My Gambling Addiction and Its Impact

About nine years ago, I was out on the town doing some gambling. It was my night out; the wife already had hers. I did okay for awhileup some and down some. As the night wore on, I started drinking and gambling more and became unconcerned with time. Oh, I knew it was getting late, and I was already supposed to be home. I started losing a lot now and began using my bank and credit cards. I was playing scared, but I could not go home a loser. I kept playing until about five in the morning. This is when I depleted all my funds. I was in deep trouble. Suicide crossed my mind, but I did not have the guts. I drove home drunk and depressed. My wife was waiting at the front door with the baby in her arms. First she was concerned, but then she lost it when I told her the news. "What the hell have you done? The last thing we can afford is your gambling. There is no groceries and the baby needs formula." I knew all this, but I got caught up in the gambling fever. There was no way I could make it up. I was depressed for weeks and this was just one of the episodes that led to my divorce after we moved to Reno.

Gambling is rapidly becoming America's favorite past time. It is now more popular than all sporting events combined. "In 1995, Americans spent more on gambling than the U.S. government budgeted for defense: around $500 billion in all, or $2,000 for every man, woman, and child" (Vogel 1). Gambling, or "gaming" as the industry calls it, is fast becoming a part of many people's everyday lives. For years, Nevada was the only place you could go for gambling, but now legalized gaming has spread throughout the country. Whether it is lotteries, horse racing, bingo or gaming, there is a game close to you. What is meant by gambling? "Gambling is to bet on an uncertain outcome, or to play a game of chance for stakes" (Compton's Ref. 1). People knowingly go in as an underdog. For the majority of the population, gambling is a fun and exciting way to spend their leisure time. For a smaller and significant part of the population gaming ruins their lives. As a casino dealer for the past twelve years, I have seen the harm gambling can do to the individual as well as society.

"The editors of Esquire wrote that the oldest diversion . . . is the same as the oldest profession, but it's odds-on that gambling came next, perhaps even immediately afterwards'" (Thompson 3). Nobody knows for sure when gambling first started, but there is evidence it has been around for a long time. "When archaeologists excavated the pyramids, they found dice beside the mummified bodies of pharaohsdice that were shaved or crooked. Greek history contains stories of soldiers who shot craps to while away the monotonous hours during the siege of Troy, and the Bible documents the story of Roman centurions gambling for the robes of Christ following the crucifixion" (Thompson 4). Throughout history, gambling has been common practice. Attempts to make it illegal usually fail.

Growing up in Illinois, my mom and dad played poker in a back room of the Moose club. The mayor and a state trooper were regulars in the game. Though illegal, it was accepted and was not considered a big deal. With the legalization of gambling in the thirties, Nevada took a lot of criticism. Some states wanted to boot Nevada out of the Union, but gambling prevailed. Gambling in Nevada took off with California's population explosion in the fifties. Although having a lot of mob influences early on, by the late sixties corporate America was starting to take over and bring a new respectability to casino gaming. Today, gambling is more popular than ever before in history.

What drives us to gamble when we are knowledgeable the odds are not in our favor? The voice in the back of my head always told me not to play. If I had extra money, the voice told me to go buy something, and if I didn't have extra money, it told me I had to pay bills. Unfortunately, I rarely listened to that voice. Why don't we have early education on listening to our voice of reason? I think people gamble because they are trying to fill a void, or they are bored. Gambling is a temporary fix that provides the thrill and excitement that our lives lack. Personally, I always gambled more when I was lonely or depressed. If I had a girlfriend or wife, I didn't gamble as much. After the newness of the relationship wore off and the excitement was gone, I sought it in gambling. Deep down I always had the feeling I could lose, but the chance of coming home with more money than when starting (and having the void filled in the process) was what kept me going. If I went to a movie or out to eat, I would spend at least ten to forty dollars. With gambling, there was always the chance I could win, and the night out would be profitable. This type of thinking is what gets a lot of people in trouble.

Gambling is like a drug addiction to the problem gambler, and there are not many drugs that give you the high that winning money does. Take a stroll through a casino and you can pretty much tell who is winning. The players that are winning are happy and appear to be feeling smart and cocky. It is as if because they are winning, they have an edge or know something nobody else knows. Unfortunately, winning only happens once in awhile. Players are gambling their hard earned money for a chance to get rich quick. When players are winning, they get greedy and want more. If they are even, that is the way they came in, and they need to get ahead. When they're losing, they are frantically trying to get even. A lot of people win while gambling, but they get greedy and end up losing it. "Gambling fever" consumes them and leaves them helpless. It is a rare person that can walk away ahead and a smart one that can limit his losses. Have you ever noticed the people playing poker machines? Electronic morphine has put its trance on these people. They are totally unaware of what is going on around them. Players gain satisfaction by accumulating six-packs of soda or beer; meanwhile, they lose their paychecks in the process. Gambling is a drug that gives a great high, but when you come down, it causes severe depression for days or weeks to come.

One of the biggest problems associated with gambling is drinking. Casinos encourage it for obvious reasons. Cocktail waitresses in revealing outfits bring free drinks on a regular basis while gambling. Alcohol helps players relax and relieves their anxieties while playing. A couple of drinks are okay, but as time moves on players end up getting intoxicated. They do things they normally would not if they were sober. I have seen people go through hundreds of dollars while playing just to get the free drink they ordered. Another problem associated with drinking is betting more than one can afford. Once a player goes through his pocket change, it's off to the automated teller machine. After losing that money, it is the credit card's turn. This is when gambling gets dangerous. For a nominal fee of fifteen dollars and up, you can get casino cash off your credit card. I have seen gamblers take thousands of dollars off their credit card in one night because they did not know how to quit. If they get lucky, they win some of their money back. The one time they don't, the game has now done them in. If they are not staying at the hotel, they end up driving home drunk and jeopardizing innocent people's lives. When they awaken with a hangover, depression becomes a major problem. Reality of what they have done sets in. Future earnings are gone, and there is no way to reverse what has been done. Of course there is always going back and trying to get even.

