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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.

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.

The question of gambling addictions is heavy on the minds of legislators. Even regulators that are pro gambling initiatives are wary of the problems that could potentially be created. They want to push for more regulations that protect the growing gaming public. Now that gambling is a billion dollar business and showing no signs of slowing down, it is one of those things that legislators are standing up and taking notice of more and more. They know the growth rates that experts are projecting and this is causing them to take the growing problem of potential addictions into mind. Canada is a country that is not unlike the others and currently legislators there are working with laws to protect the gaming public. Quebec is the location where most likely gaming is going to take its first steps forward. The government recently funded a research series that is aimed at bringing more information to the lawmaking bodies before the make changes in the laws regarding gambling. The University of Montreal and Concordia University are the two educational bodies that conducted the surveys. They are stating that a good number of Quebec residents are at risk of falling into gambling addictions as the activity becomes legalized in provinces. One of the most startling findings though was that the younger market is the one in danger the most. The research is showing that customers from the ages of twenty-one through twenty-four are the most-at-risk group in the study. This is an issue that legislators are going to have to deal with as they move forward with legalizing and regulating gambling.

The research study is the first phase of a five-year plan the province is embarking on. They are pushing to garner as much information as possible on gamers and how it will change the market. They want to know exactly what legalizing and regulating gambling will bring to the market. It may take some time to find out exactly what the rules have to be to make sure that all parties are safe as they continue to wager at more online casinos. Legislators are not taking chances in Canada. They want as much information as possible so they can build safeguards into the laws as soon as possible.

There is a group of anti-gambling activists who believe that the biggest problem legalized gambling poses to the community is addictions. They believe that if gambling is offered so readily, it is easily going to become one of the hardest things to regulate. People will be playing online and going to casinos. The games can be addictive and customers may run into problems. So the question remains: How do you know if you have a problem or not? There are some signs you can watch for. Just like any other addictions, there are issues to take into account and periodically assess honestly. Here are some warning signs:

• Do you find yourself rushing to the casino any chance you get, or logging into an online casino? If you are frequenting casinos a lot it could mean that you are going overboard. Ask yourself whether or not you take your bankroll into account when you wager frequently. Are you able to go to the casino without financial regrets?
• Do you keep pushing your bankroll limit higher and higher? If you keep on increasing your budget without any increase in your income to support it, you could have a problem. Any gambler needs to be aware of their bankroll and never set it higher than what he or she can afford to lose. Let’s face it, when wagering the odds are never in your favor. You want to protect yourself and never go overboard. If you find yourself changing your life to afford more and more gambling, you could have a problem.
• Do you put off paying bills to have more money to wager? This is a dangerous action. Some people who belonged to Gamblers Anonymous stated that they started prioritizing their gambling schedule over every day bills. They slowly began infringing on their monthly budgets little by little until they were paying few bills and spending their money at the local casino to have fun.
• Are you losing your social life because of the casino? Another telltale sign of an addiction is when you start cutting out social outings in lieu of gambling. if you find yourself putting off friends and family for the purpose of more time to wager, you could have a problem.

These are just some of the signs of a potential problem. If you find yourself having problems managing your wagering schedule, then take some time to talk to a counselor specializing in addictions. They can help you to decide whether or not you truly are an addict and what steps to take to help yourself.

The anti-gambling side of the argument has a point. They are concerned about the future of gambling because they believe that it could open the door for a growth in addictions. The problem then would be that though the world would enjoy millions of additional dollars, they also would have to put a good portion of that money directly into addiction programs. This is a huge issue because if the cost is high, it could negate the tax revenue increases the world thinks gambling is going to bring in. Overall the numbers have yet to be proven, but the reality is that it could be a logic issue. If you increase the pool of gamers, inevitably there are going to be more problems to deal with. This is an issue that anti-gambling activists are working with. They are worried that gambling could have a bad result if legislators push for regulating and legalizing the activity without forethought into what the rules are and what they need to be to keep people safe.

So far in the US online gambling is still illegal, but that is creating problems because states want to take advantage of the huge tax revenue dollars available via gambling. This is a market change that would be welcomed in the US due to the overwhelming budgetary constraints of the world. The recession drained the world of funds and now things are still harrowing with gambling companies. It is a difficult time for everyone in the market to revive their own businesses. The problem though is that addictions could rise if legislators aren’t careful. Though some legislators claim that they are pushing for changes to protect gamers, anti-gambling activists are doubtful. They believe that the legislators are pushing hard for legalizing and regulating gambling because of the money. They are warning legislators to not be dazzled by the financial possibilities and discount safety for the people. It will take time to get regulations that make everyone happy, but most likely it will be done. Legislators are not going to turn down the billions of dollars available but are going to continue to push for the proper regulation to make it all work together.

Many states in the US are pushing for legalized gambling. They know how much of a financial benefit legalized gambling provides to their legislations. Consider that recently the opening of Hollywood Casino in Perryville Maryland brought in $2 million—and it was open for just the last four days of October. This is the kind of money generating activity that doesn’t come along often in the market—or any market for that matter. This is why so many legislators are pushing so hard for gambling companies to set up in their jurisdictions. The want to benefit from the huge tax revenue dollars that could potentially come in from the games, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The biggest detriment is the social aspect and the various repercussions that gambling could potentially bring. Sure there are millions of dollars to be had, but there also are problems that occur as a result.

