Pros And Cons Of Gamblers

There are several solutions for gambling. The first solution is governments’ regulation. Governments have taken measures such as limiting gamblers’ access to money, introducing cashless gaming, and limiting the rate of loss (Healey, 2011, p. 14). For example, Australia have banned ATMs and EFTPOS in casinos, and set poker machine’s bet limit to $10 (Healey, 2011, p. 9). In addition, Australian governments also use financial sanctions to the states which have not taken these measures (Healey, 2011, p. 9). Furthermore, Australian government have introduced pre-commitment system which allows gamblers to set time and money limit. According to the Productivity Commission, pre-commitment system is a very effective option to minimize the negative effect that caused by problem gambling (as sited in Healey, 2011, p. 11).

Casinos would not exist if customers didn’t lose money in them year after year. It is a game of statistics and patrons realize more times than not, you will lose. In the case of Terrance Watanabe, he took the concept of losing to a whole other level. After he squandered his entire fortune, he then claimed that because he was intoxicated he should be relieved from the millions he still owed to the casino. Harrah’s was accused of many questionable operating procedures over the course of a year of Mr. Watanabe’s gambling binge. The issue at hand is: Should the law allow someone that becomes voluntarily incapacitated through intoxication or other means escape from a contractual obligation using incapacity

After vigorous years of fighting for legalization, Nevada became the first state to legalize casino gambling in 1931, as referenced on Americangaming.org. Following Nevada’s legalization were New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Louisiana and more. Today, 18 states have commercial casinos, and a total of 30 states offer legalized gambling of any kind. Gambling has transformed over the years, branching out into various games and chances. Some games include slot machines, poker, roulette, blackjack, craps, and bingo. All games have some chance of winning money, however the odds can either be in, or out, of favor. As gambling increases in states nationwide, the exposure through advertisements and offering of free giveaways has caught the eyes of people young, old and in between. Over the past twenty years, gambling has increased by ten-times than before, while the amount of pathological gamblers has remained steady. Nevertheless, although this proves that gambling addiction has not increased over time, it does not defer from the fact that gambling is not a victimless

Middleton and Latif write about the government’s plans to establish casinos in the United Kingdom and that more thought should be put in to the potential health effects it may cause. Both define problem gambling and the effects on one’s physical, mental and social well-being.

The untreated conditions that pathological gamblers have may compound an unfortunate situation. Not everyone who gambles becomes addictive. However, the casino industry recognizes that some people have gambling problems and casinos provide help and education for those that do have problems. All gamblers do not have broken homes or abuse their children. Plenty of broken home have nothing to do with gambling. Again, there is no imperial evidence that substantiates every time a hand of cards is lost a child is beaten.

“The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted a study before the first Maryland casino opened in 2010, and published it in 2011. They found that nearly 90 percent of Marylanders had gambled, and that 3.4 percent were either pathological gamblers or problem gamblers.” (Massimo) There has been numerous stories of addicted gamblers in debt, gamblers that have lost family and friends from their addictions. There was a man $400,000 in debt, his wife threw him out of the house and told him he could not see his kids again unless he gave up gambling. Also, another gambler went on a 48 hour binge without sleeping and barely eating. A woman faced a jail term for stealing $135,000 to feed her gambling

Gambling is seen as a psychological problem affecting millions of Americans across the country. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have or could develop gambling problems, and about half of these are young adults. Gambling is sometimes connected to spouse and child abuse, bankruptcy, mental breakdowns, substance abuse, theft, divorce, and suicide. It is estimated that people are twice as likely to be a problem or pathological gambler if a casino is within 50 miles of their home. Citizens will also experience alcohol-related problems, as the casinos will be permitted to sell or provide complimentary alcoholic beverages during all hours that they operate (Amend. 5, Sect. 10E).

(2006) assigned participants into one of the following groups: (a) a referral to Gamblers Anonymous, (b) a cognitive behavioral workbook, and (c) 8 sessions of individual cognitive behavioral therapy. The participants for the study consisted of a total of 231 pathological gamblers. The results, like Sylvain et al., (1997), found cognitive behavioral therapy to increase abstinence from gambling behaviors. The study found individual cognitive behavioral therapy sessions lead to more progress than the group which only received the cognitive behavioral workbook. The group receiving cognitive behavioral therapy sessions also was shown to reduce gambling more than those who went to gamblers anonymous (Petry et at.,

One aspect common in most addictions and not in compulsive gambling is the presence of withdrawal. Some gamblers do claim they experience withdrawal symptoms. Rosenthal and Lesieur (1992) conducted a study on self-reported withdrawal symptoms of gambling. The study consisted of 222 participants. Sixty-five percent of participants reported experiencing at least one of the following: insomnia, headaches, upset stomach, loss of appetite, physical weakness, palpitations, shaking, cramps, difficulty breathing, sweats, and a chill or fever. Along with, 91% of participants claiming they experienced cravings (Rosenthal & Lesieur, 1992). Despite previous expectations none of the symptoms reported in the study corresponded with gender, type of gambling, extent of alcohol or drug use while gambling, of self-described alcoholism or drug addiction (Rosenthal & Lesieur, 1992).

