Fueling Gambling Addiction During a Pandemic
Online or in-person casinos are nurturing a devastating addiction and claiming it’s helping the economy
In gambling the many must lose in order that the few may win — George Bernard Shaw
Psychologists, like me who have had occasional work with compulsive gamblers, are well aware of what is called the “jackpot mentality,” sometimes referred to as the “lotto mentality” or “trading addiction” and what comes with it — gambling addiction in all three. No matter what you call it, it’s you being led to think you can win big and the industry working to keep that belief fired up in you.
A $20 bet might make you a millionaire! And, like calculating street drug dealers, they give you a “taste” by putting that first wager in your online bank. You’ll be playing with their money. How could it get any better?
I’ve seen them come in not because they want to give up gambling but to keep their marriage intact. They were on the…
