Once upon a time in the United States of America, if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to Nevada, Atlantic City, or some remote Native American reservation. The only legal sporting wagers took place at the horse tracks. Gambling was, for the most part, illegal in America . . . until the Internet took over. Gambling was originally deemed illegal in the United States for a reason, and that reason was because people became addicted, and the activity was deemed socially unproductive. Predictably, gambling over the Internet has taken off. However, many of the problems that were associated with old fashioned gambling are prominent in new age gambling.
The Internet is the perfect medium in which to gamble. In order to avoid legal technicalities, all an Internet gambler needs to do is log onto an on-line casino (the Web sites are based in other countries) and insert false information in the member registration forms dealing with address and citizenship. In most cases, the address in the member registration is not cross-referenced with the address given by the credit card company, and U.S. citizens are not detected.
No longer necessary are vacations to notorious gambling locations such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or scattered Indian reservations. All gamblers must do is log onto the Internet, navigate to the necessary site, download the appropriate software and indicate a method of payment.
On-line casinos have gained popularity at alarming rates over the past few years. Sites such as Casinotrust.com , in addition to hundreds of others, have seized a market on a service that would be illegal if it were not for the convenience of Cyberspace.
The cyber casino can be even more profitable than a "brick and mortar" casino because its costs are so low. There are no dealers to hire, no space to rent, and most importantly, no machines, tables, cards, or dice to buy. Some of the incurred costs of the on-line casino include the cost to run the site and the advertising, both of which can cost exorbitant amounts of money.
Casino Web sites are extremely simple and relatively cheap to use. All the necessary software is available through simple downloads. The only restriction on the use of such software is that the user must be at least 18. Once the proper software is downloaded and installed, the user can begin gambling immediately. All information about method of payment, user identification and personal accounting is done electronically.
Most on-line casinos include virtual versions of craps, roulette, blackjack, slot machines and Baccarat. The Web sites themselves resemble the bright, flashing, colorful lights of a real casino. The ambiance created by the Web site designers includes all of the visual perks that would accompany a night of gambling in a traditional casino.
Sports Wagering--
Gambling on the Internet is not restricted to casinos. The market for on-line sports wagering is growing just as fast, if not faster. At almost any site, users can place bets on sporting events including American football, baseball, boxing, golf, basketball, cricket, hockey, horse racing, car racing, soccer, and tennis. A particular attraction to on-line gambling is that, often, the odds given to the user are considered extremely favorable. The incentive of a higher probability to win draws users to place their wagers through the on-line server. Commonly, there is a flat rate price that users must pay in order to place a wager. The gambling services often charge this service fee without protest from users because the fee is seen as insignificant in relation to the possible gains from a winning wager.
For all the above are reasons, thousands of people are drawn to on-line gambling sites. While this is a terrific for business, it has its negative effects as well. Addiction to on-line gambling is a serious, widespread problem. People have developed gambling problems that are similar to "old fashioned" gambling addiction. Often, addiction to gambling is very similar to other types of Internet addictions, including addiction to auction houses and pornography sites.
A gambling addiction is driven by the thrill of risking money, placing large wagers and, of course, winning large sums of money. This part has not changed. Just because the means by which people have bet their money have become "virtual" and "electronic" does not change the fundamental attraction to gambling. What has changed is the availability of gambling. Because people can gamble and make wagers with great ease from any geographical location, the extent of use by individuals has increased. With current level of availability, people only need access to the Internet and a credit card in order to accomplish what used to require plane tickets, hotel reservations, and access to a legal casino.
On-line gambling addicts often experience difficulties in their daily lives as a result of spending so much time and money gambling on-line. Relationships suffer, work and study go slack, and, obviously, finances run short. In the workplace especially, it is not uncommon for employers to find that their employees are abusing their Internet access by gambling when they are supposed to be working. In their worst stages, addicts become isolated and anti-social. Relationships with spouses, families, and friends might not be as important as thinking about the next on-line gambling session.
Many addicts often have extreme trouble admitting to the fact that they are addicted. Gambling gives a rush of excitement to what otherwise would have been an uneventful day. In order to successfully curb their gambling problems, addicts must first admit to themselves that they are addicted.
Are You Addicted to On-Line Gambling?--
The Center for On-Line Addiction supplies all visitors to their Web site a free survey so that they might better understand their own gambling habits. The survey asks questions that might make an addict come to an important realization in regard to the extent that his addiction is affecting his life. Below are some of the questions.
1. Do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement?
2. Have you lied to friends and family members to conceal the extent of your on-line gambling?
3. Do you see gambling as a way of escaping from problems or relieve the feeling of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?
4. Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational opportunity because of on-line gambling?
5. Have you committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance on-line activities?
If a person truthfully answers "yes" to any of these, or additional questions supplied on the site, the person is most likely addicted to on-line gambling.
Once an addicted gambler has decided to actively seek help and quit gambling, he has several options. Gamblers Anonymous, originally formed to help individuals with more "old fashioned" gambling problems is very open to on-line addicts. Netaddiction.com offers a free virtual clinic that serves as a way for addicts to share their troubles with others and receive advice from experts.
Within the last few years, the introduction of on-line gambling has made gambling addictions a serious social concern. Presently, our government can do little to stop it, or at least regulate the rush of illegal gambling that is taking place over the Internet. Without significant government regulation and control, on-line gambling will most likely continue on its present course, affecting society more and more every day.
Adults with Learning Disabilities,by Noel Gregg, Cheri Hoy and Alice F. Gay (1996)
www.chadd.com (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
www.ldonline.com (A great interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers and students).
www.netaddiction.com.
www.computeraddiction.com.
www.ebay.com.
www.casinotrust.com.
www.interactivesportsbetting.com.
www.psychcentral.com/netaddiction/.
