Gambling in the UK - Factors behind the Rise, Cause to Concern, Prevention Methods - Essay Example

Gambling in UK, Factors behind the rise of Gambling, Cause to Concern, Prevention Methods Gambling in United Kingdom Introduction Gambling is “placing value upon a game/event or a bet of any type that has an unpredictable outcome, and in which the result to some magnitude is determined by chance (Bolen & Boyd, 1968). There are three important terms that come under the head of gambling; these are “Problem Gambling, Compulsive Gambling and Pathological Gambling.” (Clinical Psychology Review 22 -2002) These three terms are often used interchangeably in order to refer to the condition of disorder in gambling behaviors. The term Pathological gambling (PG) can be described as “a progressive and chronic disorder that encompasses an unrelenting failure to resist impulses to gamble and where this maladaptive behavior disrupts, or damages personal, family, or vocational pursuits’’ (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 615). Problem Gambling is “persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior that disrupts personal, family or vocational pursuits.” (American Psychiatric Association) “It avoids the medical and pejorative implications of pathological’’ (Walker & Dickerson, 1996) and the term Problem Gambler’ is used to define someone “whose gambling is at an earlier stage and to a lesser degree than required by the diagnostic criteria” (Rosenthal, 1989). The third term Compulsive Gambling is more often used by “laypersons such as Gamblers Anonymous (GA) members”. (Clinical Psychology Review 22 -2002) As this discussion is based on psychology, the main focus would remain on the “pathological gambling” in order to describe the gambling behaviors. Different forms of gambling are covered by the term PG including casino gambling, pari-mutuels, horse races, lotteries and gaming machines. The pathological gambling has several “negative impacts on the gamblers’ physical and mental health and performance in vocational situations” (Productivity Commission, 1999). The pathological gamblers often face financial hardships, Interpersonal problems and psychosocial problems in their children. It is also associated with significant problems, including “suicidal ideation and attempts, marital conflicts, employment problems, alcohol and substance abuse, psychiatric co morbidity and decreased health function”. (Benjamin J. Morasco, Jeremiah Weinstock 2007) Rise of Gambling in United Kingdom During last few decades, there has been a rise in gambling all over the world and in United Kingdom also people are getting addicted of it. Though there are not any specific reasons that convince people to start gambling but there are several factors that motivate people to do so. These factors include “demonstrating one’s worth, getting approval and social acceptance from others, rebelling, relieving negative and painful events/emotions (e.g., anger, depression, frustration, and anxiety), hoping to win, participating due to social reasons, trying to beat the odds, to experience the excitement, passing time, and having fun (Blaszczynski, 1995; Cotte, 1997). The factors involve in the developing of Pathological Gambling are covered under the heads of “familial factor – social learning, sociological factor, individual factors like personality, biochemistry, cognition and psychological states. ( (Namrata Raylu, Tian P.S. Oei 2002) The psychological factors that promote and inhibit gambling include emotional state, cognitions about winning, time of day, higher levels of neuroticism(Echeburua, Fernandez-Montalvo, & Baez, 2001; Hodgins& el-Guebaly, 2004) or recovery from a gambling problem e.g., quit due to financial concerns (Hodgins & el-Guebaly, 2000). Keeping in view all these factors the main reasons behind the rise of gambling in UK can be determined in the areas that are Technological Advancement, Flexible Gambling Laws, Media Advertisement and Cultural Effects. Technological Advancement With the advancement of new technologies, gambling is also developing faster on the internet. UK is the first country that allows and legalizes the online gambling. Online gambling is easy to access and it has rapid event frequency, and short payout intervals. These attributes account for a rapid rise of gambling in United Kingdom. The families in UK are now spending more on gambling than fresh vegetables, fruit or holidays abroad. “They spend £3.60 a week on gambling, compared with £3.40 on fresh vegetables, £2.80 on fresh fruit and £3.20 on holidays abroad”. (Family Spending Report, National Statistics 2007) There is also a massive increase in number of home computers and household internet connections but it is not only gambling at home but people are engage in gambling activities during their work also. At present “one out of three British office workers have placed a bet online during working hours.”(Brian Amble 2007) This rate can further rise because "many employees have unmonitored access to the internet and the fact that they can now follow most sporting events online, coupled with the rise of internet gambling websites, has tempted people to place a quick bet online and the online gambling set to rise by 22 per cent this year"(Morse consultant Philip Wicks 2007) Online gambling has become a craze and it is increasing so much in United Kingdom that “the people who use to gamble regularly spend almost 12 per cent of their weekly salary indulging their habit, with bets most often being placed on the National Lottery, football matches, horse races and online poker games.” (Brian Amble 2007) The addiction for gambling is not only affecting the efficiency of workers but the doctors in UK are afraid that this situation may leads to a gambling epidemic. “There are already some 300,000 problem gamblers