Caution: Gambling is Dangerous to Your Family

Usually, people only view the consequences of problem gambling on the problem gambler itself. However, studies show that the effects of problem gambling are also felt by the family of these problem gamblers.

What was once a happy family has turned cold and even violent. This is a common scene in a problem gambling case.

What has problem gambling done to the families of online gamblers'? Well for one, gambling players who experience addiction lose a lot of money to gambling. Thus, gambling reduces the family income, and this is very painful, especially if that gambling player is the bread winner of the family.

Gambling also results in broken homes. Many people choose to divorce their problem gambling partners to evade the gambling debts and the troubles brought about by loan sharks.

Aside from financial problems, most marriages of problem gamblers end up in divorce because their partners feel that they are being neglected. Also, there is a lot of arguments everyday regarding their gambling addiction.

Aside from the spouses, the children also experience neglect by their parents who are suffering from problem gambling. In the past, they use to watch movies together, or play baseball, or any other activity to enjoy quality time. But now, because of gambling addiction, the time that should be used for the children goes to the casino. In result, problem gambling parents do not know their kids anymore, and vice versa.

The trouble with this is that the children of the problem gambling sufferers might rebel and make the gambling addiction of their parents as an excuse. They will think "If dad or mom can do it, why can't I?". If the kids are neglected, who will teach them what is right and what is wrong?

A lot worse than this are the cases in which children are being abused and killed because of problem gambling. Some guardians with gambling addiction abandon kids just about anywhere just to be able to gamble. There are also cases in which parents even killed their kids to get the insurance and use the money for their gambling addiction.

Spouses have also become target of physical abuse by problem gamblers. Studies show that the violent effect of problem gambling is similar to other addictions like drinking ad drug.

These are just some proofs of how serious problem gambling is. What we should do is to monitor, study and act on them as fast as we could.