The betting base has been informing readers for many years with information on the various bookmakers, betting options and, above all, many game previews. Begun of king football, over tennis, gulf, winter sports, motor sport and also society topics. In the next days we want to dedicate ourselves to a topic, which finds usually very little attention. We are talking about gambling addiction.
New bookmakers are springing up and are recording high profits year after year. In order to achieve these profits, it is obvious that there are more customers who lose money with sports betting than those who win money!
However, the topic of gambling addiction is rarely dealt with, because who likes to admit that they are a loser? Those who talk about the topic with friends, colleagues and acquaintances will often only hear how much has been won. At most how much was not won due to a wrong decision or something similar.
The lost bets before and the height of the bets are however only rarely a topic. Hardly anyone wants to declare himself a loser. But besides alcohol addiction, gambling addiction is the second largest addiction in German-speaking countries. Nevertheless, this is also a very sensitive topic, only a few people can and want to deal with it openly.
The betting base will put some articles to this topic on-line in the next days.
We want in the first part today first of all a few facts and figures on the subject of gambling addiction on the table.
In the second part we look at the extremely self-critical question “Am I addicted to gambling?
And then we’ll try to help if that question is answered with a “yes”.
We’re also going to have to put the bookmakers in charge and see what we can do for players who have a clear pattern. Whether these should continue to be exploited like an “egg-laying woolly sow” or whether the respective providers are aware of their enormously important role and respect the well-being of the individual player.
When does gambling addiction start?
As already mentioned, gambling addiction is now one of the second most common addictions in German-speaking countries. Nearly everyone has drunk alcohol before, but that doesn’t make you addicted to alcohol. It’s the same with gambling. According to several studies, it can be assumed that over 85% of 16- to 65-year-old men in German-speaking countries have already taken part in a game of chance at least once.
In addition to sports betting and poker, there are many other forms of gambling. Also Rubellose or Lotto count naturally to this topic. In technical jargon, a gambling addict is called a “pathological gambler”! In our series, we will primarily focus on online sports betting!
With a pathological gambler, fun becomes bitter seriousness over a longer period of time. Sports betting no longer serves to make the Bundesliga conference on Saturday afternoon a little more interesting, but the monetary aspect is in the foreground.
Often these people have already lost huge amounts of money and are constantly thinking about winning back this lost money. The next bet works and then I am on the right track. As a rule, men are particularly affected by gambling, whereas women often refuse to do so beforehand.
According to studies – which are to be enjoyed however always with caution and the number of unreported cases is probably still far higher – there is supposed to be scarcely half a million humans in Germany, the indications of ?pathological gambling? to recognize to let.
Is gambling addiction a recognised disease?
But gambling addiction is a serious disease. In Germany, gambling addiction has already been recognised by health insurance companies and is on an equal footing with alcohol addiction.
The problem, however, as with many mental illnesses, is that nothing is visible to the outside world. Anyone who has broken a foot or a hand presents it to the outside world. But a gambling addict can hide his illness well. Similar to alcohol addicts, they build up a very well thought-out construct in order not to “attract attention”.
The origin of addiction, however, usually dates back several months. But how can it happen that control over one’s own actions is lost to such a drastically lost extent?
Who is affected by gambling addiction?
As the studies show, almost nine out of ten men have had experience with gambling addiction. The willingness to take risks is naturally more present in the male sex. This can be advantageous in many life situations, but it is also dangerous. As long as you only play for a few Euros to make the current Bundesliga game a little more exciting, there is no danger.
But it becomes dangerous when the customer is convinced that he can outsmart the system. Of course, there are examples that have become rich thanks to gambling. Exactly these humans are then often the models and the attraction of the large and above all fast money is all at once the center.
Although it is well known that a successful bookmaker calculates the odds in such a way that a profit looks out for him, nevertheless everyone believes that he/she is the person who outsmarts the system. Once again, cognitive perception strikes.
The best example of cognitive perception is found in the lottery and smoking. In the lottery, every player thinks that you could be the one person who would type the six right ones. However, this person also believes that you are by no means among those who will die of cancer from smoking for many years. The probability here is much higher than on a lottery six.
But people hear and feel what they want. And that’s where the win in sports betting can suddenly be found at the very top. And in today’s time exactly this attraction is promoted almost everywhere. Thanks to smartphones, betting is possible at any time of the day or night.
The bookmakers also offer live betting 24 hours a day, seven days a week and, thanks to countless TV advertisements, many people come into contact unintentionally with the subject of “betting”. There are far too many sources of danger nowadays, especially for former sports bettors who try to remain abstinent. All the more important it is to open up and be honest with oneself.
What are the signs of gambling addiction?
The path to gambling addiction is usually a broad one that extends over a long period of time. However, you are not addicted to gambling until you have already gambled away half your existence.
Even when the desire for sports betting determines everyday life, one speaks of gambling addiction. At this point it does not matter whether one’s own balance is positive or negative. Gambling addicts often neglect their social contacts, ranging from family, partner, children, acquaintances to regular work.
However, these changes do not happen radically from one day to the next, but are usually a protracted, creeping process. Since humanity today is extremely fast-moving, neglected friendships are often taken note of without question. That’s just the way it is. And when someone addresses a gambling addict to the topic, he usually reacts irritably and looks for new excuses to be able to deny the accusations.
