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The
social impacts of gambling
Luck,
this is not just a word but a belief for most people. These people
come from different walks of life and in this world of material
struggle, who would not be lured by the glitter of money? Indeed,
people are now ready to grab whatever chance that is being served to
them. This pushes them to gamble.
Gambling
is popular all over the world. It comes in various ways and means.
To mention one of the most popular forms, it is lottery. For some
people, this is the remedy but the hidden fact is that it is a big
blow to the society especially to those who are poor and
disadvantaged.
According
to recent studies, majority of those who try their luck and gamble
are people from the poverty line. Of course, the reason is too
obvious. With the current social problems that deprive them from
having the means to improve their way of living, they resort to what
is the easiest for them.
This
action leads to worse outcomes. Poor as they are, they are bound to
have more debts and the more they yearn to try their luck, the more
these debts would kill their lives gradually.
Another
thing is that gambling becomes a vice. How does it happen? As shown
by statistics in the United States, when these poor and less
educated people win even just a mere amount of prizes, they would
crave for more and eventually gamble more.
When
this happens, all the other social issues like the role of these
gamblers in their families would definitely be bruised. When the
family is affected, the whole society follows.
There
are numerous books and writings such that of Boydon Cole and Sidney
Margolius, “When You Gamble--You Risk More Than Your Money” it
is stated here how a family is being torn by gambling as an
addiction. Gambling once it becomes an addiction would never lead
you to goodness. It could be as worst as breaking your family,
committing a crime or ending up bankrupt.
As
gambling diminishes your social worth as a person, as a citizen, the
whole society is greatly affected.
Temptation at Your Doorstep: Internet Gambling.
Can you imagine being able to place a bet with just a press of a button? Can you imagine playing and betting as long as you want?
Can you imagine gambling from the comfort of your own home?
We know for a fact that gambling is risky business, and unrestrained gambling is just asking for trouble. Compulsive gamblers already have a hard time restraining themselves from the call of casinos and bookies, and now Internet gambling just takes the ante a step further.
With Internet gambling, you don’t need hard cash. Everything that is online is so easy to access. Play Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Keno, Roulette or Slots. Play all day, all night.
Before the 1990s, gamblers who wanted to place a casino or sports type bet in the United States basically had two choices: they could travel to a legitimate brick-and-mortar gaming establishment or place an illegal wager through a bookie. However, with the emergence of the Internet in the mid-1990s, a new form of gambling appeared; Internet gambling through gaming casinos and sports wagering. Internet gambling can take place on any electronic device that offers Internet access anywhere on the globe.
Internet gambling makes payment options for gambling individuals easy. They can just choose from several types of payment options other than credit cards. These include:
VISA and MasterCard cards: These cards are tied directly to the cardholder’s bank account. Funds for all transactions are deducted directly from the cardholder’s bank account, but cardholders can make credit card-type transactions that do not require a personal identification number.
Private-label debit cards: These cards are similar to check cards above but are issued by private companies rather than credit card associations.
On-line payment providers: These companies send and receive funds electronically for such uses as on-line auctions and purchases.
Wire transfers: Some Internet gambling sites promote this method of payment, which allows Internet gambling customers to wire money directly from a bank account to the site.
“E-cash” or digital cash: It is a digital representation of real money that can be placed on a computer hard drive, smart card and other devices with memory. It can be purchased from an authorized provider.
Internet gambling sites also offer money orders; traveler’s checks; bank drafts; cashier’s, certified, and personal checks; and a number of other electronic banking systems or processors as payment options. With Internet gambling’s easy payment options, even a non-gambler would be tempted to try.
Statistics also show that Internet gambling has nearly doubled every year since 1997 – in 2001 it exceeded $2 billion. It also boasts 110 sport-related Internet gambling sites.
According to the American Psychological Association, Internet gambling could be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs.
This is a confession from quoted from The Gambling Problem Talking Point website:
”... I am addicted to online poker, not to mention soccer betting and casinos whenever I am in the vicinity of one.
For the longest time I thought I had the beast under control. Thought I was
smarter than the pack, and shrewd enough to beat the pack. Considered my betting to be more of an investment than anything else.
How much hav I lost gambling? I am afraid to tally.
