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Gambling: When the Entertainment Ends

Casinos were conceived originally to entertain. But the fun is outgrown when gambling addiction takes place. When you're talking about an increasing number of addictions and a consistent growth at that, rehabilitation becomes as a steep price, profiting from gambling becomes questionable.

We are all familiar of this scenario: A man goes to a casino and as beginner's luck have it, he wins a $100. It's amazing. The next week, the man goes back to the casino and loses $50 this time. But that's just half of what he won last week, so he continues. This begins as purely entertainment, but before he knows it, he becomes a regular. The man wins some, but losses some more. Some time later, he is taking money from his family's savings account, his retirement and inheritance follows - all to cover his huge losses. But it's far from over, he starts borrowing money from relatives, friends, and co-workers. The pressures mount, and by some reason, he sticks to the idea that all he needs is one big payoff that can come at the next hand, the next slot, the next wheel, or the next roll of the dice. Alternatively, he thinks that maybe one more night at the casino would be his last. Alas, his credit cards are pushed to the brink and all he could do is file for bankruptcy.

This story is not uncommon especially in a country that has legalized gambling. In the U.S., every state now has a "riverboat" casino. And it's hard to think that only a decade ago, casinos only flourished in Nevada, New Jersey and Atlantic City. Gambling has become everyone's source for revenue - governments, charitable organization, churches and even households.

Gaming has become part of everyone's culture too. Well, gambling has been played by various cultures for centuries. Today, at least 80% of Americans have gambled once in their lives and many of comes back to play it in a regular basis. The good side about gambling is that it created jobs, gave funds for education and increased real estate properties. The negative consequences is, with the growth of gambling, at least 2% of Americans have suffered from pathological gambling once in their lives. And about 3% - 5% Americans have participated in a potentially hazardous gambling game that could cripple their finances during their lives.

Pathological gambling is a disorder that occurs to any individual with persistent and maladaptive behavior for gambling, disrupting his personal and family life. This means that a pathological gambler will spend amounts of time and money at the risk of deteriorating his social life. There are many pathological gamblers in places where casinos are legalized and are accustomed to. And should we know one of them, we begin to see the fine line that separates entertainment, leisure and activity from disorder and personal and social disruption. Anyone can cross that line.