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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – When the temptation to bet is too much. What do Super Bowl Sunday and March Madness have in common? It is a time when many people participate in sports gambling through office pools and bracket selections. While most people who gamble — legally or illegally — do not become problem gamblers, an estimated 3-4 percent of those who begin gambling will develop into problem gamblers. “For persons who are problem gamblers Super Bowl Sunday presents a problem similar to that of New Year’s Eve for alcoholics, the opportunity to engage in the behavior is everywhere and it seems everyone is doing it at the same time,” said Mary Lay, project manager of the Indiana Problem Gambling Awareness Program, which is part of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center in Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Problem gambling can lead to financial devastation, crime and poor physical and mental health, including an increased risk of substance abuse, depression and suicide. It is characterized by the following:
* Gambling for long hours or with more money than intended
* Lying to friends and family about gambling
* Borrowing money frequently to gamble
* Missing work or school due to preoccupation with gambling
* Wins and losses create mood swings
* Gambling to escape life’s hassles and stressors
* Arguing with family and friends about your gambling
* Using money intended for bills and other things to pay gambling debts
* Increasing gambling to try to win back money lost.
If a gambler or their loved ones suspect a problem, the first step should be to call the Indiana Problem Gambling Help Line at 800-994-8448. For additional resources, visit the Indiana Problem Gambling Awareness Program at www.ipgap.indiana.edu.
Lay said it is not legal to gamble on College Basketball, but in Nevada it is legal to bet on the Super Bowl. It is estimated in 2010 that almost $83 million was legally bet on the Super Bowl. According to the American Gaming Association this accounts only about 1.5 percent of the total bet on the game and the events surrounding the game. The Super Bowl is the largest single day of gambling in the year. It is watched by almost 98 million Americans. Almost all states have had some form of legal gambling in the past 20 years; Indiana has riverboat casinos, lottery, charitable gaming and racinos, which are a combined race track and casino. Sports betting is illegal in almost all states including Indiana. It is not necessary to visit a casino or buy a lottery ticket to gamble, especially on the Super Bowl or other sports. Lay said many people who do not gamble the rest of the year will gamble on the Super Bowl, saying to themselves, “I will place a bet just to make it interesting.” The wagers will be made with friends, co-workers or even bookies. “People bet on everything from which team will have someone arrested before the game to who will win,” Lay said. “For most this is not a problem, but for a problem gambler this is a time of temptation and stress.”
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