One of the main problems is that happens with gambling is that it opens the door for addictions. Remember that the online world of gambling is dependent on having an internet connection. It is hard for people with addictions to stay away from the internet altogether to fight their addiction. For example, an alcoholic can stay out of bars and places that serve alcohol. What is a gambling addict to do to avoid internet access? In today’s world there is internet access almost everywhere—coffee shops, restaurants, cafés, libraries and even some retail outlets. It is one of the biggest ways that they promote their customer base—they offer free wifi connections. It is difficult for gambling addicts to remove the activity from their world completely. So the point of anti-gambling activists is that legalizing gambling could bring in a long list of problems for addicts. And the government would then have to find solutions with recovery support and groups to help them—that all would cost communities extra dollars to manage. Though they would be bringing in millions of dollars as a result of gambling initiatives, they could be portioning out a huge amount of that for creating help centers for addicts. In the end, the debate looms on. People are worried about gambling and worried about the repercussions of legalizing it. Who will win out? No one knows just yet.

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.

People who are against legalizing gambling believe that one of the biggest problems is going to be a rise in crime and corruption. They believe that gambling will inevitably bring in money laundering and addictions too. This is not proven, but there could be some validity to the argument. There has been a recent surge in problems that governments are facing as a result of gambling debates. Florida is the latest state to make headlines regarding the issue. Gamblers Anonymous reported that it has had an increase in calls throughout the last few months and many of them are centered on lottery addictions. The state of Florida holds a weekly lottery and now is pushing to create more options. This past week, the state created the Lucky Lines lottery. This is a game that is instant too so gamblers can buy their ticket or tickets and then have the clerk check them for winners immediately. The top win for the game is $3 million and the tickets are highly affordable—the most expensive costing just $5 to play.

The affordability of the new game is one of the things Gamblers Anonymous operators are questioning. It makes it highly likely that gamblers will want in since the game costs so little, but comes with such a huge potential payout. Gamblers are going to find it difficult to say no to that kind of win. They are saying that the state is setting up the communities for even more addictions to arise. Studies have shown that there are two major games that are addictive. They are the lottery and slots. Both games take on the top slots at the list because they are so affordable but have big returns. If a game costs $50 to get in on, most residents will think twice, or so studies have shown. If a game costs just $1 to $5, they are much more likely to take a shot at the big payout win. It’s an emotional decision for people and that is what can cause people to go overboard. Plus if the gaming time is short, people have no time to experience buyer’s remorse. Rather they buy the ticket and immediately get the results. It is so quick that mentally people have a hard time even remembering gambling. Overall Florida is now going to have to rethink its gambling plans and namely its new lottery. Though it sounds like a great option, it could be putting residents in danger of falling into more addictions themselves.

Is gambling a mental activity? How much does perception play into what games a person chooses? These are questions a group of researchers are trying to tackle right now. They believe that perception may play a big part in the ways people wager. For example, if a game takes a long time, the brain mentally triggers a risk. A forty-minute poker game does this. Normally the players at a poker table understand the investment they are making because of the time factor. They are going to have to wager the buy-in, and then invest their time at the table to play for the big win. On the other hand, a game that is shorter in length, in general triggers the brain to minimize the risk. Games like slots that can be wagered on quickly, are in this category. New studies are showing that players equate risk with not only money, but also time. So if a game is played quickly, they may not mentally process how much of a risk it was, or is, to play.

This could be dangerous and could be used for gaming companies to take advantage of players. If they continue to create games that fall into the “instant” category, it could mean that more people are in trouble with their wagers. The biggest issue is, will games be created that take advantage of that mental connection between time and gambling? The answer of course, most likely is yes. Gaming companies use whatever tools they can to build games that people are going to wager on. They know that the world of gambling is big business and if they create a good game, it could mean millions of dollars in revenue for them. This is what they need to operate their business. It isn’t so much a question of whether not they will do it, but rather a question of how far they will push it. Experts are worried that this could push millions of gamers into more problems and more addictive behaviors. This is why regulation in the US is so important for legislators to write. If they can protect gamers, it could mean millions of people are protected.

Most countries these days want more gambling. They believe that gambling is the key to bringing a growth market to their economies and herald the millions of dollars to be had. Though the overall push is for increased gaming, there are still some countries that are pushing back against the demand. Australia is a country that isn’t all for gambling increases. Sure the government is well aware that it is a great way to shore up funds. The market overall is a billion-dollar one and it is expected to move-than double in size in coming years. However, with it some new problems are arising that the Australian government cannot ignore. Namely addictions for the country are on the rise. This is causing legislators to question how useful gambling is. Sure it may ring in a lot of money, but if that money needs to be channeled then into high-cost addiction centers, how useful is it? Plus addictions bring about a lot of other problems like foreclosures, bankruptcy, defaults, repossessions, not to mention marital and social problems. These all cost money to rehabilitate. That money could seriously cut down on the amount of revenue being brought in and make it moot.

The Australian government is well aware of the growing addiction problems too. They see how numbers are increasing and attribute it not only to the growing popularity of gambling as a whole, but also to online gambling. Residents are being inundated with forms of gambling from every angle and it could be taking its toll on them. They seem to be managing well thus far, but that doesn’t mean the government is turning a blind eye to concerns over addiction. Senator Xenophon is calling for stricter rules regarding gambling. He wants to shore up all the rules regarding the pastime and creating regulations that protect the people. He also warns that legislators cannot be blinded by the revenues that gambling provides, and allow problems to go unmanned as a result. He wants to continue with the gambling initiatives because it is clear that people want to wager, but his main concern is to get rules into place before another growth spurt occurs.