Problem gamblers commit forgery, fraud, theft, and embezzlement to finance gambling. Video poker machine With the rise of Indian casinos and the recent surge of online gambling those within the psychiatric and treatment community say increases in gambling problems is already on the rise. O'Hare said she is worried about the explosion of online gambling. The pace at which someone could get into serious trouble gambling is scary. It is instant access with little control.
Someone can blow their life's savings in one sitting.
O'Hare says that she expects to see sharp increases in those that become addicted to gambling because of the trend of younger kids participating in the activity. And research indicates that gambling activity on college campuses has reached epidemic levels. Dr. Howard Shaffer, director of Harvard University Medical Schools Division of Addiction Research, said that more youths are introduced to gambling through sports betting than any other type of gambling activity. According to a 1998 University of Michigan survey of 3000 male and female student-athletes 35 percent of them gambled on sports while attending college. More than 5 percent of male student-athletes wagered on a game in which they participated, providing inside information for gambling purposes, or accepted money for performing poorly in a contest.