Consequences of Gambling

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According to Rehab International, a non-profit organization aimed to help individuals and their loved ones find treatment programs for addiction, an estimated 2.5 million Americans have a gambling addiction with more than eighty percent of the U.S. population reported gambling at one point. Many people who excessively gamble feel that the urge is too great to resist. They feel that they cannot give up on all the time, money, and emotion devoted towards it. Furthermore, gamblers strongly believe that either their system will pay off, their luck will change, or the only way out of a difficult situation. However, that is not the case as gambling is a compulsion that can have devastating consequences for all those involved. Gambling addiction can lead to serious economic, social, and health problems such as unemployment, severe debt or bankruptcy, estranged relationships, and clinical depression, anxiety, or suicide. First off, gambling may result in a great payout but does carry the risk of tremendous financial burden that could lead to massive debt, unemployment, and filing for bankruptcy. Whenever the opportunity to win big amounts of money arises, the temptation to go all in is tremendous. The major downside, however, is that one could lose it all in an instant. Consequently, as the addiction to continue chasing the jackpot grows, an insurmountable debt accumulates. Moreover, the urge to keep gambling becomes too great to abandon and eventually becomes financially problematic. Available evidence suggests that job loss and unemployment rates among gambling addicts are very high. This is because the gambling distractions cause decreased job productivity and multiple missed days at work. As a result, when addicts are unemployed with great debt, this often leads to filing for bankruptcy. Nevertheless, this clearly demonstrates that the financial risks and

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