With easier access to gambling venues, addiction specialists are wondering how much these sites will impact the lives of current gamblers and if it will initiate more gambling addictions.

Privacy Raises the Stakes

Nancy Petry, a psychologist at the University of Connecticut, is one of the few researchers who have started studying online gambling. She found that most gamblers still gamble outside the home; but of the ones who gamble online, most of them have gambling problems. The 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey found that online gamblers are 10 times more likely to have a gambling problem than those who gamble in public places.

Petry says that an online gambling addiction is similar to a drinking addiction. Some alcoholics don’t drink in public. They only drink in the privacy of their home. Gamblers can now do the same-gamble right from their kitchen table or couch.

Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, believes that those types of people who like to use slot machines are the same types who partake in online gambling. There is privacy in both.

But gambling in privacy causes the same dangers that drinking in privacy causes. With no one there to pass judgment, an individual feels more comfortable to indulge excessively and will have a more difficult time determining how much is too much. At a race track or casino table a person can take cues from others as to when their gambling gets out of control.

Online Gambling is Reaching a Younger Crowd

In order to gamble in public, most places require individuals to provide identification that they are 18 years old or older. A group called Action for Children conducted a study in 2004 that found that children as young as 16 years old were gambling online. Out of 37 websites analyzed by the group, the 16-year-olds were able to use credit cards to gamble on 30 of them.

Petry and her research team have studied the impact that online gambling has on adolescents. They found that those who gambled had a high rate of addiction. However, their early gambling addiction did not lead into their adulthood.

Can Online Gambling Cause More Addictions?

The most significant question that researchers would like answered is whether online gambling causes more addiction to gambling. David Hodgins, a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, says that online gambling could definitely hinder the recovery of someone who already has a gambling addiction. It is too accessible and tempting when it is always at your fingertips.

But, how much does online gambling attribute to new gambling addictions? Addiction specialists know that much research still needs to be done on this emerging trend. With research, support, and education, they can find the best ways to protect their clients from falling deeper into gambling addiction and help prevent a new wave of gamblers from falling into the tempting world of online gambling.

States eagerly embraced lottery sales as an easy and painless way to boost government revenues. Now they are ready to embrace online gambling with the same open arms. A recession has brought a halt to government largesse and a population not able to support big government spending. Yet no one is willing to sacrifice services. What are states to do? Many states see Internet gambling as an easy fix.

States Interested

Nevada and Washington D.C. are poised to launch government sponsored online poker and lottery sales. In Kentucky the governor is eager to expand the states involvement in Internet gambling and Illinois is looking to boost lottery purchases via online sales. Many other states (California, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia) are looking into the possibilities of raising revenue through online gambling sites. Other states (Florida and New York) would like to benefit from legalized casino gambling.

The Young, the Poor, the Addicted Likely to Be Harmed

The National Council on Problem Gambling warns that the maximizing of state revenues may require a heavy toll on the citizenry. According to the Council, the nation currently has a half million 12-17 year olds who are already considered problem gamblers. The proposed games move much faster than table games and speed is a known contributor toward addiction. Additionally, while some states/sites claim they will limit player losses, other states have no current plans to protect against such income wreckage. A 2009 report from Oregon found that the majority of dollars gained through gambling machines in that state came from just 10 percent of those who played and with losses regularly measured at $500 per month.

The Lure of Tax-Free Revenue

The windfall to government is expected to be huge. Poker is estimated to generate around $12 billion per year and lotteries which already garner $60-$70 billion are expected to deliver even higher. A report from Morgan Stanley analysts predicts that Internet gambling could be expected to produce $5 billion in profits. The temptation is great.

The financial pressures facing states are real. States see online gambling as a tax without pain. But is it responsible governance to create a revenue stream at the cost of youth, the poor and those with addictive behaviors?

In addition, with the increase of online gambling, pathological gambling is suspected to have increased significantly in recent years. While the research on that topic is in initial stages, there are high costs associated with pathological gambling behaviors. Like other pathological behavior patterns, problematic gambling can result in loss of employment and financial difficulties.

A report from the Illinois Family Institute highlights the cost to the public. The toll on the public from pathological gambling for treatment and other support for those with a problem may outweigh any economic benefit to the community. The report is issued at a time when Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would approve a large increase in gambling in that state.

The report cites a National Gambling Impact Study Commission analysis that indicates that approximately 15 million Americans struggle with a gambling problem or have been diagnosed with a pathological gambling addiction. In addition, the analysis shows that proximity to a casino is a significant predictor of gambling problems. Addiction rates are twice as high within a 50-mile radius of a casino.

