Don’t Let Gambling Get You

Google has 77 pages of listings for Texas Hold’em, a devilishly popular card game.  Likewise, there are over one million listings for the “World Series of Poker,” which is more than 5 times the amount of listings there are for “Major League Baseball.”  Poker, as a pastime, is becoming so ferociously popular because the internet makes it possible for anyone to participate.

Lots of people are baseball fans, but only a select crew gets to play in the Major Leagues.  With the hundreds of thousands of internet gaming sites, anyone in any country of the world can become a ‘professional’ poker player, and millions of people are doing just that.  You can log in at home, upload your credit card information, and enter games with interesting and exciting individuals from all over the globe.  All at once, some guy in his boxer shorts in Cincinnati, Ohio, gets to feel like a Las Vegas high roller.

That’s what makes it so addictive.  The excitement of playing against international opponents, the chance to win big money, the fact that anyone can join in, you don’t have to wait for the opportunity to make a big break, you can just jump right in and get going.  All you need is a credit card and a computer.  You might catch a break and get matched with a lesser opponent and walk away a few dollars richer, but the odds on internet gaming are no different than the odds in a Casino – the House always wins.  In this case, the “House” is the owner of the website on which you are gambling.  Rest assured, the only person making major money on gambling websites are the people who own and operate them.

People with a tendency towards gambling addictions used to have to go to casinos, card or chance games, and walk around with real money to fuel their addiction.  Internet gambling is making it very easy for folks to get wound up in gambling much more than in the past.  People who didn’t even have a problem with gambling are developing gambling problems in the privacy of their own home, often without the knowledge of their spouses, their children, or their parents.  Minors are getting a hold of parents’ credit cards and getting in on the games.  It’s really becoming a jungle out there.

If you think you know of someone who might be having a problem with internet gambling, and even if that someone is you, consider getting help before your finances are destroyed.  Maxxed-out credit cards, establishing multiple lines of credit, and not making your payments lead to bad credit reports and lots of trouble down the line.  If you need help, don’t wait.  The good news is that you can get that online, too – http://www.gam-anon.org/

Marlo Archer, Ph.D.
Down to Earth Enterprises
1250 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 102
Tempe, AZ 85283
(480) 705-5007