions are in breach of law" (egum, 2005:13). However, the question of the legality of these online gambling sites are being put into scrutiny. U.S. legislation has decided to deregulate online gambling through the 1961 Wire Act, with an updated version through the proposed bill Unlawful Internet Gambling…
Armitt, C. (2005). "One in three UK Internet users visited gambling sites in April." New Media Age.
Begum, H. (2005). "Wall Street banks shun online gaming floats." Lawyer, Vol. 19, Issue 35.
Chesler, C. (2006). "Taking a Gamble." Investment Dealer's Digest, Vol. 72, Issue 23.
Dudley, D. (2004). "Portals increase pressure to stop underage gambling." New Media Age.
Poker and How it Affects American Culture
gambling/poker and culture. Poker, and gaming in general, permeate our culture today. The World Series of Poker is a huge event when even a decade ago it was barely known on a world scale, and poker players are the new "role models" for many in society. What does this say about our society and culture that reveres people whose only skill may be based on luck and a turn of the cards? It says a lot about our culture and what we worship, and that may be frightening to contemplate. "The game [poker] exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great." -- Walter Matthau First, it is necessary to define poker. Poker is a card game, played in casinos for pleasure and hopefully profit. There are many different games of poker, from Texas hold 'em to Seven-card stud. Each game follows a different format, but…
Alvarez, A. The Biggest Game in Town. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1983.
Chick, Garry. "Writing Culture Reliably: The Analysis of High-Concordance Codes." Ethnology 39.4 (2000): 365.
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Marketing Mix Pubs Entice Gamblers 2 Ethical
marketing mix pubs entice gamblers? 2. Ethical issues marketing pubs, impacts individuals, groups society a . The answers specific case situation. CASE STUDY: Drinking gambling: What core business pubs? Introduction Known slot machines world, 'pokies' a business continues grow Australia. Setting the context The gambling industry is often associated with the large American casinos, which attract wealthy individuals from across the globe, and which are luxurious and enticing. These casinos integrate the entire gambling act in an overall greater experience of luxury and elegance. But the industry of gambling has suffered some notable changes throughout the past recent years, in the meaning that it became more accessible to the average consumer. Nowadays then, gambling occurs in corner street pubs all over Australia, normally through slot machines (pokies) and the phenomenon raises some notable social issues. For instance, the people most affected by financial loses as a result of pokies are…
References:
Collins, P. (2003). Gambling and the public interest. Greenwood Publishing Group.
McMillen, J. (1996). Gambling cultures. Routledge.
2012. Gambling is still recession proof. BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9703000/9703980.stm accessed on October 19, 2012
2010. Marketing mix. Net MBA. http://www.netmba.com/marketing/mix / accessed on October 19, 2012
Poker Machines Hitting it Big or a
Poker Machines: Hitting it big or a big hit It is the dream of every slot player who walks into the casino to hit the big one. It is a thrilling thought in which the player always begins with the fantasy of lining up all the winning symbols and carrying the winnings for spending. However, as the play continues, reality sets in, and deep within the dream become doubts as one realizes that there is more chance of the lightening striking than there is of hitting the jackpot. The reality is the chances of hitting it big are astronomical. However, despite this knowledge, people still engage in the gamble. The issue thus becomes the social and economic impacts that gambling has on the society, the gambler, the industry and the government at large (Orford, 2010). Various stakeholders in practice have varying perspectives of the issue at hand. The issue continues…
Blaszczynski, A., Collins, P., Fong, D., Ladouceur, R., Nower, L., Shaffer, H.J., . . . Venisse, J.
(2011). Responsible gambling: General principles and minimal requirements. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(4), 565-573. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10899-010-9214-0
Doeden, M. (2010). Legalized gambling: Revenue boom or social bust?. Minneapolis: Twenty-
First Century Books.
Poker Machines Hitting it Big or a Big Hit
dangerous consumptions that have been legalized like tobacco and alcohol, the expansion of high-intensity commercial gambling on the global scale seems like a recent phenomenon. People are being entertained since the ancient times from these games that put the resources of the one who is playing them at risk (Moodie and Hastings, 2009). It has been in the last 30 years that modern expansion of such extensive nature has taken place. The affluent western societies have particularly been hit by this expansion of gambling. This increase has been associated with national lotteries' introduction in Europe, the expansion of casinos from riverboats and reservations into the most populated areas of North America as well as the increase in the number of proliferation of electronic gambling machines (EGMs) that are now being found very commonly in Australia (Chapman, 2007). Expansions of similar sort can currently be observed to be taking place in…
Aquinas, T. (2010) Summa Theologiae 1-11qq. 90 -- 106
Barth, K. (2009). Systematic Theology 111.4 (London T&T Clark, 2009) 34ff
Caraniche Pty Ltd. (2005). Evaluation of Electronic Gaming Machine Harm Minimization Measures in Victoria. Melbourne: Victoria Department of Justice.
Chapman S. (2007). Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History. Oxford: Blackwell.
