The concept of gambling has been around for a while now, with many reports suggesting that even in 7300 BC, people have indulged in the activity. Of course, the word gambling stood for people betting on their favorite athlete or team to win a particular bout or competition, but today, we are looking at gambling becoming a sort of sport in itself.
Let’s talk about the previous decade, where gambling actually took off. Initially, if you wanted to indulge in gambling, the process was a bit tedious. Either you had bookies who frequented the venue of the game or bout, and you placed your bet with them, or you would have a bit of friendly gambling between friends. Also, if you wanted to gamble, the entry fees were usually on the higher side, making it a niche activity for a time. However, everything changed with the dawn of the internet. The past decade has seen the internet become better, faster, and most importantly, accessible to the mass public. The dawn of smartphones and related technology has also led to the boom of apps, which minimizes the effort for most tasks, exponentially.
In this article, we are concerned, not with the various apps or websites that aid in gambling, but rather about how the internet has caused this activity to become an addiction. Let’s talk a bit more about that.
It is interesting to note, that gambling was not considered an addiction in the early stages, with many psychologists stating that it was actually a means for proper to blow off steam, and even curb anxiety. Of course, the sample size they had for their research was not as great back then, and with the kind of limitations that were prevalent, this is not something that is hard to believe.
Today, with the increased availability of internet services across the globe, the phenomenon of internet gambling is gaining traction and it is also the most indulged form of gambling in the market today. The reason is simple – It is fast, it is easy to get into and the kind of prize pots on offer there is absolutely insane and enticing enough for someone to indulge again and again. Internet gambling offers a lot of incentives for people to indulge hours into its various applications an the new online casinos in the UK
, such as –
- A competitive environment to show off their intuition and analytical skills
- A chance to earn quick money (A Lot if he/she is lucky)
- A platform to blow off some steam after a hard day’s work
- An alternative to safe investment, with ample risk but a bigger reward if done correctly
Out of all these reasons, the main reason for people to get into internet gambling is the prospect of earning some quick cash, and the way the companies advertise their apps, makes it seem like a walk in the park. The desire to earn quick money may stem from a number of reasons and circumstances, and the way these apps are designed to work, users tend to try their luck with a small deposit and 9 times out of 10, they end up winning a bit of the prize pot. This in turn sets off a chain reaction where the user now starts depositing larger amounts in the hope of getting bigger rewards, but what he/she does not realise is that not all gambles work out to their favour.
Now, we may assume that a few losses on the platform would be enough to encourage these users from stopping the habit and moving on to more practical and safer investments, but, this is where psychologists digress. Study suggests that when people lose at gambling, it affects the ego and the desire to succeed increases with every transaction and that in turn, becomes a habit. A habit that becomes compulsive and then, with time, turns into addiction.
This addiction common affects the younger audience as the importance of money is yet to sink in, and the attitude is that the more they lose, the more they feel like gambling in an attempt to recover the lost money. The end result is that they lose even more and the spiral continues until they hit rock bottom.
It is very important that this addiction is nipped in the bud, as it can lead to not only irrecoverable financial losses, but harm to life as well. Game developers today are taking precautionary measures to allow only eligible people to indulge in games that involve an element of gambling, but a stronger regulation is required, in order to prevent exploitation of grey areas within the existing rules. If gambling is controlled with fool-proof rules and regulations, it can lead to a more responsible set of players who will not end up with this addiction.
