Author: horse-racing-free-tips

Gambling has evolved into different forms. Gambling, primarily, is a form of entertainment. It is a sport involving money, or whatever is at stake, in a game of chance. Gambling or betting began as early as 2300 B.C. Gambling artifacts, like dice, had been found in countries like Egypt, China, India and Rome. In a recent poll, 63% of Americans support legalized gambling. Another 22% agree that it must be expanded. From dice to roulettes and to computer mouse, which form of gambling is for you? Here are some choices:

*Casino games
These are gambling games usually played inside the casino. A player can win with the right tactic and optimistic mathematical probability. Here are some examples:

Poker
Poker is the most popular casino game. It is believed to have been originated from the game ‘as nas’, which is a Persian game. It uses a deck of cards for a series of betting rounds. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Poker is also regarded as a game of strategy and skill.

Online Casino
These are virtual casinos that are played on the internet. The rules are similar with actual casino games but players can either be a real or computer- generated players.

Slot machines
A betting machine that uses a coin to rotate a set of reels usually pulled by a lever. You have to get identical patterns to win.

Roulette
Roulettes were invented by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, in 1842. It is a simple gambling game where in you have to bet on which number a small ball will hit.

*Gambling with fixed- odds
These are certain types of game where in you have to bet on a specific outcome of a given situation. These include horse racing, baseball, motor racing, jai alai and ice hockey, among others.

*Sports betting
Even though illegal in most countries, sports betting have boomed in the gambling industry. Bets are based on a point system of sports, like baseball or football. Common sports bets are: against the spread, against odds and against a combination of spread and odds.

*Arbitrage betting
You might often see this on the web tagged as risk- free gambling. The concept is to put a bet on a particular result with varied betting groups. Being an investment procedure, it involves a bigger amount of money compared to normal gambling.

Be sure to treat gambling as a pastime, and not a source of money. When engaged in one, set a maximum spending limit. Practice gambling in moderation and don’t let it interfere with your set priorities in life.

To people who don’t gamble, or more so to normal gamblers, the thought that they will progress to compulsive gamblers is ridiculous. The start of compulsive gambling may be incited by situations or circumstance. But the conditions are real.

What’s the similarity between pathological gambling and chemical dependency?

The first distinct similarity is the inability to take control or stop the addiction. The denials to the addiction accompanied by severe depression are also similarities. Both diseases are progressive in nature and goes through similar stages.

The first stage being the “chase”, looking for that high or win. The use of the addiction to numb the pain brought about by problems. The pathological gambler and a drug or alcohol dependent person are preoccupied with nothing else except their addiction. They look for immediate gratification and have very low self-esteem.

Pathological gambling not like chemical addiction is a disease not easily noticeable. There are a lot of indicators that would identify a chemically dependent person. But a gambler can exist normally for long periods of time. The large debt that a gambler can incur requires attention.

Pathological gamblers require crisis counseling at the start of their treatment, mainly because pathological gamblers have a higher suicide rate than persons addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Is the level of addiction for all types of gambling the same?

Forms of gambling that give immediate gratification are the worst kind. The slot machine and video are prime examples of these. The use of the instant gratification and effective reinforcement, gamblers that play these machines often progress into pathological gamblers more often than gamblers that play other games.

The time it takes to go from the first bet to a chronic addiction is shortest for this form of gambling. Before it would take many years before a person would be considered “sick” gambling in races, etc. Nowadays, it is fairly common for a person to be addicted to a slot machine or video poker with two to three years.

Is pathological gambling biological in nature?

Recent findings would indicate that pathological gambling is a dependency quite similar to a chemical dependency. A study by a psychiatrist Alec Roy, M.D. formerly of the NIAAA showed that compulsive gamblers have low levels of norepinephrine compared to normal gamblers.

The chemical is secreted from the brain when stressed, aroused or excited. A pathological gambler engages in his addiction to raise the levels of norepinephrine.

The findings reinforce the assertion of Dr. Henry Lesieur that pathological gamblers are “thrill seekers” who gamble for the excitement brought about by the game and not the pursuit of money.