Online Gambling Addiction Increasing
It would seem that some governments are starting to worry about the kind of addictions that are overtaking people when they get hooked on online gaming sites. Although people are not really aware of how big the problem is as yet, since a virtual explosion of new sites has come onto the market, it is obvious that more and more people are joining the foray into gambling.
It is clear that sites do not start up where there is no interest. Players already online are spending inordinate amounts of cash making this a lucrative business for those who have popular sites. However, since gambling is much like any other addiction, keeping it under control is what some governments want to do now before it gets out of hand.
Because of the hidden nature of online gambling, players can do it right from home on the internet, it is difficult to monitor just how many people have a problem with it. This is a global phenomenon so some innovative techniques need to come into play to research how bad the problem actually is.
Those who ask for help are often assisted online or on the phone with a three question pre-screen test to see if they in fact do need help, but this is not for everyone cautioned Nina Littman-Sharp, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
Questions such as, ‘have you tried to stop gambling’, ‘do you lie about how much you gamble’ or ‘do you have periods of two weeks or more where you think about gambling experiences or when you want to gamble again’ are what are asked of people stepping forward to get some help. Any of these questions which are answered in the positive means that the person should seek treatment.
There are drug treatments for problem gamblers with naltrexone being one which seems to show some good results. This is normally used on alcohol and heroin addicts with some degree of success so one can see that gambling addiction is becoming a very serious problem indeed.
The most serious level of addiction is the pathological gambler with problem gamblers coming in a close second. So hidden is the problem though that only one in ten problem gamblers come forward for treatment. However, the pathological gamblers are far more likely to have problems with alcohol and illicit drugs as well.
The Gamblers Anonymous association will help anyone who feels that they are having difficulties controlling their habits.
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Posted by admin
on May 27 2011. Filed under Bingo News.
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