People Believe it Is a
" (Illinois) If one wants to verify the dangers of gambling one only needs to look at the statistics stating Las Vegas has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. People are desperate to get their win, they have lost everything and still believe that magic hand or slot is right around the corner and resort to robbing, stealing, fraud and other means to obtain gambling funds (Nauman, 2006). Gambling is illegal in most areas of the nation. Law enforcement is charged with arresting those that break the law. In states across the nation gambling rings have been broken up and slot machines, video poker machines and roulette tables have been seized. The place for law enforcement with regard to gambling is to crack down on it and not turn a blind eye when they are aware that is going on. The children who do not have food…
Villa, Rod L. (2000) Corruption of police blamed on gambling.(Main News)
Manila Bulletin
____(2000) INTERNET GAMBLING:ROBERT J. MINNIX
Congressional Testimony
Assessment and Diagnosis
Diagnosis The relevance of maintaining healthy communities cannot be overstated. In basic terms, communities should be designed and maintained in a way that promotes the well-being of their inhabitants. In so doing, such communities could end up realizing not only the economic but also the social benefits of a happier, healthier, and more productive society. There is therefore a need to assess and diagnose the key health problems specific to various communities. This way, lasting and innovative solutions can be sought and implemented to rein in the identified health problems. Community For this particular assignment, I will concern myself with North Las Vegas which also happens to be one of the largest cities in Nevada. In terms of governance, the city falls under the administration of a mayor who is assisted in this role by four members of the council. When it comes to city life, it is important to…
American Casino Guide (2013). Las Vegas Casinos. Retrieved from: http://www.americancasinoguide.com/casinos-by-city/las-vegas-casinos.html
Castellani, B. (2000). Pathological Gambling: The Making of a Medical Problem. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Casino-History (2009). Las Vegas Casino History: The History of Gambling in Sin City. Retrieved from: http://www.casino-history.com/las-vegas-casino-history/
Healthy People (2013). 2020 Topics and Objectives -- Objectives A -- Z. Retrieved from: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/
Why Women Gamble
male and female gamblers. For example, unlike their male counterparts, more women gravitate to less competitive games where there is a larger element of luck such as bingo, casino slots or video poker machines. Gambling problems have long been explored by psychologists as impulse control disorders characterized by an inability to resist impulses to gamble. Yet, gender differences among gambling preferences indicate that areas other than psychology such as a sociological point-of-view would prove helpful in explaining the gambling habits of women. This paper explores these social issues and describes implications for the need to incorporate social factors in the treatment of female gambling addicts. The findings indicate that women warrant both psychological and social considerations in their recovery process. Studies have shown that the majority of escape gamblers, seventy percent, are women. In contract, only ten percent of action gamblers are women. An escape gambler is primarily trying to…
Burke, Jane. "Women and Gambling." The Women's Addiction Foundation. 30 Apr. 2004 http://www.womenfdn.org/Resources/info/gambling.htm .
Compulsive Gambling." Psychology Today 10 Oct. 2002. KeepMedia Web Site 30 Apr. 2004 http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=11476&extID=10032&oliID=213.
Fisher, Sue. "The Pull of the Fruit Machine: a Sociological Typology of Young Players." The Sociological Review Volume 44, No. 3, August 1993.
Women & Gambling Addiction." NOcasiNO Maryland Web Site 30 Apr. 2004 http://www.nocasinomaryland.org/Facts/women_and_gambling.htm .
Casinos and How They Lure Customers Various
Casinos and how they lure customers [...] various ways casinos try to trick, manipulate, and lure their players to stay longer in their casinos. Casinos are in business to make money, and they make money by keeping gamblers glued to the tables and slots. They use a variety of ploys to keep people inside, from removing clocks so they do not know what time it is to feeding them free drinks and inexpensive food to keep them in the building. Casinos use a variety of ways to keep gamblers gaming, and knowing how they do it can give insight into the greed, corruption, and sheer arrogance of an industry that makes its living on other people's money and addictions. Casinos lure gamblers to make money, and they do it any way they can, without regard for anything but their own maximum profit. How do they do it? The many ways…
Popkin, James. "Casino Tricks Encourage Heavy Gambling." Gambling: Current Controversies. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1995. 103-108.
Hills, Chad. "The National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC) Report." Family.org. 26 Nov. 2003. 3 May 2004. http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/gambling/gitus/a0028977.cfm
Mandalay Resort Group the Events
Given the strong and increasing competition in the gaming and entertainment industry, Mandalay should apply a more aggressive strategy. The group should continue to expand the business. This will attract more clients, and it will expand Mandalay's number of target segments, which will eventually lead to increased incomes. As mentioned above, Mandalay's strategy should focus on social responsibility also. By involving in the lives of its customers, Mandalay will be a more present figure in the customers' minds, which should lead to an increased degree of loyalty. Customer loyalty can also be reached by increasing customer satisfaction. As a consequence, Mandalay's marketing department should seriously focus on discovering and analyzing customers' needs that have not yet been fulfilled. Implementing something new could help Mandalay gain serious competitive advantage over other gaming and entertainment industry players. Mandalay should continue to exploit the advantage gained by addressing the entertainment oriented customers and…
Public Communication in December 2005
A good example of some of the different texts that were utilized to insight anger and violence can be seen with one that was sent to number Anglo Saxons in the commonwealth. Where, it would encourage all youth in Western Australia to show up at Cronuella each, in an effort to protect the beach and women. This is significant, because it shows how the use of heated SMS messages could help to enrage both groups. As this form of written communication would increase the overall amounts of rage that the two side were feeling towards each other. Visual languages were used to help increase the overall negative opinions that many Australians would feel towards the Arabs. Where, the women and men would dress differently in public (with many women covering themselves). This is problematic, because it would cause a number of groups in society to view Arabs as untrustworthy, based…
Racial Tensions at Cronuella Beach. Everything 2. 2005. Web. 29 Oct. 2010.
"Responsible Gambling and Reconcilation Australia Campaigns and Link to Celebrity Gambling Story." N.d.
Gouggin, Gerald. "SMS Riot." Journal of Media Culture. 2006. Web. 31 Oct. 2010
Perera, Suvendrini. "Aussie Luck."ACRAWSA 3.1 (2007). Print.
Internet and Society the Internet
At stake in the long run is the global agora: the universal library- movie theater-television-concert hall-museum on the Internet. The legal and social precedents set by Metallica v. Napster -- and half a dozen other e-music lawsuits-are likely to ramify into film and video as these, too, move online. hen true electronic books, e-magazines, and e-newspapers become readily available, their rules of operation may well be shaped by the creation of the heavenly jukebox. Music, according to a National Research Council report released last November, is the "canary in the digital coal mine." (Mann, 2000, p. 39) The initial response of the entertainment industry has been negative, in that the music and video industry responded to fears that demonstrated a lack of willingness to alter marketing and outlet options to electronic forms, as technology had not quite met the expansion, but now things are changing and technology has created a…
Goldsmith, Jack L. "3 Against Cyberanarchy." Who Rules the Net? Internet Governance and Jurisdiction. Ed. Adam Thierer and Clyde Wayne Crews. Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2003. 31-70.
