The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 overturned federal prohibitions against sports betting. In the years since, many states have jumped on the gambling bandwagon.
Nearly two dozen states and Washington, D.C., have legalized sports betting, including online and mobile betting. Still, there are risks, unsurprisingly exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic.
During lockdowns, online betting exploded. Now advocates are voicing concerns about problematic gambling and gambling addiction, which can be triggered by loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression.
Some states have created policies that allow players to “self-exclude” from in-person and online gambling. Self-exclusion programs are voluntary programs where a gambler can request to be blocked from online gambling and/or physical gambling locations for a period of time to help with their recovery. Some states have such programs, but their enforcement and availability is uneven nationwide.
While a large majority of gamblers do not report experiencing problematic behaviors, many have found themselves unable to avoid the rush of placing a bet and they have fallen into hundreds or thousands of dollars in debt quickly and easily.
And while drug and alcohol addictions have come to be regarded as a form of mental illness, gambling addiction often is viewed as the fault of the individual. This isn’t correct and compulsive gambling can require treatment and recovery just like other forms of addiction. State governments should be working to ensure that those who recognize they have a problem have the resources to take steps to seek help and curb their access.
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(5) comments
"There a hundreds of places they can reach out for help..."
Although poorly written - as usual - it would appear as if with "hundreds of places" there is no need for the states to waste money on the addicted fools.
Wow, you obviously have no clue about addiction. Makes sense.
So BigBob as a weepy compassionate socialist aren’t you passing up a chance here to spend “other people’s money”? Seems to me with your history with the “food bank” you’ed be jumping on this opportunity? Another thing I wonder about, just how many illegal unaccompanied child migrants are you sheltering in your home? Just since January they’ve fill up all the “Kid Cages” in Del Rio, TX that giggling Kamala refused to visit on her junket to El Paso? Here’s your chance BigBob to show some Socialist Compassion! [thumbup][beam] Deaton
"And while drug and alcohol addictions have come to be regarded as a form of mental illness, gambling addiction often is viewed as the fault of the individual."
This is just not true. An addiction is an addiction. There are millions of people that would tell you that drug and alcohol addiction is the fault of the individual, and for all addictions there is some self responsibility. But just as drug and alcohol addiction has many forms of rehabilitation, so does gambling. Most addicts have a full blown case of obsessive disorder. The writer makes it sound like these gamblers are left out in the cold, which is just not true. There a hundreds of places they can reach out for help, and in drug and alcohol addictions, family members need to be aware, and be just as involved as with gambling addiction. Heads up, and take care of your family, no matter what the addiction.
Sadly rehab success for any addiction is a very small percent, less than 5%. AA has not tracked succesful clients in years because of this. Which is why most go thru more than one attempt being at a rehab facilities. There is a small percent that can choose family over their addiction, very small. Whatever the addition is one is to many and 10 is not enough....
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