Compulsive Gambling is an obsessive desire to keep on gambling despite the negative toll it takes on one’s life. Gambling is risking something to benefit the most out of it and get an even higher return value. It can stimulate the human brain like drugs, alcohol, and other substances.
Gambling addiction is a condition where one keeps on placing bets that lead to losses, hoping for a big win at some point in time. This leads to debt, bitter relations, behavioural changes, theft, or fraud. UK Gambling Commission took steps to prevent such behaviour and created GamStop that allows players to self-exclude and stop gambling. But this scheme was not effective enough and British punters started practising CasinoGap GamStop-free betting that is gaining popularity nowadays.
Risk Factors Associated With Gambling Addiction
Factors that are most associated with problem gambling are :
Influence
If a family member is suffering from a gambling addiction, there are high chances for the others in the family to get addicted too. There is a common practice to join GamStop self-exclusion service in such cases that is widely supported by the UK government.
Age
Gambling addiction is most common in the younger generation as well as the middle-aged punters.
Mental Health Issues
People who gamble obsessively develop addiction issues like substance abuse, personality disorders, anxiety, bipolar disease, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, and acute depression. Although there are a lot of services that support such people and help to prevent addiction, it may be a problem to overcome all of the addictions. But do not hesitate to ask for help and register at self-exclusion schemes such as GamStop.
Personality Characteristics
Being over-competitive, easily bored, or impulsive might lead to gambling addiction.
Gambling Addiction Stories In The UK
Chris, an entrepreneur, was probably 15 when he started gambling due to a lucrative part-time job. All his earnings were spent in the bookies and it was not long ago when he realized that he was getting into the dark web of addiction. At the age of 17, he sneaked into casinos using someone else’s ID proof which was a new pattern for him. He started playing with larger jackpots, roulette, and blackjack. He underwent losses and had to sell his property. By the time he realized that he needed help, he had lost most of his assets. Chris is now coping with his addiction problems after serious health issues affected him and worked as the dawn of realization.
John was a happy man with a well-paid job, a house, two kids. But beneath this exterior was a fight with severe gambling addiction. He owed £60,000 due to this addiction. It had all started with visiting arcades during family trips. With a part-time job in college, he had a disposable income which slowly led to gambling issues. He is now trying to come out of this problem since he cannot afford to lose his family.
John, a sports science student started gambling when he visited his relatives and saw gaming arcades. When he grew older, his uncle offered him a job at his casino to help him save for his college. However, it turned into a gambling addiction soon since he started using the fruit machines. When he was entrusted with his company credit card later in life, he used it for gambling and had a £1500 debt. After losing his job, he was at the edge of committing suicide. However, he’s taking help from the NHS Gambling Clinic and is determined to overcome his problem soon.
Steve Ramsey’s addiction journey had begun from online gambling platforms where he had bet over a boxing match for £10 and won £140 in a few minutes. This triggered his gambling tendencies and he was soon in a financial mess with huge debts to pay. He had substituted his bank details instead of his company’s and had stolen £192,000. Later on, he confessed to his family and was sentenced to 27 months in prison. It was a changing point and after his jail time, he was associated with the NHS Gambling Clinic that helped him fight his addiction over time.
Conclusion
To eliminate gambling addiction from one’s life, one must be honest with himself in order to identify the problem and take the necessary steps to overcome it. After recognizing the problem, one must seek assistance from support groups and try to get the best out of them. One must treat gambling as an addiction and not a temptation. Getting over gambling is never easy. One must find alternatives to gambling in order to eliminate leisure hours.
Thinking about the consequences can motivate a person to come out of gambling. In case of severe addiction, one must seek professional help from a mental health or addiction specialist as it could change the outlook and develop the willingness to lead a stable, happy life free from debts, shame, and guilt. Taking the first step of realization is the key to recovery.
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