Gambling is easy to access, and highly addictive. Not only can you go to a betting shop, but you can also now download betting apps right to your phone, giving you the same experience right in your home comfort. It is as simple as adding your bank details and depositing money into your betting account. This is why more and more people are becoming addicted. Gambling addicts can lose between £1 to £1000 and beyond.
Betting shops gather around 1 Billion a year in takings. This is because people only see the winning figure, and will not stop to get it. To the point of bleeding them dry, leaving the shop with no money until next payday.
If gambling has become a problem you are trying to get under control; luckily there are charity organisations that are purposely set up to help with gambling addiction.
Gambling Addiction Help.
Sometimes gambling can become a problem, not only for yourself but for people who are close to you.
- GamCare – GamCare is a UK based organisation that offers help and support through online chat, telephone and Forum Discussion. This aid reaches out to not only the addict but to the family and friends who have been affected. They offer a self-assessment tool and explain what having a gambling problem means.
What are the Myths of gambling?
Over the years people have begun putting their labels on what they believe is gambling, some of them are apparent myths.
- Someone has to gamble every day to be a gambling addict. This is not true, to have an addiction applies when it begins to cause problems for you.
- Gambling addiction only applies to intelligent people. In fact gambling attacks people of all abilities and educational level.
Signs and Symptoms
Having a gambling addiction is hard to diagnose because there are no physical symptoms. Here are a handful of signs and symptoms which may indicate you have an addiction.
- You may feel the need to place your bets in secret, even lie to the people around you of your whereabouts. You will not want people knowing you are gambling and try to keep it a secret.
- Find it difficult to walk away from betting, get the feeling of being compelled to gamble. Find yourself spending every penny you have on bets.
- When you don’t have the money to bet you may find yourself using money from your bills, or getting out loans and lending money off family and friends.
- Family and friends will begin noticing how much you have changed, start to get worried about your actions. The deeper you go into the betting addiction, the more you start pushing people away and hit an even more prominent denial.
Gambling can hit people of all ages, from teenagers right up to pensioners. There are some guidelines in place to restrict gambling. All betting shops have an 18+ age limit, and you must provide Identification upon entrance. Through the mobile phone app, you must provide proof of age before your account can be verified.