Gambling addiction: ‘It is everywhere you look, and it is big business

 Gambling addiction: It is all around you, and it is big business

"I planted a seed that maybe I can make a few bucks on this," Offaly County footballer says. That was the beginning. It was just one day a weeks, then two days a semaine, and finally seven days a weekly.

To be able to see the final result of a soccer match after it has ended for 90 minutes would be torture. I wanted the bet to occur quickly and the result to arrive quickly.

If you continue to lie, week in and week out, then any goodness that you do have will start to disappear. This is not a pleasant place to live in. It can make your relationship with you very, very difficult.

He felt as though the "walls were closing" when he was stressed by his secret addiction in 2016.

"Basically, I spoke to my father and told him that I was really struggling with gambling and needed some help. A few days later, I saw an addiction counsellor. About a week later, I went to the Rutland Centre, Dublin, for the residential program for approximately five weeks. Since that time, I've never looked back."

The American Psychiatric Association has recognized gambling addiction for eight years. It sits alongside drug addiction and alcoholism. It was considered an impulse control disorder.

Although Ireland is frequently cited third in the world after Australia and Singapore in terms of gambling spending per head of adults, legislation that governs gambling here dates back to the 1930s.

A draft law to establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority was published by the Government in a recent publication. According to a spokesperson from the Department of Justice, it is expected that the authority will be "established and operational" by 2023.

He stated that the CEO-designate position for the proposed authority would be advertised in the near future. The authority will limit gambling's damage.

A person can become addicted to gambling, as well as severe drug and alcohol addiction. Their ability to provide for themselves can be affected, which can lead to financial and relationship problems, and a decrease in their ability and capacity to care for themselves.

"A large proportion of people will play and not have any difficulty," stated Colin O'Gara. A clinical professor of psychiatry from University College, Dublin who also treats gambling addiction at St John of God Hospital. The majority of gamblers experience a loss and then act on it.

O'Gara indicated that problem gamblers can be found in a small percentage of the population.

According to the psychiatrist, approximately five per cent of people have a serious gambling problem. Another 0.7 percent to one per cent suffer from severe gambling addiction that causes them to be "utterly preoccupied".

"Those who cannot control their gambling are not able to control it. They have deficits in key risk processing brain areas that affect decision-making.

This could be an inheritance or a result of being exposed early to gambling. Why Casinos Are Such Big Business