Experts are warning that the increased availability of gambling opportunities may be causing an increase in problem gambling and gambling addiction. According to San Francisco psychotherapist Michael Halyard, addiction treatment providers are receiving more requests to treat gambling behaviors, which are extremely similar to drug and alcohol abuse behaviors.

According to Halyard, "Compulsive gambling is the urge to gamble despite having harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. It's not how much time or money a gambler gambles, but the harm to the gambler or his or her partner or family that determines whether it is compulsive gambling. Compulsive gambling, like drug and alcohol addiction, is a debilitating condition that wrecks havoc in people's lives."

Halyard says that problem gamblers seeking treatment even include teens who become addicted to Internet gambling. Teen gamblers, like other gamblers, are falling prey to the new proliferation of gambling opportunities, especially on the Internet.

He said, "It used to be that if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Now days, people can gamble in the comfort of their own homes on the computer, or go to nearby card room or Indian Casino. Casinos offer slot machines, sports betting, card games, but there's also the horse racing, greyhound racing, card rooms, bingo parlors, and state lotteries. Gambling is ubiquitous and one of the few booming industries. In 2006, Americans lost nearly 91 billion dollars gambling."

(Source: www.prweb.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling