Responsible Gambling
Responsible Gambling Information
Ever since the beginning of time, humans have loved to gamble. We used to gamble with our lives by hunting dangerous animals just to gather food to eat.
Even though these were gambles of necessity at the time, they were still gambles nonetheless, and it is human nature to want to take some chances once in a while in an attempt to improve your current position in life.
We then became more civilized and came up with games of chance where we would gamble against each other for fun or for money. After a while, casinos were invented, which offer various games of chance for money to anyone who wishes to enter their doors.
There are also various other areas of life where you can gamble, such as the stock market, sporting events, or horse races.
Over the centuries, it has become much easier for a human being to gamble without even leaving their house. With the recent advances in internet technology, it has become as easy as clicking a couple of buttons to do some gambling if you have the urge to do so.
The decrease in difficulty when it comes to finding something to gamble on has caused some really high hurdles for those who have a gambling problem to jump over on a daily basis. In this article, we will cover topics such as how to identify that you have a gambling problem, what causes problem gambling, where those with a gambling problem can go for help, and some tips on how to gamble responsibly.
How to Identify That You Have a Gambling Problem
Gambling is meant to be a fun activity that is used to pass the time and cure boredom for a small price. Once it turns into something more serious than that, you might need to admit to yourself that you are developing a gambling problem. There are a lot of telltale signs that might indicate your gambling problem could be getting serious. The following list contains some of the bad habits that you should be looking out for:
- Gambling away important money such as rent money
- Thinking about gambling all day long
- Lying to others about your gambling habit
- Borrowing money from others just to gamble
- Gambling at stakes you know are too high for your bankroll
- Gambling to escape your problems while ignoring your responsibilities
- Gambling more to pay off a gambling debt
- Quitting your job or favorite hobbies to gamble
- Being physically unable to take breaks from gambling
- Spending less time with your family just to gamble more
If one or more of the items on the above list applies to you, then there is a high chance that you have a gambling problem. These signs are not present in normal people who just see gambling as a fun way to kill some of their spare time.
Once you have identified the fact that you have a gambling problem, one of the best ways to fix it is to understand what causes this problem to begin with.
What Causes Problem Gambling?
Chemical Imbalances
Problem gambling is known in the medical community as an impulse-control disorder. This means that you will gamble at any cost, even if it takes food out of the mouths of your loved ones.
Some gambling problems are not this extreme, but it just goes to show you how far it can go if you let it go untreated.
Gambling disorders are usually associated with other behavioral disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, or bipolar disorder. Chemical imbalances from drug use sometimes play a part in someone having a gambling problem as well.
House Edge Misunderstanding
Some gambling problems are based on an innocent misunderstanding about the house edge and the nature of most casino games. A house edge is defined as a predictable long-term advantage in the house’s favor that is built into each game.
You are not the house, and you do not have an edge. Therefore, you will lose in the long run. Simply misunderstanding this fact can cause a lot of confusion in some people’s minds, and it can lead them to develop a gambling problem. These people sometimes feel that they have a special system that can defy mathematics because they do not understand that mathematics governs the outcome of each game.
Determination and Competitiveness
The thing is, a lot of people with a gambling problem have a lot of desirable human traits that serve them well in some parts of life, such as determination and competitiveness.
Unfortunately, these traits are not any good in the gambling world because most forms of gambling are not beatable in the long run.
These characteristics are the root of gambling problems because gambling addicts are not used to giving up when they are defeated, even if the odds are against them.
The best thing to do is realize that there is a time and a place for this determination and competitiveness, and to set them aside when you are gambling.
The Need to Prove One’s Luck
Other people with a gambling problem just want to prove that they are unlucky. Lots of people think that they are unlucky and it is actually pretty rare to meet someone who admits that they have been lucky in life. Some gamblers head to a casino just to prove that they are not one of the lucky few, and it feels good to them to wallow in their own sorrow.
Results-Oriented Thinking
Another thing that causes problem gambling is called results-oriented thinking. This kind of thinking is of no use in the gambling world because the results of each spin or hand are completely independent of previous results.
This is known as the gambler’s fallacy, and it is responsible for a large number of gambling problems.
Obsessing over what happened before when you won a lot of money and trying to replicate those conditions will not help anything and is a huge waste of energy.
Yet, for some reason, lots of people always do this, and they will even increase the number of hours that they gamble just to feel that sweet rush of adrenaline they got the last time they hit a huge score.
Help for Those with a Gambling Problem
If gambling is causing a problem in your life we encourage you to ask questions, gather information and conduct research on the type of help that is most appropriate for your situation. This information is intended to be a starting point—it is not a complete list of information or services
Problem Gambling Resources
Self Help Resources
Gambling Anonymous visit www.gamblersanonymous.org
Is fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem.
Gam-Anon visit www.gam-anon.org
Is a self-help organization for the spouse, family or close friends of compulsive gamblers.
GamTalk visit www.gamtalk.org
800-GAMBLER – 24/7 Confidential Helpline visit online – https://800gambler.org/
Help By State
New Jersey
NATIONAL PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE
Call: 1-800-522-4700
Text: 1-800-522-4700
Chat: ncpgambling.org/chat
and
COUNCIL ON COMPULSIVE GAMBLING OF NEW JERSEY
3635 Quakerbridge Rd., Suite 7
Hamilton, NJ 08619
Tel: 609.588.5515
Fax: 609.588.5665
Email: neva@800gambler.org
Website: www.800gambler.org
Helpline: 1.800.GAMBLER (246.2537)
New Jersey Department of Human Services is responsible for general health and/or addiction services in this state, and may also have information on problem gambling.
Problem Gambling / Self Exclusion Program – read more here:
https://www.nj.gov/casinos/services/problem/
Pennsylvania
DDAP / Problem Gambling / Self Exclusion Program
For more information read more here:
https://www.ddap.pa.gov/Get%20Help%20Now/Pages/Problem-Gambling.aspx
https://www.pacouncil.com/ – Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania
New York
https://oasas.ny.gov/problem-gambling – Office of Addiction Services and Support
Call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) for help, and referrals to treatment
NATIONAL PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE
Call: 1-800-522-4700
Text: 1-800-522-4700
Chat: ncpgambling.org/chat
and
NEW YORK COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING
100 Great Oaks Blvd., Suite 104
Albany, NY 12203
Tel: 518.867.4084
Fax: 518.867.4087
Email: council@nyproblemgambling.org
Website: www.nyproblemgambling.org
Helpline: 877.846.7369
NYPG visit https://nyproblemgambling.org/ New York Council on Problem Gambling