There are certain symptoms that help clinicians identify a case of pathological gambling, provided by the American Psychiatric Association. For some, gambling is a problem, but for pathological gamblers, life begins to fall apart. Pathological gamblers are identified by their need to borrow money to cover their losses, participating in illegal activities in order to obtain money for continued gambling, lying about the extent of their gambling activities, and gambling ever-larger amounts to try to cover losses.

Just as in other types of pathological addictions, such as alcoholism, the effects of the condition reach beyond the individual. Divorce rates are higher for those with a pathological gambling problem when compared with non-gambling individuals. In addition, there are more cases of neglect and abuse. There are even instances reported in which young children have died in a hot car because their parent was gambling. Suicide rates are also higher for pathological gamblers.

The report cites a book by an economist, Earl Grinols, who makes a case for the excessive cost of pathological gambling. Grinols’ book, "Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits," states that the costs of gambling in a community outweigh the benefits by a three-to-one ratio.

Gambling addicts don’t have the look of regular junkies and you cannot see the addiction in their faces, but it creeps up in their relationships and finances. Fong says those who are compulsive gamblers are uncontrollable and their gambling becomes a way to escape from their problems. It is damaging beyond comprehension, yet they continue.

A recent article in the Toledo Blade points out that gambling addicts will sell off possessions and even steal from their own family to place a bet. Although compulsive gambling ranks relatively low, impacting less than 2 percent of people nationwide, the associated costs can be unbelievably high among this type of gambler.

Recent studies show that compulsive gamblers are more apt to declare bankruptcy than those in the general public. These gamblers have more debt and carry higher unemployment rates. Experts believe casinos are going to produce a new era of problem gamblers. Those who live in a 50-mile radius of casinos are at double the risk than those who live further away. Gambling addictions are now incorporated in the manual of mental disorders and are recognized as a nonchemical addictions that experts believe are caused by a combination of biological, social and psychological factors.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Addictions Services in Ohio says the new science in slot machines is designed to make you play rapidly, longer and more often, hoping the bright lights will keep you excited.

Game companies have developed mobile casinos that can be just as addictive and harmful as real ones. With a simple credit card number, mobile casinos allow their users to play against others for real money.

This idea has become much more popular since the early 2000′s. The industry’s online gambling has increased profits from $1 billion, to $30 billion in 2009. Many mobile casinos, such as Crazy Mobile Casino, have also seen the results of the industry. In just four years, from 2007 to 2011, Crazy Mobile Casino saw an increase in $100 million to $3 billion. They also expect to see the rates grow even more as smart phone technology increases.

While the United State’s mobile casino companies are booming with profits, the UK market is booming even more. Such casino operators like, Wild Jack, All Slots Casino and 32Red have gone the next step in mobile gambling as to create their own Android and iPhone casino apps. Although the app is only for UK players, US players can play on the WAP mobile casinos, as an alternative.

The US seems to fall behind the UK in mobile casinos because of the UIGEA in 2006. This made it illegal for credit card companies to process transactions dealing with online gambling. This is also making it difficult for UK mobile casino companies who are wanting to expand and offer their service to the United States.

Not only is the UK a leading and growing competitor of mobile gaming, but Europe, Japan and South Korea are also developing better quality games that are expected to heighten their profitability. China is also right along with the other countries and is always looking for a game to imitate and make available in Chinese. Because of China’s growing population, the mobile online gaming market is becoming a great investment for phone companies looking to increase profit and gaming quality.

While countries all over the world are seeing advancements in mobile gaming, they are also continuously worrying about increasing profits. By creating a mobile casino, they can make more money, but they are also taking a chance of increasing addiction and bankruptcy rates. The mobile casino is the newest fascination for gamblers with a smart phone.

The question now is: How do you get out of here? What’s the end-game, so to speak, for the individual with problem gambling that’s gone way past mere entertainment or a way to cope to a point where gambling consumes his or her entire existence.

In a word, it’s treatment.

And, not just any treatment will do. There is one best way out of the game, and that’s going for professional treatment to overcome gambling addiction.

Get Over Your Objections

Of course, there’s an enormous hurdle to overcome before you can get to the point where you can be helped. That is your own inability to admit you have a gambling addiction. You’ll come up with all kinds of reasons why your gambling hasn’t reached the desperation stage – where full-on addiction is fully present.