Mann, Charles C. "The Heavenly Jukebox." The Atlantic Monthly Sept. 2000: 39.
Nicholson, Laura J., Tom F. Shebar, and Meredith R. Weinberg. "Computer Crimes." American Criminal Law Review 37.2 (2000): 207.
Ghost Towns
colorful period in America's remarkable early history is the gold rush era. In the late 1800's the discovery of gold triggered a flood of immigrants into the country, all intent on making their fortune. These miners shaped the early history of America, and created a great deal of the legend that surrounds the era of the "ild est." hile some of the legends of lawlessness and debauchery are clearly exaggerated, life in the mining towns of the gold rush era was clearly rough and ready. This paper will examine life in the mining camps of the gold rush era. This will include a look at the people who made up the camps, the general atmosphere, as well as prostitution, gambling, general lawlessness, and the role of religion within the mining camps. The demise of the mining camps will be examined in the context of the development of the railroad and…
Arizona's Ghost Towns. 02 December 2003. http://www.carizona.com/ghosttowns.html
Baumgart, Don. Some Mining Camps Faded Others Grew To Be Cities. Nevada County Gold Online Magazine. 02 December 2003. http://www.ncgold.com/History/BecomingCA_Archive22.html
CmdrMark. Travels in the American Southwest. 02 December 2003. http://www.cmdrmark.com/ghosttowns.html
Koeppel, Elliot H. The California Gold Country: Highway 49 Revisited. Malakoff & Co.
Online Casinos
Online Casinos Internet gambling is now the fastest-growing sector of the gaming industry, so much so that in the year 2000, it grew by 79%, compared to a 6.01% overall growth rate in the United States (Helping pp). Mark aters of GamblingSoftware.com, says, "Internet gambling is now bigger than gambling on Indian reservation, charitable bingo, legal bookmaking, and gambling on cruise ships" (Helping pp). The main reason for online gambling popularity is that gamblers can play any time in any location (Helping pp). Moreover, online gaming is probably the most sound business model on the Internet today, there's no inventory, no shipping, just customer relationship management, say aters (Helping pp). Type in "online casinos" on Google, and 5,660,000 sights pop up. That's quite an array of opportunities for players, astounding actually, and players never have to leave their home or even change out of their pajamas! On-line-Casinos-Online.net. (http://www.online-casinos-online.net/) offers a…
"Helping investors build their own online casinos for profit." Latin Trade;
"Online Casinos."
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en& ; q=online+casinos& btnG=Google+Search
Adolescent Video Game Internet Game Playing
This term seems to have been coined in the 1990s when researchers were attempting to describe a constellation of behaviors observed in persons using the Internet to such an extent that it began to cause other aspects of their lives to become dysfunctional. The DSM-IV disorder most similar to the pattern of behaviors observed with overuse of video games is pathological gambling. Presumably, the more colloquial term addiction was derived from the similarities to gambling addiction. For this report, this pattern of heavy video game playing is referred to as "video game overuse." (Khan, 2007) Kahn additionally relates that: "Symptoms of time usage and social dysfunction/disruption appear in patterns similar to that of other addictive disorders. It is not clear whether withdrawal symptoms are associated with video game overuse; some excessive users do not exhibit "cravings" for the games if they are unavailable, while other users insist they cannot reduce…
Hauge, Marny R. And Gentile, Douglas a. (2003) Video game addiction among adolescents: associations with academic performance and aggression - Presented at Society for research in child development conference, April 2 -- 3 Tampa Florida.
Special Report: Video Game Addiction (2005) New Orleans WDSU.com. 24 Feb 2005. Online available at http://www.wdsu.com/news/4160216/detail.html .
Khan, Mohamed K. (2007) Emotional and Behavioral Effects, Including Addictive Potential, of Video Games. Report of the Council on Science and Public Health. CSAPH Report 12-a-07
Computer Games Addiction (2005) National Institute on Media and the Family. Online available at http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_gameaddiction.shtml
Shopping as an Addiction
Addictive Virus" -- later to become the thirteenth chapter of their bestselling book Affluenza -- John De Graaf, David ann, and Thomas H. Naylor engage in a highly rhetorical comparison of addictive shopping to physical addictions such as alcoholism and drug addiction and behavioral addictions like compulsive gambling. It becomes clear shortly into their paper that their purpose is largely alarmist and moralistic, rather than medically or therapeutically intended: none of the authors has any medical or psychiatric credentials. I hope by addressing three aspects of their paper -- their rhetorical strategy, their shifts in focus, and in particular their examples presented as evidence, particularly their closing example -- that I may show the ways in which their thoughts actually confuse rather than clarify issues of behavioral addiction. The title alone of the essay gives, in miniature, a fair taste of De Graaf et al.'s rhetorical strategy: the phrase "the…
Boyer, Peter J. "The Deliverer: A Pizza Mogul Funds a Moral Crusade." The New Yorker Feb 19, 2007. Accessed 10 Feb 2011 at: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_boyer#ixzz1DejZemmm
De Graaf John, Wann, David, and Naylor, Thomas H. "The Addictive Virus." In Maasik, Sonia and Solomon, Jack, Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Sixth Edition. New York: Beford St. Martin's, 2008. 71-5.
