Tag gambling addiction

Finance clerk runs up £6 million debt, using online gambling.

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Online-Betting (1)

This week the media highlighted the case of the Finance clerk who gambled more than £6 million on online bingo. Jacqueline Balaam was winning  up to £15,000 of time, but continued to gamble, if even after winning these large amounts.

This exemplifies just how addictive online gambling can be. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of online gambling perception is that it’s not real money, but it is.

With the rise of advertising for online gambling, offering enticing incentive to gamblers. This will often hook somebody who is susceptible to a gambling addiction. There are often three phases of gambling addiction. At first there will be the winning phase, little win’s, which will you force, a sense of  security that you have beaten the system somehow, or you are lucky. Then there is the losing phase, which for some, is enough to stop gambling altogether, but unfortunately, for some people, there’s another phase often called the catch up in which you are trying to make good your losses. The full detail of Ms Balaam, gambling, is not known, but there is a good possibility. This is exactly what Ms Balaam, was doing.

People with are constantly bombarded now with advertising on television, online and social media, enticing us to gamble. Unfortunately, the excitement of gambling can be as addictive as any drug. The primal areas of the brain called the limbic system appears to play a major role in pleasure sensations of addiction, unfortunately, one of the downsized to modern technology is we have more access to things which can possibly be addicted, such as online gambling.

A generation or two ago, one would have to go to the bookies, a casino, or join a card school. Fundamentally, today one can gamble away as much as Ms Balaam simply by downloads an app onto a mobile device and enter a credit card number.

if you feel you may have a gambling problem and  would like to talk to someone , Eleos counselling can help . Just click the link below.

 

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Fixed odds betting terminals: The crack cocaine of gambling?

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Fixed odds betting machines or FOBT are again back in the news. Often called the crack of cocaine of gambling fix odds betting terminals, is back under scrutiny.

The coalition government is urged to  impose a ban on the use of these machines in high Street bookies. This campaign has been ignited by Derby businessman Mr Derek Webb, who is funding a campaign to ban FOBTs, Mr Webb  a millionaire made his fortune who, though gambling; Mr Webb is also noted as inventing  Three Card Poker.FOBT_machine-21.2

Fixed odds betting machines have been known to take hundred pounds every 10 seconds.

FOBT vastly different from normal fruit machines, such as those in clubs, bars, in which stakes are set to £2, using a FOBT a gambler can gamble up to £100 every 20 seconds – better than four times quicker than the rate of play in a genuine casino, with a maximum payout of £500, the popularity of these machines has spread to most high streets and betting shops throughout the country.

In one report in the Guardian Newspaper interviewed one gambler commenting that he had gambled away his monthly income in a few hours.

Figures released by the gambling commission, stated that the gross profit on fixed odds betting machines in 2012 was estimated to be £1.4 billion.

The British Association for bookmakers stated that there is no evidence to suggest that fixed odds betting machines are causing gambling addictions. The industry is reluctant to adjust these machines to allow for smaller stakes and smaller prizes commenting that the impact on the gambling industry would be a loss of 40,000 jobs and the  closure of a possibly 8,000 high Street bookies shops. One notable fact is that in UK the gambling industry pays over £1 billion in tax each year.

 

With more accessible gambling, such as fixed odds betting machines, and online gambling. One has to ask the net effect on gambling addiction in the UK. The in the past, one could gamble was a bookies shop, now  is available 24 seven online.

As with all psychological addictions, gambling plays into the pleasure centers of the brain stimulating endorphins, giving what is often called a “gambler’s high”.

As with all addictions, and addicted gambler needs support in withdrawing from his or habit or behaviour.

Eleos counselling, has had many years helping clients with addictive behaviours. If you would like to know more, please click on the link below.

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