How to gamble when you’re broke

The development of modern technologies, the availability of participation in gambling for the population, has led not only to a change in living conditions, but also to the emergence of new psychological addictions. To some, slot machines or lotteries seem like entertainment and a harmless way to relieve stress.

Agents of gambling addiction are infinitely diverse.

In addition to slot machines, these include card games (poker, blackjack, etc.), dominoes and roulette. Gambling as a form of leisure or entertainment is ubiquitous, and the vast majority of people occasionally play casinos, slot machines, go to races, bet, buy lottery tickets. In this regard, many American researchers consider gambling a serious social problem that poses a threat to part of the population. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that during the game in some cases there is relaxation, removal of emotional stress, distraction from unpleasant problems and the game is seen as a pleasant pastime. According to this mechanism, retraction gradually occurs and dependence develops. It doesn’t really matter if you’re playing at a Manitoba online casino or at a physical location.

In modern psychological literature, gambling is defined as the redistribution of goods under conditions of deliberate risk, when one party loses and the other party gains, without participating in the production of these goods, with a single determining factor of chance. Gambling addiction can be defined as a form of habitual addiction, when the acquisition of goods as a result of a game of chance becomes the main way to satisfy the emerging intense need in order to enrich oneself.

The relevance of the problem of pathological dependence on games is considered in connection with three main reasons. 1) The emergence of social and financial problems in pathological players: 23% of players have financial problems, 35% are divorced, 80% have broken interpersonal relationships in marriage. 2) The prevalence of illegal actions – up to 60% of gambling addicts commit offenses. 3) High suicidal risk – from 13 to 40% of pathological players make suicide attempts, 32-70% have suicidal thoughts.

A survey conducted last year in a number of European countries shows that 33% of teenagers aged 12 to 17 play free gambling games online. Such games are convenient and easily accessible, and can be accessed from home, often without parental control. Their novelty, high level of stimulation and the low level of physical activity is also a call for young people, many of whom are technically advanced.

Pathological attraction to gambling belongs to the group of mental disorders. In the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, the main diagnostic criterion for this disease is recurrent gambling that continues and often worsens despite the social consequences.

Not in all countries, gambling addiction is accepted as a disease. In the United States, it is included in the official diagnostic guide. In many European countries, the approach to this issue is much less loyal, gambling addiction is considered something like a bad habit.

Abroad, the problem of gambling addiction was noticed about 30 years ago. Gambling addiction in the United States is included in the list of mental illnesses by the American Psychiatric Association, which affects 2-3% of the adult population. Four out of five gambling addictions occur in men (mostly in their 20s and 30s), and more than 90% begin gambling in their teens. Addict players go to great expense of money and effort, and also make active mental efforts to achieve a win.

This addiction refers to non-chemical types of addiction and is known as gambling.

It manifests itself in an unbridled desire to constantly participate in endless episodes of gambling, turning into a need and a dominant, suppressing all other manifestations of needs – from physiological to higher spiritual ones. It is significant that even the need for security, which is basic for a person, is neutralized and ceases to be the driving force behind behavior in the conditions of overwhelming excitement. The problem of the nature and degree of gambling addiction, the knowledge of the personal characteristics of a playing person and the nature of his psychological destruction, in the context of the foregoing, acquire a special meaning and relevance.

Gambling (from the English word Gamble) is a risky venture, gambling. There are “normal” and pathological varieties of gambling.

Non-pathological gambling is an action with the risk of losing something of value (usually money) with an uncertain outcome and the hope of winning something of greater value. Non-pathological gamblers are also called socialized gamblers, i.e. people who have not yet lost their self-control in the game.

Pathological gambling, according to the American DSM-IV classification: an impulse control disorder characterized by a maladaptive repetitive command in the form of gambling addiction.

Some authors consider gambling as a particular variant of addictive behavior. In their opinion, the relevance of the problem is determined by the fact that the disorder is characterized by:

  • defeat of young people;
  • the rapid desocialization of these people, which entails significant direct and indirect economic damage to each of them, their families and society as a whole;
  • high social danger of this disorder – criminalization and victimization of patients;
  • the presence of a large number of comorbid disorders;
  • lack of a common understanding of the nature of psychopathology, clinical dynamics, approaches to therapy and prevention of this disorder.

In the United States, there are special criteria by which a person can be diagnosed as a pathological player. There are nine of them: frequent participation in the game and getting money for the game; frequent participation in a game for large amounts of money for a longer period than the subject intended; the need to increase the size and frequency of bets in order to achieve the desired excitement; restlessness or irritability if the game breaks down; repeated loss of money in the game and borrowing it “until tomorrow” to win back the loss; repeated attempts to reduce or stop participation in the game; increasing the frequency of the game in a situation where the performance of one’s professional or social duties is threatened; sacrificing some important social, professional or recreational activity for the sake of the game; continuing to play despite being unable to pay mounting debts.

Summing up, we can say the following. Pathological attraction to gambling belongs to the group of mental disorders. This addiction refers to non-chemical types of addiction and is known as gambling. It manifests itself in an unbridled desire to constantly participate in endless episodes of gambling, turning into a need dominant, suppressing all other manifestations of needs.

Signs of gambling addiction: has long been addicted to the game to the detriment of work, financial condition and family relationships; wants to stop playing but cannot stop; owe money to relatives, friends; tells them lies about where he spent his time and what he spent money on; in case of a win, he cannot stop and go in the black, but continues the game with the goal of winning even more, and as a result goes into the red. The mechanism of formation of gambling addiction is based on partially unconscious aspirations, needs: avoiding reality and accepting a role.

During the game, relaxation, removal of emotional stress, distraction from unpleasant problems occur, and the game is considered as a pleasant pastime. Dependence gradually develops according to this mechanism. The addiction to the game begins when, after participating in it, a person continues to think about the game with great constancy and strives to participate in it again.

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