9781422270943

Who Becomes Addicted to Gambling? In the United States, age, gender, and proximity to casinos are all determining factors. Men are more than twice as likely to develop a gambling problem as women are. People between the ages of 20 and 40 are the age group most likely to develop a gambling addiction, and many college students develop serious gambling problems while still in school. These students are much more likely to experience depression and anxiety, and they are at higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse. Finally, the risk of developing a gambling addiction doubles when people live within ten miles of a casino. However, online gambling is very prevalent in society and has greatly increased the problem of addiction because people can gamble in the privacy of their homes. Families with a compulsive gambler are much more likely to have volatile family situations (that can include physical or emotional abuse), and more than 67 percent of compulsive gamblers will engage in criminal activity, such as theft, that is related to the gambling. Gambling is not just a problem in the United States. Other countries report serious gambling issues, too. For example, a 2018 paper published in the medical journal Läkartidningen noted that gambling is a serious issue in Sweden. Two percent of the nation’s population has a problem with gambling, with about 0.4 percent meeting the criteria for gambling disorders. With a population of 10 million people in 2018, this means that 200,000 Swedes have gambling problems. In Sweden, part of the issue is cultural. Gambling is a part of the society, but the problem is becoming a national and public health issue. Author Marc Valleur discusses gambling in France and states that it is also part of the national culture there. In an article in the medical Gambling Statistics in Other Countries

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What Is a Gambling Addiction?

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