Effects Of Pathological Gambling

Casinos are a place where you can try your luck and win money. Many casinos allow people to smoke within them. Gambling and smoking can both become very addictive for people who partake in them. A pathological gambler is considered to have an impulse disorder that “describes a gambler who loses control over gambling behavior with damaging personal, social and financial effects” (Dunstan). These gamblers also have problems with “irritability, extreme moodiness, problems with personal relationships (including divorce), absenteeism from work, family neglect, and bankruptcy” (Griffiths, 2007 as cited in Griffiths 2). “Current smoking in adult gamblers has been associated with greater anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol use, and treatment for

Gambling is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as to play games of chance for money or some other stake, or to take a risk in order to gain some advantage. He talks about problem gambling and pathological gambling. Problem gambling is gambling that disrupts one’s life. How to determine the boundaries of that are not too clear. Pathological gambling is a more severe problem gambling that is considered a medical impulse disorder. It affects one’s personal, social, or financial life. With pathological gambling many people gamble away life savings, commit crimes in order to pay off debts, and even commit suicide because they have nothing

Daily smokers also gambled on more days, spent more money gambling, craved gambling more, and had a lower perceived control over gambling than non-smokers (Petry 745). The “Gambling Addiction and its Treatment Within the NHS. London: British Medical Association” study resulted in smokers being more likely to have gambled in the past week (51% smokers to 38% non-smokers) and year (79% smokers to 65% non-smokers) (Griffith 2007). Smokers also were 3 times more likely to be a problem gambler. “Being in poor health and or having a limiting longstanding illness was associated with problem gambling” (Griffith 2007). Both results came out similar in that smokers were more likely to gamble and have problems with gambling. As for non-smoking laws, according to the “Smoking and Gambling: A Trance Inducing Ritual” study, smoke free laws led to gambling industry revenue decline and a reduction of problem gambling. It states that smokers are about 36% of the casino participants, but put in about 50% of its revenue. Problem gamblers put in 42.3% of the casino’s revenue (Harper 2003). Although the laws make a decline in revenue, because there is no more smoking in the casinos, more nonsmokers will be willing to go gambling and the revenue will even itself back out. Today there have been strives to make