Gambling
is simply putting something at stake on the outcome of an event before
it happens. People usually gamble because they hope to gain something
of larger value. Gambling includes everything from buying a lottery
or a scratch
ticket to playing Bingo to betting on the outcome of a sports event. |
| Problem
gambling is gambling to the extent that it causes emotional, family,
legal, financial or other problems for the gambler and the people
around the gambler. Problem gambling can get worse over time, and
gambling problems can range from mild to severe. |
When people
have a problem with gambling, many times they feel like they need
to bet more money more frequently, feel irritated when they try to
stop, and think that they can “chase” their losses to
recover money. This can lead to more gambling, despite financial loss
and the trust of friends and loved ones. In general, people with gambling
problems usually spend a large portion of their income on gambling.
|
|
| Streaks |
Every time you flip a coin your chance of getting heads is 50% and
your chance of getting tails is 50%. This means that if you flip the
coin 10 times and it comes up heads all 10 times, the chance of getting
heads or
tails on the 11th flip is exactly
the same: 50-50. The outcome
of each coin toss does not affect the next. The coin does not have
a memory. Although many people think that losing streaks are more
likely to be followed by wins, you are never “due” to
win. |
| |
| Luck |
People who have a problem with gambling often believe that things
like “luck” can affect their
chances to win. For example, some people who play slot machines believe
that playing one specific machine for a
long time, or that wearing their lucky shirt, can favorably affect
their chance of winning. These things have no effect on chance.
Chance is chance. |
| |
|
