For some gambling is an addiction, a sickness just like alcoholism or cancer, that can destroy lives. It is hard to cure a compulsive gambler, but there are doctors and counselors who work with people whose lives have been turned inside out by their quest to win the big one. Arnie Wexler is a reformed compulsive gambler who now runs a hot line for addicted gamblers. He says gambling nearly destroyed his life. I was running around at that time of my life wishing and praying I had enough guts to kill myself.
Experts say compulsive gambling is a real illness.
The addiction to gambling is different in that it's purely a behavior. Because there is no chemical or substance, gambling is an invisible addiction. There are no telltale physical signs, no track marks, no smell of alcohol. Wexler says that is what makes the compulsive gambler so elusive. Yamins says it is the thrill.