A Dangerous Seducer Some Americans spend nearly as much on gambling as they do on groceries. And not only at gaming tables and racetracks, but on state sanctioned lotteries as well. The ads said all you need is a dollar and a dream. It was more like a dollar and a nightmare. Gambling is the fastest growing major addiction, especially among teens.
Debt is the hallmark of the compulsive gambler.
More than half admitted to stealing to finance their gambling. Two-thirds had considered suicide. For years, bingo nights and raffles have been a fund-raising mainstay for houses of worship faced with steadily rising costs. The Catholic Church, for example, views gambling as a morally neutral activity - until it interferes with providing for the real needs of those gambling or the people who depend on them. Recently, many church leaders have reduced or eliminated their dependence on gambling income, believing that they may have contributed unintentionally to addictive behavior.