"Pathological gambling is one of the most rapidly growing, but ignored, mental health problems in the United States" (Abbot 213). Depending on what you read, anywhere from two to seven percent of the adult population are compulsive gamblers and account for about fifty percent of casino revenues. Of this group, nine out of ten are men. These players usually begin by getting lucky and winning the first few times they play. After awhile, odds catch up to them and they end up losing everything they have. "Several characteristics of a pathological gambler are preoccupation with gambling, . . . gambling aggressively or longer than planned, . . . restlessness and irritability during inactivity, . . . chasing losses, . . . frequent efforts to stop gambling, . . . gambling even though other obligations are pressing . . . and gambles without regard to increasing debt" (Thompson 54-55). Like alcohol, the only real cure for compulsive gamblers is abstinence. Many gamblers seek help at gamblers anonymous or mental health treatment facilities.

Crime rises dramatically in areas of legalized gambling. When people are tapped and have the need to gamble, they usually don't work more but turn to crime. Every city where gambling has been legalized has seen a large increase from pre-gambling days. "Atlantic City went from fiftieth to first in the nation in per capita crime. . . . Las Vegas, NV is always at top in per capita crime. . . . In Tunica Mississippi, court cases rose from 1500 in 1992, to nearly 7000 in1994 after nine casinos opened. . . . Forty percent of all white collar' crimes are committed by those addicted to gambling" (Traditional Values 2). As someone that had a problem with gambling in the past, I can honestly tell you that I have contemplated crime to help recover some of my losses. Thank God I never did, but it goes to show you how easily one's mind can get twisted.

As stated in my introduction, gambling can wreak havoc on the family. Areas of legalized gambling constantly lead the nation in divorce rates. I've been dealing cards for twelve years, and I've seen thousands of disputes between husbands and wives. Usually, the wife is ready to go, but the husband refuses to leave. The wife is doing her best to maintain composure, and the husband could not care less. I have had players threaten to kill their wives if they did not leave them alone. They are obsessed, and family doesn't matter. This also happens with the wives, but not nearly as often. I think there is an ego thing going on, and a male hates to walk away a loser. After awhile, the wife can not take it anymore, so she ups and leaves with the kids. Now, loneliness and severe depression set in.

Suicide tends to be the way out for a lot of problem gamblers. "In Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City, suicide rates were significantly higher than cities of similar size. Atlantic city, which was in line with cities of similar size, now has a forty-three percent higher suicide rate. Visitors to these cities also commit suicide at a higher than to be expected rate, with Las Vegas leading the group with one in twenty-five visitors committing suicide, four times the national average" (S.S.1). I have always thought that I could make a fortune selling suicide pills at the door, so people would not have to deal with losing. Of course, nowadays, I could sell Prozac, and it would not be as drastic. The feeling one gets when losing is terrible. It is so depressing, and the feeling sometimes lasts for weeks. One needs to remember that a loss of money is only temporary, and that one can get over these problems. Unfortunately, for many, suicide seems the only way out.

What is the economic impacts of gambling on society? Advocates of gaming argue that legalized gambling brings jobs, capital expenditures, tax revenue and is a boon for local economies. While this might be true for Las Vegas, other cities and states cannot argue this. "Political consultant Joseph Napolitan, who was instrumental in bringing casino gambling to Atlantic City, says that this was the worse mistake I have ever made in thirty-eight years of running campaigns. We assumed they would create thousands of new jobs, revitalize the city, restore its economic strength and make Atlantic City a better place to live. . . . Within three years, the crime rate tripled, forty percent of local restaurants closed, homeless people increased by 2000 percent, property values dropped, . . . more people went on welfare, shelters were jammed, and an unseemly number of teenagers became gambling addicts'" (Roman 1). Bottom line is anybody can argue numbers in their favor, but when a dollar gets lost in a casino, it's a dollar the economy loses. Jobs do get created from the gaming industry, but these are jobs often filled by people moving in from other parts of the country. If the money were not pumped into casinos it would have been invested elsewhere creating other jobs in different industries. Also, in argument to tax revenue created, "research shows that for every dollar the state receives from gambling revenues, taxpayers must put up a minimum of three dollars to cover additional costs incurred by gambling" (Traditional values 3). These could include monies for bigger police forces, gaming control boards, court costs and social programs. Nevada might be the only state that avoids this because of its huge tourist market; whereas other markets draw mainly from a local market. Time and time again, gambling has proven to have negative impacts on the economies of gaming communities.

How can we limit or stop the spread of gambling before it gets out of control? Government studies are now underway to analyze the effects that gambling has on society. Recently states have turned down gambling initiatives because of what they have seen happen in other states. My thoughts would be to stop or put a freeze on passing anymore legislation until these studies are final. It would virtually be impossible to make gambling illegal again. They could stop growth with this freeze and slow it down by attrition. When a casino goes out of business it is either bought within a set time limit or destroyed. The weak would fall, and the strong would survive.

Legalized gambling seems to be fun and exciting on the surface, but in reality it is detrimental to everybody. Even if one gets lucky and wins, all it does is entice one into playing more. In fact if everybody won the first time they played, the casinos would be much busier. The first time winner will always be back. Winning gives one the feeling they have some kind of edge over the game. If everybody won, there would not be any casinos. Impacts of gaming are felt everyday. I am sure that when the government studies conclude, they will find that gambling's effects on society are much worse than ever imagined. It is time we stop the expansion of legalized gambling and find ways to reduce it. Gambling's side effects far exceed its benefits, and it is time society takes action.