Here are just some of the things you’ve probably told yourself and your loved ones at one time or another:

• I’ve got it under control.
• I didn’t touch our savings.
• I promise I won’t gamble except on rare occasions.
• If you get off my back, I’ll cut down on my gambling.
• Why are you down on me? Everything’s fine.
• I really was sick yesterday. That’s why I couldn’t go to work. And, no, I didn’t go out gambling.
• Somebody at the office owed me money. That’s why I have a little windfall. It wasn’t from gambling.
• I didn’t take the cash from the dresser drawer.
• Who said I borrowed money from them? It’s a lie.
• You’re all against me. I’m just having a little fun. It’s no big deal.
• They’re lying. I never stole money from the office accounts. Somebody’s setting me up.
• You have to believe me. I’ve quit gambling. I’m going to 12-step meetings.

In fact, self-denial is one of the biggest roadblocks to getting treatment. Until you can take a long, hard look at the state your life has become as a result of your gambling, and admit that you have a problem, you won’t get much use out of treatment even if someone – like your spouse or boss – forces you into it.

You may not truly recognize that gambling is an addiction. After all, it may have evolved over many months and years and could have snuck up on you in terms of its frequency and intensity. You tell yourself that you’re not consuming a substance to excess like drugs or alcohol (even if you are). So, your reasoning may go, how can a little gambling be such a problem for those around you?

Again, you have to get over your objections. Learn to set aside your prejudices and self-beliefs and look objectively at how much time you spend gambling, how much you have lost in the way of finances, reputation, family relationships, friendships, and other negative consequences.

If you can honestly tally up all those losses, you may be able to navigate your way to a moment of clarity and come to the conclusion that you do, indeed, need help to overcome your gambling addiction.

Ask for Family Support

While no one goes through treatment for you – that’s something that you need to do yourself – you do need the support of your family in order to have the best chance at success. First of all, you want to have the encouragement of your spouse and loved ones as you make the transition from active gambler to one who’s accepting treatment and committed to recovery.

It may not be easy. But it may also not be as difficult as you think. For one thing, your actions during the past months and years of gambling are no secret to those who know and care about you the most. You may think that you’ve pulled the wool over their eyes and carefully hid your increasing gambling losses, but these things are never the best-kept secrets. No matter how hard you try, your spouse and loved ones notice the changes in you and in the family’s personal and financial situation.

The longer you’ve been gambling, the more these negative losses mount up. There’s just no getting around it. By the time that you’ve reached the stage of gambling addiction, you may have lost a great deal. The biggest loss, however, may be that of your family. If you still do have family who are on your side, enlist their support and tell them in no uncertain terms – and mean it – that you are sincere in wanting to quit gambling, that you know you can’t do in on your own, and appreciate their support and encouragement as you take the next steps.

You will need this unswerving support for two reasons. First, it will be helpful to know that your loved ones are standing by you as you go into treatment and stick with it to the completion of the gambling addiction treatment program. Second, when you finish your treatment program and are entering early recovery, your family support will be essential to your long-term abstinence.

For now, just ask for their support. Then, take the next step.

Find Treatment for Gambling Addiction

You need to look for a professional program that has been successful in treating gambling addiction. Not every rehab facility is equipped to handle gambling addiction, so your first research task is to find those that do specialize in this type of addiction. But be honest with yourself. If you are a hard-core gambler, you likely have also experienced problems with one or other types of substance abuse, either alcohol or drugs or both.

This isn’t an indictment, or a blame game. It is what it is. The point is that you want to select the treatment facility or rehab center that can treat your primary and secondary addictions simultaneously. What you’re looking for is coordinated and integrated treatment programs in a facility that’s certified and whose staff are fully credentialed and experienced.

Many individuals who first entertain the idea of getting treatment for gambling addiction never go much further because they feel ashamed of their behavior, how much they’ve lost, or that it’s just too much work to figure out where to go for help. Don’t let these feelings stand in your way.

Such a search may take a bit of looking, but you can find a number of treatment facilities that can fulfill your needs.

There are residential treatment facilities for gambling addiction. There are also outpatient clinics and centers that can provide treatment. At this point, the best place to start your research is to contact the National Council on Problem Gambling’s toll-free, confidential hotline at 1-800-522-4700. While this is an excellent way to get a referral to treatment, you can also call the hotline for advice if you’re just thinking about getting help. It’s a big first step, asking for help, but it’s one that you absolutely must take if you want to overcome gambling addiction.

Also check out the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) website to take advantage of the many resources available there, free of charge. The NCPG is now offering a pilot program to help gamblers who are committed to cutting down or stopping gambling by providing one month of daily motivational messages. Maybe this is a good way to get your foot firmly on the path toward getting treatment to overcome gambling addiction.