Has it ruined my life? Almost ... I guess being from a wealthy family, it helped me to cover the tracks not to mention the losses.
But enough is enough and I would like to kick the habit
altogether.
I am sorry if I sound a little cocky or arrogant ... I have a problem. And even now am half hearted to completely agree that I do have one.
Will I continue to gamble? I am not sure. I would like to stop, but it is just so easy with the Internet and all.
I guess if I was in NZ, I could join a group on a regular basis and get some help in person. But in Malaysia, how do I do that?
From reading some of the posts here, I share all the common symptoms.
It is a disease, and can destroy the best of people, not to mention families and loved ones a like.
What can I do? How can I help myself...”
Internet gambling is a very slippery slope. It can ruin your life and the life of your loved ones. So the next time Internet gambling knocks on your door, think twice.
GAMBLING AS A GAME OF CHANCE
By five in the morning, a mother had already dressed her two daughters for school. After which, she will be heading next to a casino for an early dose of gambling activity.
Seemed like a "too absurd to be true" situation? Guess again.
Nowadays, gambling seems to be an ordinary activity that most people tend to overlook. By doing so, they do not see the potential harm gambling can do with their lives.
Generally, gambling, more commonly know as betting, is a kind of behavior that involves money valuables being put out to risk as a product of a certain game. So to speak, the money or valuables are at risk because the probability of winning is too low or is totally dependent upon chance. Unless otherwise one will do something about his winning through evil ways, one could never be sure of winning a gambling game.
Gambling comes in many forms: one that can be beatable and the other type is not.
Beatable games of gambling refer to games that can be trampled thereby creating a positive numerical probability through proper strategy. These includes poker, though this is better classified as a game of skill; blackjack, video poker, Pai Gow Poker and Tiles, sports betting, horse racing, and slot machines.
On the other hand, unbeatable games makes a player eventually lose a game no matter what strategy they use. More common examples of these games are slot machines, baccarat, craps, roulette, keno, casino war, faro, pachinko, 3-card and 4-card poker, red dog, pyramid poker, Caribbean stud poker, and Spanish 21.
Both beatable and unbeatable gambling games can be found in the casinos. Though, there are other gambling games that are not played inside the casinos such as lottery, mahjong, backgammon, coin-tossing games such as head and tail, and carnival games like The Razzle and Hanky
Pank.
There are also the so-called fixed-odds gambling that can be seen on events like horse racing, football, golf, tennis, baseball, and other sports that entice people to bet on the winner of the event.
All the same, they are all forms of gambling that never stand a chance of winning continuously.
In gambling, people usually tries to gain back whatever they have lost in the game. Some continues to play for the belief that they should not break the monotony of luck. By doing so, they continue to bet and eventually place their selves at the risk of losing more instead.
Most people who are involved in gambling contend that they only play for pleasure or as a form of recreation. While others say they just have to earn money and that gambling is an easy way to do so.
However, because gambling involves a variety of mental activity, coupled with stress and the mentality of a winner, it can be a possible source of psychological addiction. In the long run, this can be very harmful to people who are affected by gambling.
With so much psychedelic effects of gambling, there are even those who engage in betting with another person on premises that a certain statement is true or false, or that a particular event will or will not happen at a given specific time. This occurs commonly on situations wherein two people with strong opposing views debate with each other. Normally, they place bets for fun or for money reason but often to establish their stand on a certain issue.
Consequently, because of the negative effect of gambling, most legal jurisdictions opt to not legalize any gambling activity. With this, any contracts that led to debts brought about by a certain gambling activity are deemed unenforceable by any legal process.
That is why gambling is such a risky activity. Those who gamble merely does not realize what harm gambling can give them.
As they say, never put your good money after bad money. If ever you get to be involved in gambling, discontinue doing bet so as to steer clear of an evident loss.
The World of Virtual Gambling
First there was virtual reality and now there is virtual gambling. It seems like the world is slipping into a world where everything is virtual and possible. Nevertheless, virtual gambling has proven to be one of the most favorite past time of people, regardless of class and gender.
