Public Resources
Surveys
Ten Warning Signs of a Gambling Problem
- You cannot stop gambling, even when it’s hurting you
- You bet money you cannot afford to lose
- You bet other people’s money
- You steal to bet
- Gambling is all you think about
- Gambling is the main way you escape
- Asking others to bail you out when you gambled money away
- Lying about the time and money you spend gambling
- Gambling more after a loss to win back the loss
- Gambling is killing your relationships
Risk Factors for a Gambling Problem
Although most people who play cards or wager never develop a gambling problem, certain factors are more often associated with compulsive gambling:
- Mental health disorders. People who gamble compulsively often have substance abuse problems, personality disorders, depression or anxiety. Compulsive gambling may also be associated with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Age. Compulsive gambling is more common in younger and middle-aged people. Gambling during childhood or the teenage years increases the risk of developing compulsive gambling. However, compulsive gambling in the older adult population can also be a problem.
- Sex. Compulsive gambling is more common in men than women. Women who gamble typically start later in life and may become addicted more quickly. But gambling patterns among men and women have become increasingly similar.
- Family or friend influence. If your family members or friends have a gambling problem, the chances are greater that you will, too.
- Medications used to treat Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome. Drugs called dopamine agonists have a rare side effect that may result in compulsive behaviors, including gambling, in some people.
- Certain personality characteristics. Being highly competitive, a workaholic, impulsive, restless or easily bored may increase your risk of compulsive gambling.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Resources for Clients and Families
- Gamblers Anonymous: www.gamblersanonymous.org
- Gam-Anon: www.gam-anon.org
- Debtors Anonymous: http://debtorsanonymous.org/
Videos
Understanding Gambling Addiction: 1011 news story & video
Daily Fantasy Sports
Spoiler Alert! If you're a novice playing DFS in Nebraska, you are a minnow playing among sharks. There are no player protections in Nebraska that keep power players, known as sharks, from entering thousands of line-ups at once, contests that attract many amateur players, just like you, all of whose bets and entry fees can be swallowed by one shark.
Known as "bumhunting" in poker parlance, experienced players line up a poker game with an inexperienced player to relieve him of all his money. Daily Fantasy Sports is essentially automated bumhunting, where "the novice player is like Neo in 'The Matrix Reloaded,' fighting hundreds of Agent Smiths simultaneously." Ed Miller and Daniel Singer, McKinsey and Company, September, 2015.
"The idea these sites exist so that regular guys can make a lot of money playing daily fantasy sports is a lie. FanDuel and DraftKings are optimized for power players to rape and pillage regular players over and over again." ---- quote by Gabriel "CrazyGabey" Harber, well known DFS podcaster and DFS industry writer, Jay Caspian Kang, "How The Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers," January 6, 2016, New York Times.
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