It's not like a casino's blackjack table. Danger for compulsives For the social gambler, placing a bet electronically can be no more harmful than joining the office pool or playing the state lottery. But for the compulsive gambler, placing bets in the quiet of his or her home or office could come with considerably more risk. No one knows how much money is wagered or how many bets are placed. No one except the credit card companies and the bettors themselves.
Gamblers tend to be loners anyway and like to be isolated.
This then gives them total anonymity. They don't have to face anybody if they lose or face a bookie who wants his money. Sports betting is illegal in all states except Nevada, and many states with casinos restrict all gambling to riverboats or Indian reservations as in California. Yet the growing popularity of online betting and the unregulated nature of the industry has caught the attention of many. The biggest fight though belongs to people such as Tucker and O'Neill, who deal with the hundreds of desperate calls from gamblers who feel remorseful, sometimes even suicidal, about their losses in the days following the Super Bowl.