Crime the Purpose of This
Many people using illicit and illegal drugs often have no impulse control and may turn violent or to another form of crime. Once an individual's mind is altered from the constant use of drugs, he or she will often steal, lie, and cheat to make the next dollar to obtain more drugs. Many people could share family related drug stories that have led to criminal activities. About 10 years ago, several acquaintances under the influence of cocaine robbed a pharmacy and stole thousands of narcotics. The man and women then stole a car and cocaine from a dealer and drove across the country; several days later they were both apprehended and sent to jail for a long time. This example illustrates that one impulsive behavior after another can lead to a series of crimes committed. Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory offers a rationale to why individuals would use illegal drugs -- impulse…
Bureau of justice statistics- drug use and crime. (2009, October). Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=352
Crime. (2011, June). Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crime
Freud, S. (1961). The Complete Works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19). London: Hogarth.
Lerner, L., Lerner, B.L., & Cengage, G. (2006). Criminology. World of forensic science, Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/forensic-science/criminology
Business Ethics Every Company Regardless of the
Business Ethics Every company regardless of the nature of their work is required to contribute to the community that sustains their growth. Casinos are therefore not an exception to this rule. We understand that they consumer massive energy and other resources to keep their customers satisfied on daily basis but that does not excuse them from contributing to the benefit of the environment and of the community that support them. An environmentally conscious company is the one that is aware of the impact of its activities on the environment and works hard to reduce the impact. Oil companies for example come under attack regularly for damaging the environment. BP oil spill is one such example. But that doesn't mean that only companies like Oil or Drug organizations are responsible for protecting the environment, other firms are equally responsible for playing their role effectively. Gambling is a socially acceptable activity in…
Pascal's Wager
Pascal's Wager Pascal's "wager" is a fundamental philosophical argument defending belief in God. Through logical analysis based on a punishment-reward premise, Pascal shows that believing in God is preferable to not believing. The argument is called a "wager" because Pascal phrases it as a sort of bet: the individual has a better chance of being rewarded through belief than through denial. Therefore, Pascals' wager defends belief in God through reason and appeal to basic self-interest rather than through theological or mystical proofs. Yet even though Pascal tries to divorce belief in God from blind faith, his argument rests heavily on Christian theology. Pascal's God is the Biblical God, the results of his wager similar to a heaven-hell duality as proposed by Christianity as well as other monotheistic religions. Through the wager, Pascal is trying to show readers that believing in God is a personal decision, and one that can be…
'Pascal's Wager." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/#4 >.
'Pascal's Wager." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal 's_Wager>
Taxes Direct Democracy and Federalism
This is designed to help support individuals who are dealing with financial challenges. The problem is that select amounts of recipients will use as a way to live off of the government. (Wolf, 2005) How might a socialist and a capitalist government differ in its treatment of the problem of unemployment? Socialists want to see massive amounts of government spending to create new jobs, training programs and provide unemployment benefits. A capitalist is opposed to these kinds of programs and believes that charities / private enterprises can address these issues. In your opinion, should the government have the responsibility of providing health care for every citizen? Why or why not? Yes, the government should provide health care. The reason why is because prices are increasing exponentially and the number of uninsured is rising. These factors are a sign that there is very little competition inside the sector. To address these…
2012 Puerto Rico Statehood Amendment. (2012). Boards. Retrieved from: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77582334
Commerce Clause. (2012). Britannica. Retrieved from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127865/commerce-clause
Principles of Constitutional Construction. (2010). Constitution.org. Retrieved from: http://constitution.org/cons/prin_cons.htm
Sin Taxes. (2005). Six Taxes. Connecticut Voices for Children. Retrieved from: http://www.ctkidslink.org/publications/bud05sintax02.pdf
Contingency Management Alcohol & Marijuana
" (1995) The authors state: "The amphetamines occasioned dose-related increases in d- amphetamine-appropriate responding, whereas hydromorphone did not. Amphetamines also occasioned dose-related increases in reports of the drug being most like "speed," whereas hydromorphone did not. However, both amphetamines and hydromorphone occasioned dose-related increases in reports of drug liking and in three scales of the ARCI. Thus, some self-report measures were well correlated with responding on the drug-appropriate lever and some were not. Lamb and Henningfield (1994) suggest that self-reports are complexly controlled by both the private event and the subject's history of experience with the drug. Some of the self-reports they observed (e.g., feels like speed) are probably occasioned by a relatively narrow range of stimuli because in the subject's experience with drug administration, these reports have been more selectively reinforced by the verbal community relative to other reports (e.g., drug liking). They also suggest that these results imply…
Budney, Alan J. et al. (2006) Clinical Trial of Abstinence-Based Vouchers and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Cannabis Dependence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2006. Vol.. 74 No. 2. 2006 American Psychological Association.
McRae, a.; Budney, a.; & Brady, K. (2002) Treatment of Marijuana Dependence: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 24 (2003)
Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research (1996) Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Kamon, J; Budney, a. & Stanger, C. (2005)a Contingency Management Intervention for Adolescent Marijuana Abuse and Conduct Problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 44(6):513-521, June 2005.
Alabama Lottery Proposal Analysis
benefit analysis of the proposed state lottery for Alabama. Assessing the costs and benefits of this lottery is challenging. The costs are ill-defined, and often lumped in with other gambling costs in general. Yet, lotteries are not the same thing as casino gambling or sports gambling. So there is a lack of hard data available. The benefits are clearer. These take into account the return on money already being spent by Alabamans out-of-state, and the multiplier effect of this new spending. For the state government, the lottery is a clear winner, but for the Alabama economy as a whole, the cost-benefit analysis looks less positive. The state of Alabama is examining ways in which it can increase its revenues. One of the ideas that has been floated is that of a state-run lottery. In February 2016 a bill was passed that will allow the state to set-up a statewide vote…
Alabama Budget. (2016). Retrieved April 3, 2016 from http://www.budget.alabama.gov/pdf/2016/FY17GFHandout02-03-16.pdf
ALF (2016). Where the money goes. Alberta Lottery Fund. Retrieved April 3, 2016 from http://albertalotteryfund.ca/aboutthealf/wherethemoneygoes.asp
Allen, P. (1991). The allocation of lottery revenue to education in Florida, California, Michigan, and Illinois. Educational Policy. Vol. 5 (3) 296-311.
