Gambling Addiction

Gambling Addiction

In 2007, Americans lost $92 billion gambling. That's ten times what they spent at movie theaters. Many of those dollars (the gambling dollars) were spent by gambling addicts. Gambling addiction is a behavioral addiction which operates similarly to substance addictions. A key indicator that an addiction is present is the same for both gambling and substance addictions: the continuation of destructive behaviors despite repeated negative consequences. The gambler who lost it all (relationships, finances), much like the alcoholic or drug addict who lost it all, suffers from an addiction -- a fundamental neurological compulsion to continue a particular behavior.

More information: What Our Gambling Problem Is Really Costing Us