Americans Aren’t Addicted to Gambling

Since its inception, online gambling has been under an unbelievable amount of scrutiny. Opponents of online gambling say that it’s not secure and people will steal your information the second you put it in. Others contend that it’s extremely addictive and can ruin not only bank accounts, but ruin lives as well.

A study done by the University at Buffalo has proven exactly the opposite.

The study done by the University at Buffalo has two sample groups. The first, surveyed between 1999 and 2000, consisted of 2,613 people. The second group, which had 2,963 participants, were surveyed between 2011 and 2013. They were asked about their gambling activities and the games they participated in. Specifically, they were asked about everything from online gambling and dog track betting to office pools and bingo.

Problem gambling, as defined by the study, means that people were constantly thinking about gambling, chasing the thrill of gambling, the inability to stop gambling, lying about their whereabouts to go gambling, and more. Even though the landscape of gambling has changed drastically over the last decade, the rates of problem gambling have remained constant. The rates ranged from 3.5 to 5.5 percent, while pathological gambling ranged between 1.0 and 2.4 percent. The survey also noted that while men were twice as likely as women to be problem gamblers, gambling among women actually decreased from 2.9 to 2.5 percent.

These results are quite fascinating because the opportunity to gamble has increased dramatically. Online gambling is currently legalized in three states, but other methods of gambling, such as bingo, state lottery, etc., are in most states. In states that have legal online gambling, there’s also the temptation of no deposit bonuses, but unfortunately for opponents of online gambling, that isn’t increasing addiction, either.

There could be several reasons for this phenomenon, but the likely culprit is the economic downturn that we experienced several years ago. The economic downturn made everyone a little more cautious with their money, so even though the opportunity to gamble is almost everywhere, people casually play and don’t become addicted, which is great news.

Opponents of online gambling have very little to use as an excuse. Previously, they’ve said everything they could think of, but one by one, studies have shown that what’s happening is exactly the opposite of the things that they are saying. Rather than hurting local economy, online gambling is boosting it. Rather than create gambling addicts, people are more responsible than ever. As the debate for legalized online gambling heats up, it’s important to get out there and do your own research. The media is portraying online gambling in a negative light when it’s anything but negative. It’s a safe and fun recreational activity that people enjoy responsibly.