For most people, gambling does not start as a problem but a good thing. It is fun and a form of harmless entertainment. However, gambling can negatively affect every aspect of people's lives especially when they become pathological (compulsive) gamblers. Compulsive gambling's consequences can be as tragic as those of alcohol and drug abuse. Pathological gambling can destroy morality, cause good people to enter crime to pay off gambling debts. It can also make people become poorer and poorer, corrupt political system at all levels, increase suicide rates. With all of the bad outweighing the good, gambling should not be legalized.
First of all, gambling addiction creates a lot of harmful impacts on family. Pathological gamblers become slaves of gambling habit and the truth about their gambling behaviours is hidden or lied about. They regularly spend most of their time at casinos, so there is no time for family. Moreover, compulsive gamblers may increase fight at home in order to have an excuse to go out and gamble.
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gamble_porchWhen problem gamblers are winning and happy, all is right with the world. However, when they are losing and unhappy, they may mentally and physically hurt abuse their spouses and their children. Domestic violence has increased 69% since the casinos appeared in the Mississippi Gulf Coast and about 37% of pathological gamblers have abused their children (Horn, 1998). The spouses of problem gamblers often suffer from stress, insomnia or other health problems due to neglect, violence or being harassed by creditors. In the end, getting divorced or even committing suicide are foreseeable consequences. Additionally, pathological gambling is the key factor that forms generation addicts. The children of compulsive gamblers are especially hurt. Those children may get involved in serious troubles both in school and daily lives such as bad performance...