Boardman, Greenberg, Vining & Weiner. (2011). Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice. Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Management on Casinos
Management of Casinos The history of gambling in the United States consists of three periods, called waves. During these periods, laws and social standards vacillated from prohibition to regulation and vice-versa (Dunstan 1997). The first wave was during the colonial era from the 1600s to the middle of the 1800s when early colonists had a vastly different attitude towards gambling. These colonists were the Puritans and the English who established their individual communities, where their distinct values were observed and lived. The Puritans, prominently in the Massachusetts ay Colony, prohibited gambling, the possession of gambling items (cards, dice, gaming tables) and even dancing and singing. This rigid behavior, however, relaxed the following year to allow innocent gaming as recreation, but not as a trade or profession. The English, in contrast, not only allowed it but indulged in gambling as a harmless and popular diversion (Dunstan). Gambling was further enhanced by…
Best Gambling Games. Beginning Gambling History. http://www.best-gambling-games.com/gambling_history.html
Dunstan, Roger. History of Gambling in the United States. California Research Bureau: California State Library, Jan 1997. http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/03/chapter2.html
Irwin, Arthur E. Your Casino's Chief Financial Officer, an Important Regulatory Ally. Gaming Regulation News, Winter 1997-98
KPMG. The New Imperative: Customer Centric Management, a real estate report. Ideas and Trends, KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, 1998
Casinos Help Turn Around Local
Casinos also pay taxes to the government which again means that the local community loses the money gained by the casino. Another way in which the local economy does not benefit from the casino is when the casino gets its supplies from external suppliers or the casino owners live outside the casino's economic area. Some of the casino profits can also be lost as a result of government services provided in that area like providing better roads and traffic control to the casino. (Hsu, 1999) The casino may also require additional police protection and judicial activity in case criminal activity goes up in the region. Las Vegas has also had its own share of problems as an off-shoot of the phenomenal success of casinos there. It has had to deal with air pollution, shortage of water, inadequate methods of mass transportation and other infrastructure related problems. Despite these problems, Las…
Brome, Heather. (2006, Sep) "Economic impact of casino development" Retrieved 23 April, 2008 at http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/neppc/memos/2006/brome091406.pdf
Felsenstein, Daniel; Littlepage, Laura; Klacik, Drew. (1999) "Casino Gambling as Local
Growth Generation: Playing the Economic Development Game in Reverse?" Journal of Urban Affairs, vol. 21, no. 4, pp: 409-421.
Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling, Inc. (2004) "Economics Effects" Retrieved 23 April, 2008 at http://www.gamblinghelp.org/sections/effects/economic.html
Battle of Santa Monica Bay
battle for Santa Monica Bay In the history of our nation, few battles have take place on our soil. The oceans which boarder our country also protect it from outsider who would attempt to over through our nation. However, battles are not always military. Currently, numerous cultural battles are taking place in the public arena. Battles over right and wrong, or over what society will allow, and what society considers as disruptive or harmful to our continuance are often more contentious than a military conflict fought on a foreign soil. The case of the Battle for Santa Monica Bay falls into this latter category. The willingness of the state of California to become a center of gambling, with the social maladies which tend to follow the gambling industry was the source of what is referred to as the Battle for Santa Monica Bay. During the Gold ush, and for the…
Lavender, David. 1987. California: Land of New Beginnings University of Nebraska Press.
Gambling, Bingo, and Prohibition. 2001. North American integration and development Center. UCLA [online] Cited 1 Dec 2003 Available from World Wide Web http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/venice/articles/gambling.htm
The Era of the gambling Ship and the Battle of Canta Monica Bay. 2003. Los Angeles Almanac. [online] Cited 1 Dec 2003. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.losangelesalmanac.com/topics/history/hi06ee.htm
The History of Gambling. 2001. The history of Gambling online. [online] Cited 1 Dec 2003. Available from the World Wide Web: http://history-gambling-online-casinos-reviews-blackjack-slots.com/content/history/visionary-backgrounds/stralla-anthony-cornero/
Off Track Betting
Track Betting in Sports - the Pros and the Cons There is no doubt that first of all, thoroughbred wagering is a huge sport in the U.S. And elsewhere; and there also is no doubt that off-track betting (OTB) has become a very popular form of gambling, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Like any issue involving money, the public, and potential harmful habits that could be formed, OTB is, always has been - and always will be - controversial. This paper will discuss gambling addiction and other negative wagering issues as part of the "con" side (including the age groups most vulnerable to addictive behaviors); and the paper will also present the "pro" side, including food, beverage and entertainment services offered at OTB sites, the newest OTB innovations (which are on the Internet, which makes a person's home a veritable OTB); and the paper…
Betfair. "What is Betfair and how does it work?" November 2003. http://www.betfair.com .
Eng, Richard. "Bet Exchanges big Business." Daily Racing Form 17 November 2003. http://www.drf.com/news/article/51484.html .
Horton, Peter. "Still Gambling After All These Years." Newslink: Problem Gambling
News & Information. March 2001. http://www.responsiblegambling.org .
