Gambling Bad Effects
Last updated: 08/5/2019
Author: Addictions.com Medical Review
Reading Time: 3minutes
Even without the physical triggers so commonly associated with drug addiction, gambling disorders can wreak just as much havoc in a person’s life. While drug addiction works as a substance-based disorder, gambling addictions have more to do with a lack of impulse control.
Gambling addiction often affects people who also struggle with alcohol abuse.
Gambling can be a serious issue to and have many negative effects especially when someone loses control. Pathological gambling is being unable to resist impulses to gamble, which can lead to severe personal or social consequences (Vorvick, 2012). A study conducted in 2015 by Horsely et al. The frontal lobe can help control impulsivity, therefore a weak link may contribute to people being unable to stop gambling, and ignoring the negative consequences of their actions.
Ultimately, it’s the loss of control that defines addictive behavior regardless of the substance or activity involved. Gambling addiction statistics present this “loss of control” factor in a stark and alarming light.
It’s bad for the gaming community to turn a blind eye when outsiders point to the negative effects. In fact, back in 2011, a gamer died at an internet cafe after playing for three days straight. A baby died in 2014 because their parents neglected it due to their gaming addiction. While gambling can have quite a few positive effects on the economy, it can also have some negative ones. The main one is gambling addiction. Casino games, both land-based and online ones, can be very addictive indeed. What causes people to play them too much is the fact that you have a chance of winning actual money.
Gambling addiction statistics show how problem gambling can up-end a person’s life in more ways than one. Not unlike other types of addiction, people most susceptible to gambling also suffer from other disorders of which they may or may not be aware.
Probably the most glaring revelation to be had from gambling addiction statistics lies in the consequences that result when gambling disorders go untreated.
1. Gambling Trends
As with all types of data, certain trends or patterns of behavior start to surface within a given population. Gambling addiction statistics are no different. Some of the more prevalent gambling trends show:
- The likelihood of developing a gambling addiction increases 23-fold for people affected by alcohol use disorders
- Over 80 percent of American adults gamble on a yearly basis
- Three to five gamblers out of every hundred struggles with a gambling problem
- As many as 750,000 young people, ages 14 to 21 have a gambling addiction
2. Gambling & Criminal Activity
As far as gambling and criminal activity goes, gambling addiction statistics reveal a direct correlation between the severity of a gambling addiction and the likelihood of committing crimes. Rates of gambling addiction for criminal offenders far exceed rates found among non-offenders. On average, an estimated 50 percent of those affected by gambling problems commit crimes in order to support their addiction.
3. College Gambling
Gambling addiction statistics show people between the ages 20 and 30 have the highest rates of problem gambling.
- 75 percent of college students report having gambled during the past year
- The risk of developing a gambling addiction more than doubles for young adults in college settings
- An estimated six percent of American college students struggle with gambling problems
4. Gambling & PTSD Trends
People affected by post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD live with high levels of stress and anxiety on a daily basis. Gambling addiction statistics show high rates of gambling addiction among PTSD sufferers.
Gambling Bad Effects Smoking
- PTSD symptoms affect anywhere from 12.5 to 29 percent of problem gamblers
- 34 percent of those who seek treatment for gambling addiction exhibit symptoms of PTSD
5. Gambling & Mental Illness
As addictions, in general, alter brain chemical functions in destructive ways, people struggling with gambling addiction have a higher likelihood of developing mental disorders. Gambling addiction statistics show a high incidence of certain types of mental illness, some of which include:
- Depression disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Substance abuse disorders
- Anti-social personality disorder
Gambling Bad Effects Project
As with any other type of addiction, a gambling addiction can only get worse when left untreated.