Problem Gambling Chances Enhanced by Economic Troubles
It has been seen in studies worldwide that compulsive gambling is more a symptom of underlying problems than a root cause. Scientists have found that problem gambling generally occurs when there is an existing mental disorder, and that effective treatment attacks this disorder rather than worries about gambling proliferation.
But a new type of problem gambling may develop with the world's worsening economy. Players desperate to find ways to meet financial obligations may turn to casinos and other gambling venues as a straw to grasp, a hope that all may yet be not lost.
Of course, those who gamble because they need to make money only accelerate their difficulties. Trying to make consistent profits by gambling is a lost cause. While gambling is not the root of this desperation, it does facilitate the expansion of the core problem.
Forbes magazine recently ran figures regarding the state of gambling in Macedonia. The country is beset by inflation, stagnating incomes, and rising taxes. Unemployment hovers around thirty percent.
Almost forty percent of the population gambles regularly on sports. Surveys show that as much as seventy percent of gamblers are playing to pay bills or support themselves. Only a third use gambling as entertainment and fun.
Gambling venues must be vigilant against this growing form of problem gaming. Online casinos are especially attractive to this type of patron, who only wants the play as fast as he can get it, and disregard the trappings or travel time a land casino requires.
Screening and software must be kept at top priority, to avoid developing a whole new population of problem gamblers, and the legal and moral concerns that follow.
