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One of the biggest concerns with gamers and legislators is the connection between gambling and addictions. It is this problem that most legislators cite as their primary concern when it comes to legalizing gambling. They are worried that if gambling is totally legalized, it will open the door for addictions to run rampant. People with the ability to wager in the privacy of their own homes will not have the chance to monitor themselves if they are prone to addictions. This could create an entirely new customer base that is in need of social programs to help with the problems gambling has created for them. For example, if one-hundred people fall into addictions a portion of them could lose their homes and cars. This creates foreclosures and repossession issues. Another portion of them could be in need of psychological help. This creates another need. A good portion of them will need some recovery services. This too would create added cost to the economies involved. Some legislators believe that the cost of legalizing gaming in the long-run will be more of a problem than a solution to financial strains now. They acknowledge that gambling could bring in millions of dollars, but what if most of that money has to be portioned out to fixing the problems gambling created in the first place? Is this really an advantage? Legislators who are anti-gambling are citing this as the main reason why they are sticking to their proverbial guns. They believe that gambling inevitably brings along with it crime, corruption, money laundering and addictions in mass numbers. Are economies ready to shoulder all of that? Or are the pro-gambling legislators too blinded by the millions of tax revenue dollars attached to officially legalizing gambling in the first place?

These questions need to bee answered, but one thing that has come to light is the connection between gambling and addictions. Some games are more likely to pose problems than others. Take high-dollar games for example. Research has shown that if a game has a higher buy-in, it most likely it isn’t susceptible to people going overboard. The odds at these types of games aren’t that high and people wagering hundreds of dollars normally know what they are doing. The only exception is people who are so far into addiction that they have lost touch.

Part two coming next.

One of the biggest concerns of anti-gambling activists is putting underage people in danger. They believe that if gambling is legalized for the online market, then it will be difficult for gaming companies to monitor just who is using the accounts. It could be the legal-aged person who signed up for the account, but what if it isn’t? What if a legal-aged person signs up for an account and then forgets to sign off? This happens a lot in today’s market with the prevalence of personal-account websites. If an underage person sees an application still open he or she could potentially get into trouble and even develop an addiction to gambling. This is a concern for gaming activists and they are pushing for some serious monitoring changes to be maintained. First of all, adults have to be the responsible ones. If they are going to wager online on a home computer, leaving the computer while still logged in is a bad idea. They need to always sign off, or get a password on the computer. Most computers today can be programmed to lock up if they are idle for a few minutes and they require a password to restore themselves. This could help gamblers to protect their information at home if they forget to log off.

Another way to protect information is for casinos to require a key to sign in. Let’s say some one signs in, and then forgets to sign out. If they are idle at the casino for say ten minutes, the casino could use software that would sign them out of the account and then require a special key recognition element to get back in. Or, it could offer a security question for gamers to get back into their account. They could pick up where they left off, but without the security question’s proper answer, they can’t get back in. This is another way for the casino to take responsibility and never allow an unauthorized person to start wagering. Finally, when consumers sign up for an account, casinos are already using state of the art “checking software” to make sure people are who they say they are. For example, newer casinos are using credit databases to find information on new customers. For example, if you sign up for an account the casino may give you three cities and ask which one you grew up in as a child. If you pick the right one, then you are allowed to create an account. This is another safeguard and another example of how casinos today are putting added security measures into their protocols. It may sound like a lot, but safety is a major concern for the market today.

The issue of gambling addiction growth is an important one in the market. Various legislative bodies are playing with rules on gambling. Some are pushing for changes where online gambling and land based gambling is legalized and regulated. They see the huge benefit of the activity. Consider that a good casino can open and bring in millions of dollar in just a few days. Hollywood Casino in Perryville did just that recently. The casino made $2 million in revenue after being opened for just four days. Imagine how much tax revenue the state of Maryland received throughout a month of that casino’s opening! This is the reason why so many gaming companies are pushing for legalization and why legislators are so tempted. The amount of revenue dollars is huge and post-recession, that money could truly turn state economies around for good. Remember that the recession was difficult on cities and states everywhere. Most are now still facing deficits and huge budgetary shortfalls. There are few options other than gambling that potentially could bring in the huge dollars necessary to make real changes.

