Compulsive Gambling - a Lifetime Long Problem - Essay Example

? Compulsive Gambling a Lifetime Long Problem School Affiliation Gambling is defined as the act of “placing something of value at risk in the hopes of gaining something of greater value” . With any act of gambling, there is always a risk that the participant will lose the item of value and not gain anything in return. Humans have an inherent risk-taking part of their nature, and the element of chance that is associated with gambling makes it a very popular pastime throughout history and different cultures . Opportunities for gambling have rapidly increased in modern times, and so too have the number of people that engage in gambling . While gambling can be a harmless activity for many people, for others it can be a dangerous activity that has the potential to destroy their lives. Compulsive gambling can lead to many problems for the participants and their families, often leading to high levels of stress, the loss of finances and criminal activity. For pathological gamblers, the relaxing activity of gambling has progressed into a more serious and dangerous pastime. People in this position generally lack the ability to control their gambling habits. They are not able to stop gambling, even if they do not have the finances to support their bets. This is the most severe form of gambling and is considered to be a mental disorder. Current estimates place pathological gambling as being five percent of the gambling population .The terms compulsive and problem gambling are also used, often interchangeably, although sometimes problem gambling is also used to refer to other gambling problems that do not fall under the definition of pathological .Gambling is traditionally considered an addition, even though it does not have any of the obvious physical signs that most addictions share. Because of this, it is easier for people to hide their addiction, and this makes intervention difficult . There are many different causes of gambling and research has yet to fully determine how these interact with one another. One study examined three characteristics of individuals that could potentially have an effect on likelihood of gambling, these were personality, perceived luck and attitude towards gambling. The authors found that personality traits had a significant influence on the development of problem gambling. These traits included emotional stability, reasoning, openness to change and social boldness although there were many others . Research suggests that the more gambling activities that a person is involved in, such as slots, card gambling and betting on racetracks, the greater change they have of being involved in problem gambling . Research has shown a significant link between gambling and crime. Many problem gamblers lose large amounts of money in their bets, and may turn to crime to try and pay their debts, to maintain the appearance of normality or to continue gambling. However, the direction of this interaction is not clear. Gamblers may be more likely to become criminals, or being criminals may make one more likely to gamble . Law has moved away from banning gambling and towards finding methods of regulating it. This includes giving local authorities the ability to act if a location breaches gambling laws. Authorities have the ability to inspect gambling locations, to review licenses and to enforce conditions . This means that the number of locations that gambling can occur is limited, and prevents a boom of gambling and associated gambling problems. This is particularly important, as research has shown that many aspects of gambling venues themselves are able to facilitate gambling and increase the frequency at which it occurs. A study on gambling accessibility showed that two factors were significant drivers of people choosing a particular location to gamble. The first of these was social accessibility, which related to how socially enjoyable the gambling location was. This included the atmosphere as well as the entertainment options that were present at the venue. The second aspect was assessable retreat, which was related to the location being a place that was familiar but allowed the gambler to be anonymous and left to his or her own devices . Consequently, the more gambling locations there are in an area, the greater the chance of one meeting these criteria. One method that has been used in Britain to try to decrease the prevalence of compulsive gambling is the introduction of The Gambling Act 2005. The main purpose of this act was to bring together all the previous laws on gambling and to increase the regulation of gambling as a whole. While there had been many previous laws on gambling, these varied significantly and were difficult to enforce. The Gambling Act 2005 resulted in more limited for game machines and categorization for different types of activities . Even with these changes, gambling legislation has become highly liberalized, and people have a wide range of access to different types of gambling . Thus, compulsive gambling is likely to continue to be a problem for many people, not only adults, but adolescents as well. Adolescence is an age group that is known for a high level of impulsivity. The habits that are developed during this point in a young person’s life often remain well into their adult years. Because of this there is significant potential for gambling and gambling problems to develop during the adolescent years . Research indicates that problem gambling in adolescence can be a significant contributor to gambling behaviors in adult life. The prevalence of gambling in adolescents can be high with one study showing that more than half of the adolescents in their study reported gambling at least once a week . As Chiu and Storm showed in their study, many personality traits, including impulsivity, increase the likelihood of problem gambling. Many of these traits are present in adolescents, indicating that they are a potentially vulnerable group. In a four-year study, Goudriaan et al. (2009) examined gambling in adolescents for a range of different gambling activities. The authors found that gambling in their study group clustered around different factors than research on adults had found. In particular, gambling was clustered on informal or more readily available methods of gambling and on form methods of gambling. In addition, the group of adolescents that was involved in extensive gambling had a higher level of alcohol and drug use than other groups studied. One issue that is thought to be a driving factor in adolescent gambling that does not occur in adults is the role of parents. Many parents treat gambling as an approved behavior, or do not condemn it as severely as other adolescent actions such as drinking or drugs. This creates an environment where it is easy for an adolescent to become involved in gambling, and it is a behavior that tends to be encouraged by their peers also. Parents who gamble have been shown to be a significant contributor to gambling in adolescents, as has a lack of supervision and low levels of parental protection . These results suggest that attempts to provide help for problem gamblers need to examine adolescent gamblers separately than their adult counterparts. It is likely that adolescent gamblers are driven by different wants and needs than adult gamblers and this may influence interventions and the reactions of adolescents to any form of attempted control over their gambling. Adolescent gamblers have the potential to develop lifelong patterns of gambling, which may become unhealthy during adolescence or in later years. Furthermore, gambling behavior has the potential to lead adolescents into criminal activities, especially if they are trying to hide their gambling from their parents. One of the most effective methods of protecting adolescents may be the involvement of parents, as parental attachment and monitoring has been shown to decrease the prevalence of adolescent gambling . Nevertheless, it is important that research considers the different needs and drivers of gambling and compulsive gambling in adolescents compared to adults. Despite changes in law increasing the restrictions over gambling locations and the abilities of local law enforcement, gambling still remains a prevalent behavior throughout society. For compulsive gamblers, both adults and adolescents, gambling is a pastime that can have many negative effects on their life, including stress on their families, a loss of income, and for some a descent into criminality in an attempt to gain finances that they have lost through gambling. It is important that methods of helping compulsive gamblers be found. Furthermore, methods of helping compulsive gamblers and reducing the prevalence of gambling as a whole need to consider adolescent gamblers differently than adults. These youth are subject to different pressures and may end up heavily involved in gambling as adults because of their experiences when they are young. Therefore, it is crucial to determine intervention methods and means of decreasing the ability of adolescents to gamble, as well as their adult counterparts. References Ashley, L. L., & Boehlke, K. K. (2012). Pathological Gambling: A General Overview. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 44,(1), 27-37. Chiu, J., & Storm, L. (2010). Personality, percieved luck and gambling attitudes as predictors of gambling involvement. Journal of Gambling Study, 26,205-227. Goudriaan, A. E., Slutske, W. S., Krull, J. L., & Sher, K. J. (2009). Longitudinal patterns of gambling activities and associated risk factors in college students. Addiction, 104,(1219-1232). Light, R. (2007). The Gambling Act 2005: regulatory containment and market control. The Modern Law Review, 70,(4), 626-653. Magoon, M. E., & Ingersoll, G. M. (2006). Parental modeling, attachment, and supervision as moderators of adolescent gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22,1-22. Moore, S. M., Thomas, A. C., Kyrios, M., Bates, G., & Meredyth, D. (2011). Gambling accessibility: a scale to measure gambler preferences Journal of Gambling Studies, 27,129-143.  Read More