Economics in the U S A --
Source: The Financial Forecast Center, 2009 Increases in unemployment rate mean that the gambling industry will be faced with fewer customers. This in turn will materialize in reduced sales and profits. If the situation continues to aggravate in the years to come, several players in the gambling industry might have to close their casinos. One must also notice the exceptional situations in which out of job individuals will gamble in the hope of winning some money. However, these instances are reduced and not able to modify the indirect relationship between the evolution of unemployment rate and demand for gambling services. Vice versa, when the unemployment rate decreases and the population enjoys more sources of revenues, the demand for the services of casino clubs increases. 2.3 Inflation rate (consumer price index) The inflation rate represents the "percentage increase in the price of goods and services, usually annually" (Investor Words, 2009). Within…
Ameristar Casinos Inc., Hoovers, 2009, http://hoovers.com/ameristar-casinos/--ID__16260,FRIC__ -- /free-co-competition.xhtml last accessed on May 8, 2009
Personal Income and Savings, iCharts, 2009, http://www.icharts.net/portal/app?service=external&sp=Y37ayiM=&page=Chartdetail last accessed on May 8, 2009
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The Financial Forecast Center, 2009, http://forecasts.org last accessed on May 8, 2009
Electronic Cash and Smart Cards Forms of
Electronic Cash and Smart Cards Forms of electronic cash came about in the 1990s with the rise of the Internet and a new way to do business. Smart cards were among the new forms. When purchasing products over the Internet, consumers have concerns about the privacy of their information with electronic payments. Some studies were conducted to evaluate the pros and cons of smart cards, how the security is designed in the payment systems, and if the use of smart cards can change the addictive behavior of gamblers. Mondex What it is It is claimed the Mondex smart card can be used the same as cash and have the advantage of not having to carry cash at the same time. It was conceived as a technological solution to the handling of money and undermining the traditional role of the circuit of money. (Knights, 2007) The aim was to replace the…
Knights, D. e. (2007). Organization. Retrieved from Sage Publications: http://org.sagepub.com
Nower, L. a. (2010, Jan 19). Gambling Motivations, Money-Limiting Strategies, and Precommitment Preference of Problem vs. Non-Problem Gamblers. New Brunswick, NJ, USA. Retrieved from Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Wang, H. e. (2004). Concurrent Engineering. Retrieved from Sage Publications: http://cer.sagepub.com/
Sports and Betting
sports betting. Discussed are the problems with the betting, players getting gifts from betting agents, and effect of sports betting on the economy. Seven sources are used. Sports and Betting More Americans play more sports than in any other country in the world. Moreover, we watch more sports than anyone else on earth. Football and figure skating, two sports that could not be more different have drawn the biggest TV audiences in history. Sports bind us together as Americans. It has the ability more than just about anything else to tear down the barriers of race, class, gender, politics and geography (McDonald 1998). Sports is part of our national culture. It's part of our national conversation. A waitress at the local cafe talks Friday-night football with the cop and the banker. A Democratic gardener, trimming the greens at the country club, discusses golf swings or last week's tournament with a…
Davies, Dick. Spotlight Pofile. http://www.unr.edu/alumni/profile.asp?ID=5 .
A accessed 05-12-2002).
Gopal, Arun; Pettypiece, Shannon. "Michigan considers possibility of NCAA sanctions."
University Wire. March 25, 2002. http://ask.elibrary.com/getdoc.asp?pubname=University_Wire&puburl=http~C~~S~~S~www.uwire.com&querydocid=:bigchalk:U.S.;Lib&dtype=0~0&dinst=0&author=Arun+Gopal+%26amp&title=Michigan+considers+possibility+of+NCAA+sanctions++&date=03%2D25%2D2002&query=athletes+and+gifts+from+agents&maxdoc=50&idx=31.(accessed05-12-2002).
Should Marijuana Be Legalized Nationally
Marijuana Be Legalized Nationally According to the Terms of California Prop. 64? People have been using Cannabis Sativa, also known as marijuana, for a number of centuries now. The plant from which marijuana is made grows in several locations around the world. Cannabis Sativa plant's flowering top is the source of marijuana as it has Tetrahydrocannnabinol (THC), a chemical that induces the state changes among users of marijuana. Studies show that using marijuana has both long-term and short-term health effects. Marijuana's short-term effects include distorting the senses including the sense of time and a reduced ability to concentrate. Long-term effects can be more damaging health wise and include a drop in testosterone and sperm levels among men, respiratory problems similar to those suffered by those who smoke tobacco, fatigue, lower libido, reduced fertility and alterations of body composition where the body records a drop in muscle mass as fat mass…
Bates, B. (2010, Feb). Teen cannabis use predicts depression. Clinical Psychiatry News, 38(2).
Bender, S. W. (2017). The Colors of Cannabis: Reflections on the Racial Justice Implications of California's Proposition 64.
Blake, D., & Finlaw, J. (2014). Marijuana legalization in Colorado: Learned lessons. Harv. L. & Pol'y Rev., 8, 359.
Caulkins, J. P., Kilmer, B., & Kleiman, M. A. (2016). Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know? Oxford University Press.
Phenix City Story Once Known
Let it be understood here and now, once and for all, that there will be no return to Russell County of that tragic era, the days when the law violator reigned supreme, and trampled the Constitution and laws under his foot. From this day forward the reign of law has come to Russell County to stay, and stay it will under the providence of God and all the power of Alabama's government.... To those who have had part in the lawlessness in this country, who have made crime their livelihood, who have grown fat in the debauchery of our youth and the destruction of the morale of our Nation's young soldiers, your day is ended, your hour of reckoning is at hand, you stand at Armageddon.... (Ibid.) III. The Name, "Phenix" Excuses and Reasons Besides, you start drinking whiskey gambling, it gives you an excuse for losing. That's something you…
Bible: Hebrew Ecclesiastes, 7:1. The Columbia World of Quotations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. 24 November 2006. http://www.bartleby.com/66/1/501.html .
Brasher, Bryan. "Barber: City needs new name: Man circulating petition; says area could be called Coweta Rapids," Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, April 14, 2005.
Could This Be Your Town?"(1994). 25 November 2006. http://www.alabamaeagle.org/gambling/could_this_be_your_town.htm .
Carroll, Sydney. And Robert Rossen.. (1961). Columbia World of Quotations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. 25 November 2006. http://www.bartleby.com/66/82/10582.html .
