Religious authorities generally frown on casino gambling because of its perceived social costs. This is why in highly religious countries, casino gambling (or any sort of gambling)is not allowed. Most Islamic nations specifically prohibit gambling while other nations tend to regulate it to some extent.

Most legal authorities also put some sort of censorship on gambling. The law does not recognize wagers as contracts and views consequent losses as “debts of honor” that cannot be enforced through the legal process. This leads to organized crime taking over the enforcement of large gambling debts, sometimes in a violent manner.

Since contracts of insurance have many features similar to wagers, legislation makes a distinction between the two. It typically defines any agreement wherein either of the party has an interest in the outcome of the bet beyond the specified financial terms as an ‘insurance contract.’ So the bet on whether one’s house will burn down becomes a contract of insurance, since a person has an independent interest in the security of his or her home.

Many people participate in casino gambling as a form of recreation and sometimes as a means to have more income. Before you become obsessed with casino gambling, remember that like any form of behavior, it involves variation in brain chemistry. Thus, it can lead to disruptive behavior and psychological addiction. The phenomena of reinforcement may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after incurring repeated losses.

Russian writer Dostoevsky portrays in his short story entitled “The Gambler,” the psychological effects of gambling on gamblers. He suggested that the idea of gambling or the get-rich-quick mentality may have originated from the Russians. He shows the effect of betting money for the chance of having more money in 19th century Europe. The origins of the Russian roulette fueled legends associating Russians with gambling.

Due to the negative connotations of the term “gambling,” casinos and racetracks owners often use the word “gaming” to connote the recreational activities they offer.

What’s the similarity between pathological gambling and chemical dependency?

The first distinct similarity is the inability to take control or stop the addiction. The denials to the addiction accompanied by severe depression are also similarities. Both diseases are progressive in nature and goes through similar stages.

The first stage being the “chase”, looking for that high or win. The use of the addiction to numb the pain brought about by problems. The pathological gambler and a drug or alcohol dependent person are preoccupied with nothing else except their addiction. They look for immediate gratification and have very low self-esteem.

Pathological gambling not like chemical addiction is a disease not easily noticeable. There are a lot of indicators that would identify a chemically dependent person. But a gambler can exist normally for long periods of time. The large debt that a gambler can incur requires attention.

Pathological gamblers require crisis counseling at the start of their treatment, mainly because pathological gamblers have a higher suicide rate than persons addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Is the level of addiction for all types of gambling the same?

Forms of gambling that give immediate gratification are the worst kind. The slot machine and video are prime examples of these. The use of the instant gratification and effective reinforcement, gamblers that play these machines often progress into pathological gamblers more often than gamblers that play other games.

The time it takes to go from the first bet to a chronic addiction is shortest for this form of gambling. Before it would take many years before a person would be considered “sick” gambling in races, etc. Nowadays, it is fairly common for a person to be addicted to a slot machine or video poker with two to three years.

Is pathological gambling biological in nature?

Recent findings would indicate that pathological gambling is a dependency quite similar to a chemical dependency. A study by a psychiatrist Alec Roy, M.D. formerly of the NIAAA showed that compulsive gamblers have low levels of norepinephrine compared to normal gamblers.

The chemical is secreted from the brain when stressed, aroused or excited. A pathological gambler engages in his addiction to raise the levels of norepinephrine.

The findings reinforce the assertion of Dr. Henry Lesieur that pathological gamblers are “thrill seekers” who gamble for the excitement brought about by the game and not the pursuit of money.

What’s even worse is the fact that people who are so hooked up with gambling have the tendency to get addicted to it.

Addiction is a serious social issue that society is still trying to muster. With gambling addiction, gamblers just don’t lose money but life and family as well. That is why it is extremely important to solve the problem.

In reality, there are available measures and methods so as to treat gambling addiction. Some of which are:

1. Through medications.

Usually, gambling addicts are treated through medications in the form of anti-depressants or what medical experts call as Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or the SSRR. This medication has been proven to treat pathological gamblers or those who feel the blow whenever they win.

2. Through psychological treatments.

Most psychologists contend that the problem of gambling addiction is often associated with a problem on their cognitive behavior. Hence, it would be better to let the gambling addicts undergo cognitive behavior therapy.

In this process, the gambling addicts are taught how to get rid of the negative ideas and replace them with positive ones.

3. Through group therapy.

Group discussions are also effective in treating gambling addiction. Through this method, gamblers will get to interact and discuss their own personal problems that led them to gambling.

One great advantage of this therapy is that gamblers get to listen to other gamblers stories. They will be able to understand some angles that may sound just like their very own situations but were unable to identify them because of the feeling of rejection or shame.

Gambling addiction must be stopped at once. It has already dominated the society and even perpetuated the problem among college students. In 2004, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania has reported that 11.4% of their male students are fond of betting cards at least once a week. This was deemed alarming because they had only 6.2% on the previous year’s report, which made it an increase of 84% in just one year.

Moreover, according to the Journal of Gambling Studies, gamblers who are college students make up 1.6% of the total population. It may seem little at first but the fact that the percentage is gradually increasing is enough to cause alarm.

So, the best way to cure treat gambling addiction is to lessen the chances of playing. This is because the more people can play the greater chances they get addicted.