ONLINE GAMBLING ADDICTION

The increasing accessibility that people have to the Internet has led to a rise in online betting and this, say researchers, is leading to serious gambling addiction. Online gambling is easily done at home so it’s far simpler to hide when compared to a casino that you have to physically go to.

This means that you can gamble at any time, at any age and you can do so in private. The variety of online gambling means that it’s not just poker where the problem lies, you have a multitude of choices like sports betting, bingo, casino games and lotteries. While it’s easy for compulsive online gamblers to hide their problem, it’s also easy for organisations to monitor; the nature of online means that you can track an individual player and see precisely how much money they’re spending.

Responsible gambling websites should have pop up messages showing people the length of time they’ve been playing for and precisely how much they’ve spent. Gamblers need to understand that virtual money is still real money and addiction can be one click away.