Supervisory Development Plan
Supervisory Development Plan This situational analysis is about the different ways in which situations can be handled. There is not much difficulty in understanding the complexity of the situation which is about to be discussed. Situational analysis starts with the setting of goals which then will be analyzed and decided how to go about them. This way the knowledge base will also increase. It will also help in improving the overall productivity. The performance gap will also help ensure that everything is done in a proper manner net time. With the help of different feedback from different people, I will then come to the conclusion which should have been reached to from the start. The first step to devising a supervisory plan is to set goals. Without the proper set of goals the plan will surely fail. This will result in the whole plan to flop. All the work which…
Social Cognition
ationality Humans are lousy at thinking. Except, of course, that we're not. But it is true that humans are relatively bad at purely rational thinking. This should not perhaps be surprising to us: We are not, after all, computers, which are far better than are humans at making rational decisions and providing rational calculations about situations. This is not entirely a bad thing: Humans have apparently (though the process of evolution) sacrificed the ability to make perfectly rational calculations for the ability to excel at what those who are trying to teach computers to think like humans call fuzzy thinking. We are good, for example, at being able to read another person's internal emotional state by the tilt of their eyebrows but we are relatively bad at calculating the odds of whether to take another card in blackjack - to the unending enrichment of the Las Vegas casinos. However, while…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/figure_it_out/lottery.shtml http://www.math.byu.edu/~jarvis/gambling/gambling-fallacies.html
http://www.truthpizza.org/logic/sample.htm
Paulos, J.A. (2001). Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences. London: Hill and Wang.
Family and Marriage
Gambling The negative effects of gambling have been researched, touted, published and spewed forth from the mouths of researchers and do-gooders for decades, yet there has been an astonishing…
Also, the more the person loses money, the more likely they are to become emotionally distraught and potentially violent, especially when under the influence of alcohol and drugs. As…
Yet, not every group gambles equally often, demographically. Protestants seem less likely to gamble than Catholics. Culture plays a role, and demographics affect the choice gambling venue method. (Griffiths…
Thus, people become too involved in the gambling itself, loosing control of taking back their senses. This then can result in a serious gambling problem, which if not treated…
Gambling among college students is a growing problem on campuses across the country. A study released in May 2004 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association showed a growing tendency…
Research Paper
Gambling Odds Casino gambling in the United States is growing rapidly and shows no signs of abating. Since the first casinos opened on Native American reservations, many states have…
Criminal Justice
These subcultures discourage respect for property, encourage violence and revenge, and depress the economy of the areas in which they operate (Consensual pp). Federal and state laws prohibit the…
As such the stigma that once existed concerning gambling no longer exists. People are therefore more likely to engage in gambling activities and more likely to develop an addiction…
The Gamblers Anonymous group makes the point that they are not affiliated with any particular religion, but they have spiritual tenets within the structure of their recovery program. They…
Cyber gamblers might feel less threatened since the context entitles them to hide their identity; thus, the individual feel less responsible for his or her actions. Note also that…
Hypothesis Chapter
Gambling Bioethics Gambling: A literary review Gambling has a paradoxical role in modern society -- while it is a legal and socially-acceptable activity, it can also be highly addictive…
) (2003,p. A20). Vatz notes that those who gamble too much and suffer as a result have freely made that choice as "No force extrinsic to willpower forces people…
Only a small percentage of people with severe AOD problems seek treatment (Loveland, 2003). Among those who do, there is a high attrition from initial contact through screening, assessment,…
What about the privacy and security of gambling patrons that organizations such as the Mirage Casino violate on a regular basis to gather information in data mining in an…
Discussion Chapter
Sociology - Counseling
Legalization of Gambling and the Effects of Society Though the federal law does not criminalize gambling, there are heavy restrictions particularly on the interstate and online gambling. Each state…
Legalized Gambling Gambling is defined as the staking of money as well as goods that have a material value on a particular event with the intention to win extra…
Economic Impact of Gambling Economic Impacts Of Gambling The economic impact of legalized gambling in the United States The economic challenge of the contemporary period requires that renewed focus…
gambling in the Asian-American community. Specifically, it will discuss the differences in how Asian customs or cultures effect how they gamble, and why Asians are much more prone to…
Dissertation
Internet Gambling: Consumers, Industry, And Regulation usiness Management Final Year Project Online gambling is a large and growing industry. Estimates from an industry consulting group indicate that as many…
At the same time, there are several examples of corruption within casinos in terms of employees. In Atlantic City, for example, one of the largest gambling rings was recently…
Compulsive or pathological gambling [...] pathological gamblers and why they do not gamble for entertainment or retreatist purposes, but rather to try to chase their losses and beat the…
Sports - Drugs
In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al., 1998). hile…
These impulses may result in compulsive behavior ultimately leading to financial ruin and family devastation; partly for this reason, most American states had prohibited games of chance and other…
Legalized Gambling in Galveston In the city of Galveston, Texas, it has been proposed to legalize gambling in order to support and encourage economic growth. Certainly legalizing gambling has…
Game theory is a critical form of decision making that is used in various subjects like economy and political science. Its relevance is becoming prominent in the success rates…
nature of pathological gambling and the behavior associated with it. The article begins by focusing on the necessity and relevance of behavior-analytic explorations of pathological gambling, which has not,…
against the idea of legalizing gambling in the town of Youngstown, Ohio. he writer takes the reader on a short history of the town and exposes the gangster activity…
However, while there are investors willing to invest on the profitability of gambling on the Internet, there are still many investors that are reluctant to pursue an investment on…
gambling/poker and culture. Poker, and gaming in general, permeate our culture today. The World Series of Poker is a huge event when even a decade ago it was barely…
marketing mix pubs entice gamblers? 2. Ethical issues marketing pubs, impacts individuals, groups society a . The answers specific case situation. CASE STUDY: Drinking gambling: What core business pubs?…
