Gambling Mania—Betting Themselves to Death
A commentary by Graemme Marshall
United Church of God pastor, Ottawa, Canada
Only 31 when she took her life with a lethal over-dose,
she joins the growing number of Canadian problem gamblers in the Maritimes
who have chosen suicide as an escape from gambling debts. She had sold
everything she could and borrowed thousands of dollars from her supportive
grandmother. Like most problem gamblers who become suicidal, she was
deeply depressed over her gambling losses on Video Lottery Terminals
(VLTs).
Records on the underlying causes of suicides are not collected by most
Canadian provinces. But from the statistics that are available it is
estimated that 1 of every 12 to 30 suicide victims is a problem gambler.
In 2002, two-thirds of all adult Canadians gambled. Of these it is estimated
that 5% (some 1.2 million adults) had the potential of becoming, or already
were, problem gamblers. Of those who play VLTs, one in four is at risk
according to cbc.ca/fifth estate.
Fortunately, some problem gamblers seek and receive help. A family man
from Nova Scotia was lying and stealing to feed his addiction to VLTs.
When he received his family tax refund for $825 he went straight to a
VLT and gambled it away. The good news is that he is a recovering gambler
now.
In Alberta a wife asked her recovering problem-gambler husband, "How
can you put thousands of dollars into a machine and get back nothing
in return?" A good question! One that poses the thought: Shouldn't
we learn how to make life work instead of seeking solutions through gambling
machines?
The seriousness of gambling mania is illustrated in these statistics.
Two thirds of adult Canadians gave government revenues and VLT owners
$11.8 million in 2003—up 5 times in 10 years. Of this number some
5% became problem gamblers. And 18% of these problem gamblers contemplated
or committed suicide.
Is it fair to say that governments also are addicted to a problem—gambler
citizenry because of the huge revenues they collect? Attempting to regulate
government backing of VLTs and casinos is, as one university expert put
it, "Like asking a major petroleum company to self-control their
pollution impact on the environment."
According to William Spain (Investors.com), the appetite for gambling
grew much the same in the United States as in Canada in 2003. The American
Gaming Association trade group found that bettors made 310 million trips
to the nation's 443 commercial casinos, generating about $27 billion
worth of gross gambling revenue, more than double the figure of 10 years
ago.
In addition to the monetary disasters caused by gambling, consider the
damage to a nation's citizens. Gambling victimizes the poor and
produces a wrong attitude toward work. Many problem gamblers struggle
with personal debt, gambling away essential income in the hope of recouping
their losses.
Professor Kindt of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, commented in
the Drake Law Review: "In Deadwood, South Dakota, after
two years of casino gambling, child abuse cases increased 42%. Domestic
violence and assaults increased 80%" (Vol.43, 1994).
Woman's Day magazine (February, 1996) asked: "Where
does it all end? Divorce, loss of custody of children, jail, or suicide?
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 20% of those treated
for compulsive gambling have attempted suicide—and 80% to 90% have considered
it."
Robert Goodman, Professor at Amherst, Massachusetts, and author of The
Luck Business records that in 1994 Jeffrey Bloomberg, a South
Dakota state attorney, told a Congressional committee: "We have
seen individuals who, prior to their exposure to gambling, had no criminal
history, who were not junkies or alcoholics, many of whom had good
jobs, who became hooked on slot machines and, after losing all their
assets and running all credit resources to their maximum, began committing
some type of crime to support their addiction."
Some researchers call gambling the fastest-growing teenage addiction.
Howard Shaffer of Harvard Medical School Addiction Studies explains: "Young
people are the only constituency who has experienced gambling that is
both state sponsored and culturally approved for their entire lifetime."
No matter the country, gambling addiction is a growing problem that
is corrupting the lives of many people. Who can salvage these problem
gamblers? Who will rescue our youth from this insidious addiction?
Maybe you should prepare yourself to help such an individual should
the opportunity arise—at the same time adding to your understanding
of how to make life work for you.
We would like to give you a free booklet that will go a long way to
help. The booklet covers the proper foundation of personal success, how
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