Participate in Gamblers Anonymous Meetings

Coincident with or prior to looking into getting treatment for gambling addiction, another way that many gamblers start their journey to recovery is to join Gamblers Anonymous, also called GA. This is an international 12-step fellowship organization of men and women who are sincere in their desire to stop gambling. In fact, that’s the only requirement for membership. There are no annual fees or dues, although contributions are always welcomed.

Check out the GA questions and answers, information on the 12-step recovery program, 20 questions, and other resources. When you’ve familiarized yourself with the site and the organization, use their U.S. and international meeting directory search tool (to find meetings in your area.

At this point, you should also encourage your family members to join Gam-Anon, the family off-shoot 12-step group of Gamblers Anonymous. Gam-Anon is the self-help organization for the spouse, family, or close friends of compulsive gamblers. According to the Gam-Anon website, its purpose is threefold: “To learn acceptance and understanding of the gambling illness, to use the program and its problem-solving suggestions as aids in rebuilding our lives, and upon our own recovery, to give assistance to those who suffer.”

When You Are Ready…

This is the final hurdle, the time when you actually go into treatment. Make no mistake about it – this is a truly big step. Whether you’ve galvanized your resolve by first going to Gamblers Anonymous meetings or arrived at the decision to enter treatment right away, when you are ready to embrace a new way of living that’s free of gambling addiction, it’s time to act.

And act is the operative word. It will take a great deal of effort to understand what prompted your gambling in the first place, and what compelled you to continue gambling despite all the mounting negative consequences. You will need to face some painful truths about yourself and learn new ways of coping with the urges to gamble again in the future. If you also suffer from substance abuse or co-occurring mental health disorder, your treatment program should be fully comprehensive and integrated to deal with those issues as well.

Recognize that healing will take time. Even after you complete a treatment program for gambling addiction, that is just the beginning of your road to recovery. You will always, in fact, be in recovery. And, no, you can’t just gamble “a little” now and then without any repercussions. You will need to commit to giving up gambling completely – and that will likely entail counseling for some period of time.

Different gambling addiction treatment therapies may be utilized. One of the best-known is cognitive-behavioral therapy (also called CBT), which focuses on changing the gambler’s unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. CBT also teaches the individual how to combat gambling urges and deal with emotions in healthier ways than to escape through gambling, and to solve the work, relationship and financial problems caused by gambling addiction.

When you enter a treatment program for gambling addiction, a personalized treatment plan will be created for you based on your needs. There is no one-size-fits-all gambling treatment program just as there is no single program to treat alcohol or drug addiction. You do need to be honest with your therapist as well as yourself. There’s no upside in holding back, shading the truth, or putting up a wall and not allowing yourself to heal. Yes, there will be times during treatment for gambling addiction when you feel like it’s too painful, the discoveries too personal, or perhaps the outcome too uncertain.

While there are no guarantees that you will be successful at overcoming your gambling addiction following treatment, the likelihood that you will learn something useful that may eventually result in your being able to quit gambling for good and maintain effective recovery are greater if you do go through treatment. Research studies show that gambling addicts who do not receive treatment continue to deteriorate, becoming depressed to the point of hopelessness – with a very real risk of suicide.

Remember this. Your life doesn’t have to be one of endlessly chasing losses, lying constantly to loved ones, squandering everything you have, jeopardizing your closest relationships, and spiraling downward to the point where you feel you don’t deserve to live. You can find the one best way out of the game by starting now to find treatment for gambling addiction.

The research team gave them two different choices to consider in the gambling process. The first was the choice between a “sure” win versus a “double or nothing” win. The second choice was between a “sure” loss or a “double or nothing” loss. In some instances the gambling volunteers had the choices explained to them while others were left to learn by playing the game and experience.

Interestingly enough, when the odds were explained, people made the opposite choice as compared with those who learned by their own experiences. As participants gained more experience, they began to gamble on the double-or-nothing for wins and then avoided those riskier choices for losses. Gambling tendencies were completely overturned as the research team explained the odds.

University of Alberta researcher, Maria Spetch, said they think people choose in fundamentally different ways when they remember their past wins and losses than when they were thinking about theoretical future possibilities. Spetch believes when basing choices on memory, people focused more on the bigger wins and the bigger losses.

Those who are struggling with a gambling addiction can turn to such studies to better understand their own behaviors. While additional research is still needed in the area, it provides a solid start to understanding the individual’s tolerance for gambling risk.

The rising problem of college-aged students with gambling addictions is the topic of recent news from the Oregon Daily Emerald, published at the University of Oregon. The article says that around two-thirds of college students participated in gambling in the past twelve months, either legally or underage. Activities ranged from placing bets on sporting events, visiting casinos, playing poker or card games, online games or playing the lottery – and all can cause students’ serious financial problems, poor academic performance, high levels of stress and emotional and mental health problems.