Poker Machines: Hitting it big or a big hit It is the dream of every slot player who walks into the casino to hit the big one. It is…
dangerous consumptions that have been legalized like tobacco and alcohol, the expansion of high-intensity commercial gambling on the global scale seems like a recent phenomenon. People are being entertained…
" (Illinois) If one wants to verify the dangers of gambling one only needs to look at the statistics stating Las Vegas has one of the highest crime rates…
Diagnosis The relevance of maintaining healthy communities cannot be overstated. In basic terms, communities should be designed and maintained in a way that promotes the well-being of their inhabitants.…
Sports - Women
male and female gamblers. For example, unlike their male counterparts, more women gravitate to less competitive games where there is a larger element of luck such as bingo, casino…
Casinos and how they lure customers [...] various ways casinos try to trick, manipulate, and lure their players to stay longer in their casinos. Casinos are in business to…
Given the strong and increasing competition in the gaming and entertainment industry, Mandalay should apply a more aggressive strategy. The group should continue to expand the business. This will…
History - Israel
A good example of some of the different texts that were utilized to insight anger and violence can be seen with one that was sent to number Anglo Saxons…
At stake in the long run is the global agora: the universal library- movie theater-television-concert hall-museum on the Internet. The legal and social precedents set by Metallica v. Napster…
Mythology - Religion
colorful period in America's remarkable early history is the gold rush era. In the late 1800's the discovery of gold triggered a flood of immigrants into the country, all…
Online Casinos Internet gambling is now the fastest-growing sector of the gaming industry, so much so that in the year 2000, it grew by 79%, compared to a 6.01%…
This term seems to have been coined in the 1990s when researchers were attempting to describe a constellation of behaviors observed in persons using the Internet to such an…
Addictive Virus" -- later to become the thirteenth chapter of their bestselling book Affluenza -- John De Graaf, David ann, and Thomas H. Naylor engage in a highly rhetorical…
Many people using illicit and illegal drugs often have no impulse control and may turn violent or to another form of crime. Once an individual's mind is altered from…
Business Ethics Every company regardless of the nature of their work is required to contribute to the community that sustains their growth. Casinos are therefore not an exception to…
Pascal's Wager Pascal's "wager" is a fundamental philosophical argument defending belief in God. Through logical analysis based on a punishment-reward premise, Pascal shows that believing in God is preferable…
This is designed to help support individuals who are dealing with financial challenges. The problem is that select amounts of recipients will use as a way to live off…
" (1995) The authors state: "The amphetamines occasioned dose-related increases in d- amphetamine-appropriate responding, whereas hydromorphone did not. Amphetamines also occasioned dose-related increases in reports of the drug being…
benefit analysis of the proposed state lottery for Alabama. Assessing the costs and benefits of this lottery is challenging. The costs are ill-defined, and often lumped in with other…
Management of Casinos The history of gambling in the United States consists of three periods, called waves. During these periods, laws and social standards vacillated from prohibition to regulation…
Casinos also pay taxes to the government which again means that the local community loses the money gained by the casino. Another way in which the local economy does…
battle for Santa Monica Bay In the history of our nation, few battles have take place on our soil. The oceans which boarder our country also protect it from…
Track Betting in Sports - the Pros and the Cons There is no doubt that first of all, thoroughbred wagering is a huge sport in the U.S. And elsewhere;…
Source: The Financial Forecast Center, 2009 Increases in unemployment rate mean that the gambling industry will be faced with fewer customers. This in turn will materialize in reduced sales…
Electronic Cash and Smart Cards Forms of electronic cash came about in the 1990s with the rise of the Internet and a new way to do business. Smart cards…
sports betting. Discussed are the problems with the betting, players getting gifts from betting agents, and effect of sports betting on the economy. Seven sources are used. Sports and…
Law (general)
Marijuana Be Legalized Nationally According to the Terms of California Prop. 64? People have been using Cannabis Sativa, also known as marijuana, for a number of centuries now. The…
Let it be understood here and now, once and for all, that there will be no return to Russell County of that tragic era, the days when the law…
Supervisory Development Plan This situational analysis is about the different ways in which situations can be handled. There is not much difficulty in understanding the complexity of the situation…
ationality Humans are lousy at thinking. Except, of course, that we're not. But it is true that humans are relatively bad at purely rational thinking. This should not perhaps…
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The paper examines the roles of sociodemographic traits, family quality and risk behaviour in adolescent problem gambling, with focus on the psychological, social and financial consequences from the socio-ecological model approach.
Gambling problems have many potential causes: genetics, erroneous thought patterns, impulse control disorders, poverty, and personal experiences, for example. An estimated 2% to 3% of the US population has experienced some kind of gambling-related problem during the past 12 months.
Football and gambling have an increasingly symbiotic relationship, with gambling filling the advertising and sponsorship gaps left by prohibition of tobacco and alcohol. Football sponsorship and billboard advertising mean that many people are also already familiar with big European betting brands.
An unpublished doctoral thesis examined how individuals seeking treatment for problem gambling navigated self-stigma in relation to professional stigma (stigmatizing attitudes, labels and categorizations by treatment providers; Anderson, Citation 2014). Findings revealed the considerable burden that professional stigma places on clients, and ...
for developing gambling problems (LaBrie, Shaffer, LaPlante, & Wechslet, 2003; Williams, Connolly, Wood, & Nowatzki, 2006). A number of other studies have shown that student-athletes are more likely to gamble and more likely to develop gambling related problems than non-athletes (Ellenbogen, Jacobs, Derevensky, Gupta, & Paskus,
Gambling problems can have severe personal consequences, including financial hardship, emotional difficulties, social impacts, employment difficulties and legal problems. They can also have significant impacts on families and communities. It has been estimated that the gambling problem of one Australian negatively affects at least seven other ...
Problem gambling has been a controversial topic of debate among gaming proponents and opponents for at least 15 years and has become a more politicized issue in Nevada, and other states with legalized gambling, during the past few years.
In summary, both proponents of gambling-is-a-social-problem thesis and their opponents have strong arguments at hand. The debate is likely to continue without being resolved as it is a controversial topic and gambling among the U.S. population leads to mixed results: both positive and negative.