Problem gambling back in the news in Ireland

Prevalent in Irish Casino news circles again is the subject of gambling addiction. Different terms are used  in an attempt to differentiate between those who have a problem and those who don’t and the term “pathological” gambling was coined by the World Health Organization back in 1992 and was defined as “ persistently repeated gambling which continues and often increases, despite adverse social consequences such as impoverishment, impaired family relationships and disruption of social life”. This is obviously a pretty severe condition and fortunately even in Ireland where we like to gamble it is estimated that less than 1% of gamblers fall into the category. Just because you are not that bad does not mean that you do not have a problem as those that gamble frequently and for excitement or to make money are problem gamblers but the difference is that this category stops when confronted with heavy losses or when they recognize other effects of their gambling.

The news from online casinos in Ireland is that you can recognize the symptoms by studying such things as how often you gamble and for how long, how much money  you spend on gambling in relation to your income, do you use drugs or alcohol? Do you gamble at work, do you chase your losses and do you subscribe to the theory that after a losing run your chances of winning are increased? If you recognize any of this please get help. Irish casino news is also at pains to point out that it is not only those with limited incomes that are more likely to have a problem as the highest addiction rates in all forms of gambling is to be found in spread betting with the lowest in dog racing.