Societal effects on women and gambling - Essay Example

mble to an extreme were considered as insignificant by percentage thus their unique problems associated with this growing phenomenon were largely ignored. Gambling venues are much more widespread than they were just 20 years ago and thus more accessible to everyone, including women. By some estimates, women who gamble have at least caught up numerically with their male counterparts. Other research has shown women are quickly exceeding the number of men as casino patrons. It is no surprise that women constitute more than their share of the growing number of people who have become problem gamblers.

According to Barbara Proto of the Connecticut State Lottery, “Women are by far the fastest at-risk group of problem gamblers, and it’s eye-opening to me to see it’s you, it’s me, and it’s your neighbor” (“Gambling Addiction”, 2006). Problem gamblers of either gender experience many societal issues which negatively affect their lives as well as their family, friends and employer. The compulsion to bet is a drop in a pond whose influence expands out far beyond the individual.

However, the societal issues that women face are more complex and perhaps more damaging than for men. The term ‘problem gambling’ refers to a continuing pattern of gambling which factors in the disruption of an individual’s social, personal or family life or their employment. Health experts regard this harmful activity as a compulsion or addiction when gambling begins to become more important to a person than the above mentioned aspects of their lives (Boughton, 2002). Problem gambling does not discriminate because it affects both women and men of all ages, incomes and backgrounds.

Monetary and other dilemmas a gambler experiences can negatively affect the individual and others whose lives are inter-related. The family of the problem gambler suffers because well-intended promises aren’t kept and financial issues are a constant concern. Inter-personal relationships