There is one problem though that is weighing heavily on the minds of legislators—gambling addictions. Experts are warning that with the convenience of online gambling being in the homes of US residents, it could open the door to a huge epidemic of gambling addictions. How would a surge in gambling addiction be managed? An alcoholic can cut alcohol out of his or her daily activities. He or she can stop going to bars and stop affiliating with other alcoholics. If someone is addicted to online gambling, how do they get the internet out of their world? The internet is everywhere today. Most people have jobs that provide free internet access as part of their daily work life. There is free internet at libraries, coffee houses, some restaurants and other wifi- areas. It isn’t as simple to limit internet restriction for an online gambling addict. This is an issue that legislators are tackling and trying to find solutions to in the near future. They want to make sure that people are protected, while they still take advantage of the huge tax revenue dollars their governments so sorely need.

There have been gambling addicts throughout history. Just look at the 40s when people lost all of their nest eggs or paychecks to the casinos. It isn’t a new story, but it is definitely one that legislators are trying to address more readily now. The pending legalization of gambling and the rise in online gambling are two reasons why legislators are paying specially close attention to addictions and the issue should it continue to grow in the market. It only stands to reason that it will– if you increase the store hours, you inevitably are going to have more incidents of theft. It’s just logical. The same reasoning is around with casinos. If you increase the number of them, there are going to be more problems. It is interesting to see how things are changing in the market and how online casinos are addressing the issue. Remember that online casinos are accessible from any location that offers wifi access. Even businesses with hefty firewalls are normally allowing gamers to reach their favorite casino via the internet. There are few protections for gamers who have a proclivity to addiction in today’s market and that is the center of arguments via anti-gambling activists in the area.

If you go to any big online casino today, you most likely are going to see how they are addressing the issue of addiction. Most casinos have a “Safe Gambling” page where they describe what gambling addictions can do to a player, what the signs are and where to get help. This is growing to be the standard with good gaming practices. In addition though, some bigger casinos are also offering banner ads that lead you directly to help if you have an addiction. The latest campaign for online companies is called “Spending too much time or money on gambling?” The banner instructs you to click on it and it leads you to another website. Here you can take a quiz and get some insight into whether or not you or a friend of yours may have a problem. If you need help, it is there too. This is the new trend in the market and expect it to continue to expand as gambling expands as a pastime.

Gambling is addictive. That statement can be taken in a number of ways. Three are some people who can play for hours and then go home. They don’t win a lot, but they don’t lose more than they wanted, so they are happy. They go home and everything is fine. Then there are the groups of gamblers who are literally addicted. They want that win and they are addicted to getting it. They can’t stop wagering just “one more time” to see if this is their lucky round. It’s this group that anti-gambling activists are worried about. They believe that this group is the one that could bring more problems to the world if gambling is legalized and namely, if it is legalized online. The problem with internet gambling is that it is much harder to regulate in terms of gambling addictions than any other problem. For example, a drug user can cut ties with people who supply them with the illegal substances, find a support group, get help and stay away from drug-related locations. A gambling addict can’t as easily just stay away. The internet is so pervasive in the market that it is almost everywhere. There are hardly jobs today that don’t have internet at their locations. If a person is an addict, how do they cut internet out of their daily lives when it is everywhere?

This is a huge problem that anti-gambling activists want people to consider before moves are made to legalize gambling. They believe that if legislators push for legalizing gambling then this group of people are going to be in even more danger than they are now. With gambling available on the internet, the problem is readily available to anyone who may have a problem. Legislators are being cautioned that if they open the door to online gambling too quickly, there could be a surge of gambling addicts to deal with. It will take more money to help them out of the problems than it would to avoid the problem in the first place. Anti gambling activists believe that there is a lot to sort out before any definite moves should be made to the world of online gambling and its legalization.