It’s a problem repeated across the country. The National Center for Responsible Gambling (NCRG) says around six percent of college-aged students are living with life-destructive gambling addictions or compulsive gambling behaviors. While colleges work to educate students on the dangers of smoking and alcohol, experts fear they may be missing the mark on addressing addictive gambling.

In response, the NCRG has launched an online resource, CollgeGambling.org, which offers help to students, their families and educators as they work to stop addictive gambling. Experts hope more attention on the subject of compulsive and addictive gambling will help spare students the emotional, financial and academic consequences, as well as prevent them from carrying a gambling addiction with them when they leave college.

• Looking over the monthly statements for checking and savings accounts, you see withdrawals that you had no knowledge of.
• Checks start bouncing and non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees add up.
• Credit denial letters start arriving in the mail.
• Items around the house start to disappear.
• A flurry of collection notices arrive in the mail and creditors start calling demanding payment for past-due bills.
• The bill for your spouse’s cell phone for calls and/or texts starts ratcheting up.
• Your spouse is always secretive about money.
• Despite having a job, your spouse always seems to be short of cash.
• Your spouse may have taken over the bill paying, but you notice that only the minimum amount is being paid on bills.
• Your loved one may become involved in very high-risk investing or starts frequently trading.
• Despite the bills going unpaid, you discover your spouse has an unexpected and large amount of cash.
• You notice that your wallet or purse is depleted of cash that you know was there, or your child says that money disappeared from his piggy bank.
• Friends start asking when your spouse will pay back loans, or you find that there’s an increasing amount of payday or other unexpected loans that your spouse has taken out.

• Missing work, arriving at work late and leaving early are typical signs of mounting problems with gambling.
• Using sick days to get off work to gamble is another telltale sign.
• Your spouse starts taking extended lunch periods or long breaks.
• Your spouse’s boss comes down on him or her for failure to finish projects or tasks at all or on time.
• Your spouse uses the company telephones for non-work related calls.
• Co-workers report that your spouse is making calls related to gambling while at work.
• Co-workers also may tell you that your spouse has asked to borrow money from them and takes an extreme interest in office pools, particularly sports pools.
• Your spouse gets a reprimand for using office computers to gamble.
• Cash advances on the company credit card used for gambling purposes, stealing or embezzling funds at work, and asking for frequent advances on a paycheck are other warning signs.

Parents who once believed basement or after-school games of poker, Blackjack and Internet-based games were all in fun are being urged to consider their child’s gambling on a much more serious note. Information from a Gallup Poll Social Audit suggests that more than one-fourth – around 26 percent – of teenagers in the U.S. have experience with gambling, with one-fifth of teens believing they spend more time and money gambling than they should.

New Jersey’s Council on Compulsive Gambling is addressing the problem, using a public awareness program designed to capture teen’s attention. Videos and school presentations are part of the effort, and the agency believes 12 percent of U.S. adults are compulsive gamblers, but that for teenagers, the percentage is climbing.
Gambling on professional sports teams is also feeding many teens’ compulsive gambling problem, with bookies giving teens credit lines to gamble with throughout the week, often settling up on weekends. If the teen is unable to pay their debt, they may be forced to steal, pawn parents’ items, become involved in drugs and deal with harassment.

Many teens with a compulsive gambling problem look like model students. They may do well in school, have many friends and be involved in activities. However, experts warn that what starts out as gambling euphoria becomes a serious addiction and can lead to depression, financial ruin, dropping out of school and suicidal tendencies.

Director of the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling, Ed Looney, says the phases of compulsive gambling for adults are also present for teens, including a phase where the gambler becomes desperate to maintain the addiction at any cost. This makes teens vulnerable to selling drugs, theft and even suicide attempts. Around one-fifth of people with an addiction to compulsive gambling will attempt suicide when they reach the desperation point, says Looney.

Gambling on the Internet with money is illegal, according to law in the U.S., but is difficult to manage. In 2006, Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in an attempt to prohibit funds from credit card companies from being distributed to gambling web sites. Many gambling sites began allowing online play without money, a practice experts say is just as dangerous for teens because it reinforces a false idea that gambling is for fun and is harmless – while laying a foundation for serious gambling problems later in life.

Teens with a compulsive gambling problem may require professional help, and should be confronted by friends or family members at the first suspicion of a problem. Residential centers with teen-based programs are also available, and parents are urged to remain very aware of their teens’ card-playing or gambling habits because the compulsive gambling addiction can emerge quickly and open the door to devastating