Why Online Gambling Is Bad
#1 Gaming addiction is more dangerous than one might think While it is true that gaming can give a temporary escape from life, it has also been linked with addiction, much like other harmful activities like smoking and gambling. When gambling becomes problematic and there is a plausibility of difficulties, it becomes problem gambling. Ludo mania as is commonly referred is a mental state of excessive gambling without an urge to stop. So grave is this problem, that it is diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling. Online gambling shouldn't be banned because federal, state and local governments can tax the heck out of it and make some revenue from the proceeds. Tax incentives are what fuel brick-and-mortar casinos, so the same can be done with online gambling. The Good and Bad Impacts of Online Gaming The rise in the use of the Internet has led to many changes in our daily lives. In particular, this rise has also led to the rise of online gaming. We can still recall a time when we were limited by slow computers with crawling dialup speed.
Billions of people love to gamble. For some, it’s the thrill of the chase – the possibility of winning. For others, it’s entertainment or a way to escape the day-to-day grind.
If you asked them, they’d tell you they’re not doing anything wrong. That gambling is no different or no more a waste of money than going to a movie, concert or nice dinner out.
But then there are people who disagree. That, for one reason or another, think there’s something wrong with gambling.
We thought it’d be interesting to explore the other side of the coin. So, the following are 6 arguments we’ve seen people make against gambling.
1. Religion
This is the biggest argument on our list. Do a Google search for ‘arguments against gambling’ and you’ll see what I mean.
There are different reasons why religious people are against gambling. But they all stem from different verses you’ll find in the Bible.
For example:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
Hebrews 13:5
You shouldn’t try to gain material things when all your basic needs are met.
Why Online Gambling Is Bad Debts
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
Proverbs 28:19
God wants you to work (for what you have). Gambling is a way to make money without working, which is fueled by greed, selfishness and laziness.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD hateth.
Psalm 10:3
And yet another passage that condemns greed and overabundance.
The bottom line – the Bible teaches you to be selfless and not to covet (materialistic) things. And that you can save both time and money by not gambling – which you can use instead to better yourself and those around you.
But is gambling truly a sin? That depends on who you ask, how they interpret the Bible’s lessons, and whether or not they follow everything the Bible teaches.
Not surprising, some say gambling is a sin. No two ways about it; no ifs, ands or butts.
But then there are others who believe only compulsive gambling is a sin; it’s sinful to be addicted to gambling. But it’s not a sin to gamble in moderation.
“Bible-believing Christians would consider compulsive gambling a sin. That is, gambling is sinful for those who are addicted to it. Compulsive gamblers sin by wasting time. Gambling is for them such an addiction, that most or all of their spare time is spent gambling in one form or another and weekends and vacations which should be spent with family are taken up with trips to cities that have casinos. The more focus on gambling an addicted person becomes the less time he spends with his family and the less productive he becomes in his job.” (Excerpt from nolotto.faithweb.com)
2. Gambling Leads to Addiction
Another argument against gambling is that it leads to developing a gambling addiction. Statistics show that 80 percent of American adults gamble annually. What’s scary about that is they also show that every 3-5 gamblers (out of 100) struggle with a gambling problem.
Even scarier yet, statistics shows that as many as 750,000 young adults (14-21) have a gambling addiction. The risk of developing an addiction more than doubles for young adults, with people between the ages of 20 and 30 having the highest risk.
Gambling addiction – like most addictions – is destructive. It tears families apart and often leads to suicide, substance abuse, bankruptcy, crime and more.
3. It’s a Waste of Money
Here’s what Dave Ramsey (a financial expert) says about gambling in a casino:
“I don’t really have a moral problem with it, but I don’t understand the concept. Call me crazy, but I do not get a thrill from losing money I’ve worked hard to earn. That’s not my idea of entertainment.”
He goes on to say he thinks people who say they gamble for fun or recreation are delusional – that they believe they’ll actually beat the house and win – that they’re an exception to the rule.
And what about the lucky few who actually win? Well, Dave says:
“You may see a news story once in a while about someone winning big money in a casino, but that rarely happens. Think, too, about how much money those people had flushed down the toilet previously while gambling. There’s a really good chance they didn’t really ‘win’ anything. In most cases, they probably just recouped a small portion of their previous, substantial losses.”
Mark Ford (serial entrepreneur, author, real estate investor) shares similar, yet different sentiments to Dave Ramsey. Ford says he doesn’t gamble because it’s too much like work; he gets no pleasure from it; and because it’s so clear to him he’d lose money.
He goes on to say you could spend the same amount of effort into nearly any other endeavor and you’re likely to walk away richer, not poorer, as a result.
“Concentration. Focus. Calculations. Long hours. It all seems like work to me. The only difference is that in Las Vegas the odds are stacked against you.
In any other field of endeavor, you could take the same people and put them to work doing virtually these same things concentrating, figuring, calculating, and executing and you’d have almost certainly a viable business.
Not in Las Vegas. Over the long haul, gambling makes you poorer. Spend the same time and effort in almost any other endeavor, and you’re likely to get richer.
So why is it that so many people like to gamble and don’t like to work?”