One of the major concerns of gambling opponents is the rise in addictions. They believe that with the growing number of places for people to wager, it may create an impossible situation for those with a proclivity for addiction. Consider that the number of land based casino options are rising at record rates and online gambling companies are already available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and it is easy to see how addicts could be in serious trouble. Opponents of legalizing gambling are maintaining that the problems with a rise in addictions could also be exacerbated by the lack of proper places to help them. There are a very limited number of gamblers anonymous focus centers throughout the states. If substantial rises in addicts come into the market, they could have a serious problem. Add to that the fact that with addiction comes other problems like foreclosure, repossessions, financial collapse and loss of families, it means that there could be a recipe for disaster happening in the market.

There is also another concern. In Florida a new study is showing that the state run lottery is showing the greatest rise in addicts and crating the most calls to gambling anonymous telephone hotlines. Part of the problem is how many lottery options are available for Floridians. There is the state run lottery and it offers a wide range of gambling options plus it was also expanded considerably last year in scope. Now there are scratch-off card available via vending machines that are located in various retail outlets. These machines are convenient and make purchasing tickets almost automatic. This could be part of the problem—the lottery is so accessible to gamers that it is making it hard for them to say no to purchasing tickets. Gamblers anonymous centers are noting record numbers of calls. The unique thing about the call center is that people can call in anonymously and get counseling for their addictions. They can talk to someone more than once too and continue with their progress as they try to manage through their addictions. This could be a concern for gambling companies that are looking to legalize gambling in the future. They need to have the proper safeguards in place for people who may fall into addiction and the resources needed to help them from financial disaster.

Philadelphia has long been debating gambling. The state legislators have pushed hard to bring gambling in and now it is a reality. Sugarhouse Casino just opened this past week. The casino is set to be one of the premiere gambling locations in the area and hopefully will be able to steal gamblers from neighboring states too. Overall the project is expected to bring millions into state coffers and hopefully help to regulate the budget and decrease the deficit. The recession created a huge deficit to deal with for the state—like all other states—and now it has just a short list of options that bring in the millions needed for overcoming the difficulties of its financial state. Gambling is proving to be one of the single viable options to aid in balancing the budget.

There are some detractors though. In fact, Sugarhouse Casino’s opening was met with some opposition. One group stood outside the casino with signs and protested. Mainly they were there because gambling had negatively affected their lives over the years. Some of the signs prominently displayed were “6,200 Bankruptcies”, “6,000 Suicides” and “1,600 Jobs Lost”. The protesters also read statements to the media citing their disappointment with legislators who were quick to push through gambling initiatives for the sake of money. They believe that there are many negative repercussions of gambling that were not addressed by legislators and those problems are going to affect coming generations gambling at Sugarhouse Casino. Their main problem is the prevalence of gambling addictions. If casinos are so readily available, then potential addicts could easily fall into problems—both emotionally and financially. Now that Sugarhouse is open to the public, there may be more people who fall into temptation and have few options for helping themselves. The Casino Free Philadelphia project plans on a continued effort to bring awareness to the cause of addiction to gambling. the group wants to maintain their positions outside of the casino and continue to educate residents of the dangers of gambling addictions. Though the casino will open as scheduled, it still has yet to be seen how much the group can do to help protect visitors to the casino.

When gambling was first being debated one of the biggest questions was addictions. Though states could offer gambling, how would addicts manage? Would new addicts have the resources needed to help them? Where would funding come for these additional resources? All of these questions were used by anti-gambling legislators who believed that without the proper safeguards in place, no one would be able to manage if they had an addiction. They surely would fall into joblessness, foreclosure, bill defaults and overall financial disarray. Their stand, though debatable, held some viable arguments. What would legislators do if the problems with addiction became too hard to manage? Do people have the proper amount of resource centers and treatment facilities to handle an influx of gambling addicts? This is a question that California is facing right now and trying to find answers to.

California has long been a state that is trying to implement gambling. The state has a huge deficit to manage, and without the tax revenue dollars of gambling, there are few other options for bringing in the billions needed. This week the state looked into a new web-based program that would allow states to share a “self-exclusion” list for consumers. This is a list of people who feel that they can’t handle gambling, or don’t want that temptation, so they put their names on the “self-exclusion list.” Then, when they try to enter a casino their name will appear in the database and they will be denied access to the location. It is easy for customers to submit their names. The process involved downloading the paperwork or getting it from a land-based casino. Then the person has to fill it out, notarize it and return it to the state. Their name is then automatically submitted to the database. Casinos are tasked with checking every entrant into the location against the database and denying entrance to people on the list. It is going to work a lot like clubs that have an infrared scanner for all patrons to pass their IDs through. It easily checks their birth date and if they are banned from the club or have any complaints at the club. The self-exclusion list works a lot like that and it is hoped to save people with potential addictions from surefire financial disaster.

Hundreds of parents around the states are accustomed to running into stores for groceries or that one last-minute item, and leaving their children in the car. They justify the move by stating that they were going to be “in and out” so why pull a sleeping child out of his or her car seat and drag them crying into a store? Though the argument sounds logical, it is by no means a way of shopping. Now there are new concerns that parents may be doing the same thing when they want to run into a casino and play “just one game.”

More and more complaints are coming up around the country regarding parents leaving their children in the car at casinos. It isn’t a huge number, but the growth is startling and indicative of legislators having to shore up rules regarding the illegal practice. One of the biggest problems is that the people committing the crime are either gambling addicts or on the verge of becoming addicts. That means that they can’t fight the temptation to spin the reels or wager “just once” before taking children home. Maybe they aren’t aware that the practice is illegal or maybe the draw of a casino is just too strong to turn down—either way they are putting their children in danger. Recent cases have been cited where parents left their children who were not even able to walk or talk yet, in the car seats. It seems that older children are at risk of parents leaving them for longer periods of time and to a later hour.

Regardless of age, legislators are putting laws into place targeting casinos that have parents who leave their children in the car to wager. Expect to see signs around casinos that warn parents to never leave children in their cars unattended and if they are caught, they will be arrested. There also are going to be signs up in casinos that warn of the same thing. Casinos operators are working together to get rid of the problem and warn people of the danger issues of leaving children unattended in their vehicles while the parents gamble.

No matter what leads to gambling addiction, the thrill, the buzz, the big win, or all of it, recognizing the problem is extremely key to fixing the problem. It is very important that a person who feels he or she has a problem with gambling get help as soon as they realize it. It sounds quite easy doesn’t it? It isn’t though, like drug or alcohol addiction, usually the problem has to become apparent to others, before the person with the problem admits it or realizes it. Unfortunately a person with a gambling problem might first have to suffer some big loses such as mortgage payments, or the entire house, savings, marriage, lose of family, lose of job, and a slew of other negative aspects that follow any addiction including gambling. There are early warning signs of a gambling addiction or problem, and those signs are easy for the person who trouble to ignore. Sometimes the gambler with the problem thinks they can fix it with just one big win, and even if they get that one big win, the cycle and the feeling that first big win created, starts all over again making the gambler think there was never a problem to begin with.

Some of the signs that you or someone you know may have a problem with gambling is that money that cannot be afforded to be lost is being lost, and loses are being chased by more bets being placed. Spending more money then intending to can be a sign of a problem developing. Gambling on credit is like gambling on money you don’t have, so you shouldn’t do it as this too can lead to problems. If a gambler is betting on credit there is a chance he or she does have a problem. Also a gambling problem doesn’t mean that the gambler need s to bet on everything, some gambling addicts are addicted to placing bets on the craps table, but can sit back and watch blackjack players without an urge to place a bet. There are sensitive issues to expore when discussing addictions and gambling is no different. A specialist needs to be avaiable for anyone who needs it to avoid more prolblems in their future.