in the UK and that the numbers will rise over the next 20 years.” (British Medical Association Report 2006) Flexible Gambling Laws Along with the easy availability of gambling opportunities through internet, the flexibility of gambling laws is also responsible for the rise of gambling in United Kingdom. The UK Gambling Act 2005 gave several opportunities to gamblers and also provide the British public access to such gambling facilities which were not available to them ever before. The establishment of several new casinos across the country also promoted gambling and gave rise to problem gambling. The Gambling Act 2006 further relaxed the restrictions on the gambling and the government also allowed to establish the first ever Las Vegas-style super casino in the UK. (Telegraph) The flexibility of gambling laws is also increasing the trend of gambling in children and students. “The United Kingdom provides fertile ground for scholars of adolescent gambling because, in contradiction to international gaming law, it imposes no age restriction on fruit machine gambling. In a U.K. secondary school 62% of the children gambled on fruit machines, 7.3% gambled at least weekly, and 5.7% gambled pathologically.” (Fisher, 1993) This situation is leading to many disadvantages because the teenagers are very much attracted by the video slots of gambling machine and consequently they become addicted. In some cases these teenagers also “turn to crime to feed their addictions” (Yeoman and Griffiths, 1996) This situation is also causing increase in number of addicted gamblers in United Kingdom and it is expected that the number of addicted gambler will become double and fourfold very soon (Ken Waugh 2005). "The government has still allowed a loophole in the new legislation. The new legislation would allow "low stake, low jackpot" machines for children in sea side arcades and leisure centers which were still addictive. (Mark Griffiths, head of gaming research project) Media Advertisement Media also play an important role in promotion of gambling. There is not any authentic research on the issue that up to what extent the advertising promote gambling but Lottery is an example that proves the advertising impact on gambling. “The product doesn't exist, then advertising comes in and within three weeks two-thirds of the adult population has had a go." (Mark Griffiths 2007) There were some restrictions on media regarding the advertising of casinos, betting shops, gambling machines and other related goods but recently these restrictions have been relaxed by the government and the operators are now allowed to advertise on media. However people are showing great concern on this issue because most of the people believe that media advertising is an important psychological factor that can give rise to gambling. "As more people are exposed to these adverts they may be more likely to gamble. We fear this could lead to an increase in problem gambling and needs to be closely monitored." (Lt Col Royston Bartlett, Army's communications secretary) Cultural Grounds Culture is also an important socio-psychological factor that leads to rise of gambling because “gambling appears to be an ancient human activity found in almost all cultures and in most parts of the world (Custer & Milt, 1985). In most of the countries of world gambling is successfully operating openly but there is variation in acceptance for gambling in different cultures. It is important to point out the cultural factors that are associated with the initiation and maintenance of gambling because culture is an integral part of nation’s behaviors which also influence the gambling behavior. The other factors that can promote gambling like “cognitions, personality, biological aspects, psychological states, and familial factors can not sufficiently explain the cultural differences in relation to gambling and PG found among different cultural groups”. (Namrata Raylu, Tian Po Oei 2004) The culture variables like cultural values and beliefs, effects of acculturation, and attitudes towards seeking professional help when experiencing problems; play role in promotion of gambling. These cultural variables have constantly been identified in the literature as playing a role in the development and maintenance of mental health problems such as substance abuse problems (De-La-Rosa et al., 2000; Escobar et al., 2000) Rise in Gambling – A cause of Concern The rapid rise of gambling in United Kingdom is an important point of concern because it affects the mental, social and personal life of people as well as affects their financial and health condition. The development of new casinos in UK is significantly contributing towards the promotion of gambling in the country. Government is planning several project of constructing super casinos across the country but they are facing lots of criticism that the health effects of gambling must be considered if new casinos do open. (British Medical Journal paper) Gambling is affecting the health of public at large but most of its effects are still hidden. "Gambling affects physical, social and mental wellbeing as well as creating debt." (Dr John Middleton, Farid Latif) Gambling not only affects the social and mental health of people but also it harms their health because most of the gamblers don’t pay enough attention to their diets and the disorder in their routine may lead to illness. The health is also affected due to mental stress which can be caused by financial debts. “The strategies used to gain more money to gamble have serious effects on many determinants of health and can cause marital conflict, child neglect, poor work performance, multiple addictions, stress related physical ailments, crime, and even suicide” (John Middleton and Farid Latif 2007) More involvement of people in gambling is also changing their psychology and they are become more sensitive about the money issues. “Anything that makes the poor people in Britain even poorer, especially if they do not derive benefits in kind, will damage their health, further increasing inequality." (Dr Kieran Breen) Teenagers are also turning towards criminal activities for their need of money for gambling. Due to all these factors the excessive gambling is now recognized as a serious problem and the doctors and physiatrists are looking for some immediate steps that can be taken for better treatment of this problem. "We can't afford to wait and see if numbers [of problem gamblers] spiral upwards as is predicted by every expert, because at that point we would be left picking up the pieces.” (Dr Vivienne Nathan son, BMA) What to do about rise in Gambling? The pathological Gambling has become a widespread serious problem but unfortunately there is not enough awareness about the treatment of this disorder. Many social scientists are working to define the treatment methods of pathological gamblers. However these researchers pointed out that the outcome literature is limited by a number of methodological inadequacies. The recommended treatments of the researchers include psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, pharma cotherapeutic and multimodal approaches. (V. C. Lopez Viets and W. R. Miller) The first recommended treatment is the “psychodynamic therapy. In this therapy a gambler is ordered to gamble three hours daily and then record what ever he felt about the gambling, after some time the gambler may leave gambling no matter he would be an addicted gambler for many years. Their approach emphasized the importance of abstinence and active participation from the client, which is achieved by identifying reasons for gambling, breaking down defenses (e.g., denial and omnipotence), and cutting off the chasing cycle (the practice of betting more money after having lost on a previous bet). (V. C. Lopez Viets and W. R. Miller). However there is no any specific data that can prove the success of this therapy. Another approach is “aversion therapy” in which electrical aversion is given to the gambler and after two month follow up the gambler can quit. The therapy work successfully and “5 out of 14 clients discontinued gambling whereas and 1 reported little activity during a follow-up period ranging from 1 to 3 years”. ( Seager, 1970). There are certain other behavior techniques which can be use to treat the pathological gamblers. The combination of behavioral monitoring, contingency management, aversion therapy, covert sensitization, and marital counseling in the treatment of a male pathological gambler stopped the client from gambling after some months of treatment (Cotler 1971). Another option for treating pathological gamblers is “cognitive therapy”. The basic premise of cognitive therapy with regard to pathological gambling is that an individual's inaccurate beliefs and attitudes about gambling are causing and maintaining the undesirable behavior (Gaboury & Ladouceur, 1989). “Cognitive Behavioral therapy” was tested by Arribas and Martfnez who treated four clients with an array of behavioral and cognitive techniques at a rural mental health center. Treatment included self monitoring, exposure, stimulus control, response prevention, cognitive restructuring, family intervention, and relapse prevention. At 3- and 6-month follow-ups, all four clients had abstained from gambling.( Arribas and Martfnez 1991) Along with these therapies a “multimodal approach” is also tested by the researchers in which treatment programs are combined with broader range of techniques. Lithium carbonate was also used to treat the pathological gamblers under the “pharmaco therapies” approach. All these treatments were applied to clients at different times and some of them were also successful however the outcomes were limited and there is no any authentic data that can prove the significance of any method so that it can be use worldwide for the treatment of gamblers. References BBC News - Doctors attack gambling policies http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6572095.stm Accessed May 07, 2007 Cognitive treatment of pathological gamblers by Robert Ladouceur *, Caroline Sylvain, He leÁ ne Letarte, Isabelle Giroux, Christian Jacques, Behavior Research and Therapy 36 (1998) Gambling with the nation’s health by John Middleton and Farid Latif, BMJ magazine Volume 334, 21 April 2007 Gambling psychology http://www.inside-edge-mag.co.uk/casinos/features/1489/gambling_psychology.html Accessed May 07, 2007 Legal Issues at Excellent Online Casinos Gambling Online http://www.excellent-onlinecasinos.com/gambling_online/legal_issues.htm Accessed May 07, 2007 Morasco, B. J., et al., Psychological Factors that Promote and Inhibit Pathological Gambling, Cognitive and BehavioralPractice (2007), doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2006.02.005 News from Britain's No.1 quality newspaper website – Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/30/ngamble30.xml Accessed May 07, 2007 Online Gambling Cost at Management Issues http://www.management-issues.com/2007/1/16/research/online-gambling-costs-the-uk-dear.asp Accessed May 07, 2007 Pathological gambling – A comprehensive review by Namrata Raylu, Tian P.S. Oei, Clinical Psychology Review 22 (2002) Role of culture in gambling and problem gambling by Namrata Raylu, Tian Po Oei, Clinical Psychology Review 23 (2004) Telegraph UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=PXQDWHPYUFZRBQFIQMFCFF4AVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/01/16/ngamble16.xml Accessed May 07, 2007 Treatment approaches for pathological gamblers by V. C. L6pez Viets and W. R. Miller Clinical Psychology Review, Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 689-702, 1997 Read More