The concept of gambling is not a new and modern term in the world. In fact, gambling has long existed for almost 2,000 years. Of course the things at stake back then were not money. Just like the other industries, gambling also underwent a lot of changes and now, in the world of computers, virtual gambling seems to be its latest form. Let’s clarify first the term “virtual”. Virtual is often defined as something that is almost real but nevertheless an illusion but this is not the case for virtual gambling. This is because virtual gambling and the players here are real and also the stakes are real thus the normal classification of virtual does not apply in this case. Virtual in virtual gambling just represents the term “online” or “internet”. It means that instead of the traditional gambling wherein a person would go to casinos or even Las Vegas to gamble, people could now enjoy gambling to their hearts content care of virtual gambling in the comfort of their own homes.
There are so many choices in the world of virtual gambling and a person could actually have a headache in just making a choice of which type of virtual gambling would they indulge in the moment. A person could literary have different types of virtual gambling everyday! Traditional games in gambling are available in virtual gambling. These include casino games, pokers, roulette, slots, card games, blackjack, and the like. There are so many choices in the market and I bet that you won’t have a hard time finding one. The only problem that a person could have is finding the perfect one for them and also in choosing that “one”.
Aside from the traditional games in virtual gambling, new and innovative forms of gambling are also available online. These include reality TV shows, world cups, Saturday matches and the weather. It seems like everything could be in the virtual gambling world as long as there is someone to bet and of course, the money at stake.
Virtual gambling is also considered a safe and fun environment for gambling because it is very hard to cheat online. The mysterious façade of the entire player adds to the allure and temptation of virtual gambling. There are also free virtual gambling sites and there are also sites which require you to pay. The best way to know which virtual gambling site appeals to you is to try it. After all, trying would eventually mean learning. Customizing is one of the best features of virtual gambling because it makes sure that the players and its customers are satisfied with the gambling service and features offered in virtual gambling.
No longer would people have to stay late in casinos just to gamble because people nowadays are opting to stay late in front of their monitors. Virtual gambling just proves that gambling has certainly joined in the industrialized world of today. For people that have gambling in their bloods, virtual gambling is a very convenient, easy, and varied option for them.
Gambling Site
STOP! Read the following first before tossing that dice. It may save you tons of money and a lot of heartaches.
Many gambling sites offer several promotional incentives like bonuses, guarantees, equal winning opportunities, multiple/solo player modes, higher bet limits and a whole lot more that can be quite dizzying and makes you leap into them before looking into what they really offer.
Let's try and have a look first before you throw down that dice and before you throw away your hard-earned money and miss out on all the fun that thousands of gambling sites offer.
There are several considerations that one must take with prudence before dealing with any gambling site.
The king of them all is to understanding their rules. Incentives are great but you play by their rules. Not all gambling sites have the same set of rules. Read them like you're about to take an exam. Look out for the fine prints, somewhere there might be a catch 22 situation. Understand the procedures and all the transactions they have pertaining to real money.
Just like any exemplary gambling site there is customer service support must be on top of their list. You are paying good money for enjoyment and a chance to win. They must have very excellent and professional people who would be ready to take your call and entertain any questions or complaints anytime of the day. Ask if they have toll free numbers.
Get to know the site better. You may do this by reading reviews, compare them to other gambling sites. There are also several websites that offer a listing of the gambling sites and their ratings. If you are new into online gambling you have to know that there are millions of gambling sites out there. Some better than the others.
Try out the games. Most gambling sites have features that lets you get the feel of their gaming programs for free. Try asking yourself if the interface was user-friendly and very intuitive. Does it have the feel of real poker game or baccarat? There should not be any distraction like having to press a certain key or key combination while the you are in the midst of a very exciting game.
Pressing the wrong key or clicking the wrong button could cause you the game.
You may also want to take a look at the support you are getting at your end with your PC and Internet connection. You may want a higher end PC to be able to play the better games that gambling sites offer. This usually means a higher memory requirement and a better video and sound card. Internet connection must be reliable and fast.
If ever you find yourself intrigued by a new game, understand how the game is played. Do your research on the new game. Get to know the all rules and strategies. Most often than not these gambling sites provide trials and test features for new games.
Those are a few tips for you to get to enjoy online gambling better, but don't roll that dice yet! Whether your sitting across your friends playing poker or sitting
in front of the monitor playing black jack on a gambling site you have to come well prepared with a plan.
One more thing maybe a lucky rabbit would help.
So cross your fingers, say a little prayer and let that dice roll!
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gambling articles
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