Lifestyles

Compulsive Gambling

Posted: 3/11/2011

Something as simple as reading a sporting event ad can trigger a gambling binge.

(NAPSI) - Illegal sports betting is a huge industry, one whose popular presence creates a huge problem for compulsive gamblers.

Business news station CNBC estimates that every year, $80−100 billion is bet on NFL football, $10 billion on the Super Bowl, $70 billion on college football and $50 billion on college basketball, with up to $12 billion on March Madness.

The American Psychiatric Association classifies compulsive gambling as an impulse control disorder. Therefore, recovering gamblers must do everything they can to avoid temptation.

Some gambling addicts cannot even read ads that give information to sports gamblers because of the anxiety such ads can cause.

One way to help problem gamblers and provide a valuable service to them is to provide a helpful message alongside sports point spreads and other score-related information, especially during National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, March 6−12. That message is: “Need help for a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at (800) 522-4700.”

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