     Gambling addiction is an issue found in numerous areas where gambling is legal. People who are addicted to gambling, also know as problem gamblers, face many health risks including depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, migraine and anxiety in addition to marriage breakdown, problems at work and bankruptcy (9). About 2 percent of adults are thought to be problem gamblers (1). In today’s society this costly addiction is not often considered to be a common problem among those who gamble. Only a small amount of states in the U.S. give enough attention toward this rising problem of people that are sometimes even willing to commit crimes just to aid their addiction. In the past our

The state must first analyze problem gamblers. In Canada gambling opportunities vary from province to province with slightly different approaches to casinos and with gaming devices such as VLT (video lottery terminals). Nonetheless there is no significant difference in the rates at which problem gambling occur. Evidence does indicate that a gambling addict, like other people with addictions, will find any opportunity to gamble. This indicates that specific traits linked to an individual are more important factors with problem gambling, rather than the physical factors including how close a person is to a gambling facility, or if they have few interests or hobbies, or feel their lives lack direction. This also points to the idea that banning gambling is likelier to push problem gamblers to illegal sources, rather than controlling the behaviour. Advocates of gambling prohibition say gambling is an addiction, and often point to stories of addicts who have wagered away the kids' college fund, lost their house, or turned to crime to pay off their debts. But foolishness with our own money should not be illegal. We do not prohibit people from blowing their savings on eBay, taking out mortgages or loans they cannot afford (at least not yet), or frittering away their pay packets on

Gambling is common and prevalent in society due to it being a source of revenue for the government and also a pioneering force in tourism and entertainment. This entertainment, however, can lead to prolonged or progressive gambling known as pathological gambling (PG), which the American Psychiatric Association (APA) labels as an impulse disorder in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorder. This edition of the manual, DSM-IV-TR, provides a widely accepted definition of PG as persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior that “disrupts personal, family, or vocational pursuits” (APA 2000). The diagnostic criteria established by the APA in the DSM-IV-TR are that a person is a pathological gambler if he or she agrees with five or more of the following behaviors:

Gambling disorders are associated with numerous negative consequences and are highly correlated with other risky behaviors in the college student population. Gambling brings no excitement in life but gives birth to other problems like domestic violence, indulgence in criminal acts such as thefts and burglary, loss of employment due to behavioral and health problems and even family breakdown and social isolation. Compared to students without gambling problems, students who gamble are more likely to use tobacco, drink heavily or binge drink, smoke marijuana or use other illegal drugs, drive under the influence and have a low GPA. Also, student gamblers are more likely go into debt and borrow large amounts of money to gambling more frequently. Depression, migraines and anxiety are only a few of the mental illnesses that are common among students addicted to gambling. Personalities can be completely changed and behaviors altered, such as lying to friends and family, thinking about or committing illegal acts to finance their gambling, or developing suicidal thoughts. All of these reasons are why gambling among college student needs to be banned.

The severity of the gambling problem varies; pathological gamblers must be distinguished from recreational gamblers —such as those who occasionally purchase a lottery ticket. The American Psychiatric Association defines pathological gambling as “chronic and progressive failure to resist impulses to gamble, and gambling behavior that compromises, disrupts, or damages personal, family, or vocational pursuits” (APA 324). Pathological gamblers characteristically become preoccupied with gambling—gambling with increasing amounts of money, trying to win back past losses—ultimately leading to personal and financial ruin. These characteristics, along

Utilitarianism suggests that the act that results in the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of individuals is the option that we should choose. Whether gambling should be deemed as an ethical or unethical act depends entirely on the consequences and benefits gambling has on casinos, gamblers, and non-gamblers. If gambling results in the overall increase of a casino’s profit and the overall increase of a gambler’s profit and mental health, then the act of gambling would be considered ethical. However, if the act has more negative implications than positive, then the act of gambling would be unethical. For example, it would be unethical if the transaction between casinos and gamblers was rigged solely for the casino 's financial benefit while exploiting those who gamble there. The significant concern of this paper is not to point a finger at casinos and other gambling mediums as a means to blame them for the mental conditions of those who we’d consider as gambling addicts. Instead, the point of this paper is to acknowledge the effects of gambling and propose the importance of responsibility. I will present an unbiased view of gambling, paying close attention to the psychological effects and motives individuals have regarding gambling at casinos. Also, I will look at the positive results associated with having a successful casino business, so that allowing gambling is ethical from a utilitarian point of