Gambling addiction, also known as pathological gambling, is the irrepressible desire to repeatedly gamble, even in spite of the risks that lie behind such behavior and despite the initial desire not to surrender to gambling.
The precise causes of this particular mental illness - which is comparable to addiction to alcohol or drugs - are unknown.
According to some researchers, it is the result of a combination of biological, genetic and environmental factors.
Gambling addiction is a social problem of great importance and spread in many countries in the world, including Italy.
To fully understand the reasons for this and why it is difficult to reverse this trend, consider that:
- Gambling represents, for each country, an industry worth millions and millions of dollars . For example, in the United States it involves a collection, for the US state, of about 40 million dollars a year . Only Las Vegas, with its casinos and betting locations, produces a quarter of that amount.
In light of these numbers, what interests can a country ever have in stopping legalized gambling?
- According to some US research, about 80% of the US resident population has gambled at least once in their life . This has been and is possible because it is very easy to access the places and online betting sites.
SOME CURIOSITIES ABOUT GAMING DEPENDENCE
In the United States, the phenomenon of gambling addiction and its minor forms has been extensively studied.Some interesting research reports that:
- They have problems with gambling (which does not mean they are pathological gamblers) about 6-8 million Americans, or 3-4% of the entire population.
- The tendency to gamble is often accompanied by addictions to substances. In fact, 75% of players have alcohol problems, 38% habitually use drugs and 60% are addicted to nicotine.
- The US population at risk of gambling addiction is around 15%.
- Gamblers tend to suffer from mood disorders (50%) and anxiety problems (41.3%) and personality (60.8%).
- There are more sports bettors among those who attended the College (24%), therefore among the graduates, than among the non-graduates (14%).
