Responsible Mobile Gambling And Some Advice

Many believe gambling to be a form of entertainment, if it’s enjoyed responsibly. Many people enjoy gambling, whether it’s gambling on horses, playing slots online or on ones mobile phone, or just a night out at the casino, can even be as simply as buying a lottery ticket.

It was recorded that about 70% of Australians will take part in any form of gambling and have contributed over nineteen billion dollars during 2008 and 2009, out of which twelve billion dollars came from playing slot machines.

Gambling Addiction Problem

Gambling can cause significant harm to people; in fact up to five percen of the population in UK, Canada and Australia are on the verge of becoming or have become gambling addicts. As a result, their addiction causes a social cost of five billion dollars to the community.

In fact, 5 to 10 people are affected by one gambling addict present in the community. That’s about 5,000,000 Australians being affected indirectly by gambling problems each year, which includes family members, friends and even co-workers. The sad news is that only fifteen percent of these gambling addicts actually seek help.

Slots and Gambling Addicts

People who love to play the slots might be suffering from a serious gambling addiction. Those who’re addicted to slots can lose around twenty one thousand dollars per year, which is 33% of an average Australian’s income. Slot machine gambling can get so extreme at times that the gambler might end up losing $1,500 an hour.

People between the ages of 18-24 are known to spend more on slots as compared to other age groups. Many adult gamblers have reported that their gambling addiction developed during their high school years, the report was in a study by Delfabbro, P, Gambling Research.

Many cases that include gambling addicts have blamed slot machines as being the source for their gambling problems. What’s even more baffling is that this rate is even higher for women. According to Delfabbro, P, in nine out of ten cases, slot machines were recognized as one of the major problems for women.

The Effects of Gambling

Gambling can have an adverse affect on a person’s life. In fact, a research conducted by Thomas, S, and Jackson, A, Report for Risk and Protective Factors: Depression and co-morbidities in problem gambling has proven that gamblers are 6 times more prone to getting a divorce as compared to non gamblers.

The research further proved that gambling addicts are 4 times more prone to becoming alcoholics and heavy smokers. According to a research by The Problem Gambling Treatment and Research Centre, children who have parents that are gambling addicts are ten times more prone to becoming gambling addict themselves.

Do You Have a Gambling Problem Questions

If you think you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, but you’re not quite sure, then just answer these questions and you’ll get your answer.

  1. Have you gambled longer than you anticipated?
  2. Have you found yourself in a situation where you had gambled away your last dollar?
  3. Has gambling caused you to become an insomniac?
  4. While bills are left unpaid, have you gambled away your savings or income?
  5. Have you encountered situations where you’ve tried to quit gambling, but failed?
  6. Have you ever thought about breaking the law to fund your gambling activities?
  7. Have you ever taken a loan to fund your gambling activities?
  8. Have you found yourself becoming suicidal or depressed when you lose?
  9. Do you regret your decisions after you gamble?
  10. Do you gamble to cover your expenses and obligations?

If your answers are “yes” to most of these questions, then you should consider getting help for your gambling addiction. You can call a professional at the National Problem Gambling HelpLine Network (800.522.4700), which is confidential and toll free all over the U.S.

If you have a mobile gambling problem or any other gambling problem, you can also get help at these gambling help websites:

In UK:

  1. Gamcare.org.uk – GamCare  is the UK’s national organisation for problem gambling and a very good place to start.

In Australia:

  1. GamblingHelpOnline.org.au – is also a good place to get help with your gambling problem. You can chat or join a discussion at GamblingHelpOnline, and even get Emergency help with your mobile gambling problem

In Canada:

  1.   http://www.problemgambling.ca – In Canada you can use the Problem Gambling Institute where you can get advice and help