4. Millennials Want Control
Another argument stems from stats that show millennials (people born from 1980-2000) gamble far less than previous generations. An interesting fact is how Las Vegas and The Strip visitation is increasingly being driven by millennials, yet gaming accounts for less than 37% of the revenue generated on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Motley Fool gives several reasons (guesses) why:
- Millennials find (current) slot machines boring.
- They want to be engaged and empowered – they want some control over the outcome.
- They prefer night clubs to casino gambling.
- They’re more interesting in online gaming, poker and daily fantasy sports.
- They want skill based games.
- They demand fairness.
- They want to be more social.
- They want experiences.
The common denominator here is that millennials want more control over their outcome. They want games where skill can overcome luck – and that’s just not possible when every casino game favors the house.
And why do all casino games favor the house?
5. Casino Games are Rigged
Did you know that every casino game favors the house? It might be by as little as half a percent (.5%), but the point is, casino games are rigged against you. This is called the house edge.
“My advice is don’t waste your time and money on that stuff. One way or another, the house always wins. That’s how they’re able to build those giant, billion-dollar places called casinos”. – Dave Ramsey
In the same article referenced above (#4), the Motley Fool says that millennials wanting more skill-based games (control) isn’t the (only) problem.
In Las Vegas specifically, the house edge – or the hold percentage – has increased over the last few decades. In other words, the games were already rigged against you – but now they’re even more unfair. You can find better value gambling somewhere other than Las Vegas (at local casinos, for example).
“…the underlying assumption is that if millennials weren’t spending their money partying in Las Vegas, they would be spending it gambling in Las Vegas (either that, or millennials apparently should be gambling more to match what they’re spending on bottle service)”.
“This is 100% wrong – the reality is that if millennials weren’t spending their money partying in Las Vegas, they wouldn’t be coming to Las Vegas at all”. – The Motley Fool
The Motley Fool goes on to say that, while gambling has matured, so has the audience. Millennials have grown up using the internet – they have access to (gambling) information that past generations didn’t have access to.
“(Millennials) are more knowledgeable and generally less stupid about gambling than any generation to come before us. We are far less likely to believe, for example, that the Martingale system is valid”. – The Motley Fool
The bottom line – the internet has made us wiser about gambling. Most people now realize that casino games are (legally) rigged against us. Between this and the worsening house edge, people choose to gamble far less, if at all (evident by the decreasing gaming numbers in Las Vegas).
6. Underage Gambling
Another problem people have with gambling is the affects gambling has on kids and young adults.
This is a very real concern. Earlier (#2) we shared a stat that says nearly 750,000 young adults have developed a gaming addiction, and that they’re nearly twice as likely to do compared to adults aged 30+.
Most casinos say you need to be 18 or 21 (depending on if they serve alcohol) to gamble.
Never mind the stats that show that even adults 18-30 are twice as likely to develop a gambling addiction. What about those who are younger than 18/21, but manage to obtain a fake ID?
Want an example? What about poker pro Phil Ivey – you can’t read a bio about him without it being mentioned he used a fake ID to play poker in Atlantic City in his early days.
This problem isn’t limited to brick/mortar casinos, either. Poker pro Tom Dwan started playing online at 17. He’s not the only one, either. It’s easier for kids/teenagers to gamble online since many casinos (especially offshore) don’t check your ID until you’re ready to make your first cash out.
Next to addiction and religious reasons, underage gambling is the strongest argument people make against gambling. The prevention of underage gambling is a cornerstone of all state (online) gambling laws, as well as a big criticism of others.
Conclusion
These are the biggest and most common arguments against gambling today.
It’s not hard to poke holes or make strong cases against any of these points. But that shouldn’t be our focus.
Instead, I think it’s a much better idea to understand why people are against it. For one, it’s easier to empathize with others – to see where they’re coming from.
But it can also help us improve the gambling industry – to talk about it and figure out what we can do to make the industry safer and more enjoyable for those who choose to participate. That, I think, is the best action of all.
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Even though online gambling addiction ('Pathological Gambling' in clinical terms) is essentially diagnosed using the same criteria as 'regular' gambling, there are many features of internet gambling that potentially makes it more addictive and dangerous than gambling in a casino:
If a problem gambler spends two or three days gambling at a casino, someone will likely notice (for example, his friends, family, casino staff, etc.). In contrast, online gamblers can play at work, at home, or even on smart phones without anyone being aware that they are actually gambling.
A very important part of gambling addiction treatment is having a strategy to avoid play. For traditional gambling, this generally means avoiding casinos, VLTs, bars, or other physical locations where gambling is made available. With online gambling avoiding this temptation is much more difficult. Every computer with internet access (whether it is at work, home, or somewhere else) becomes a virtual casino awaiting the next bet.
With online gambling, access to one's bank account is always only a click away - which makes the likelihood of impulse betting and 'chasing losses' much greater compared to locations where one must physically withdraw money from a bank machine (for example).
In many countries it is illegal to operate an online casino. Therefore, a large percentage of internet gambling websites are registered in counties where online gambling is legal. Not surprisingly, these online gambling businesses are not well regulated. It may be difficult to determine exactly who is running an online casino, whether the stated odds are accurate, and there may be few legal options to pursue if someone has been defrauded.
One of the most common 'tricks' used by online casinos is to offer a 'free-to-play' version of their games. Of course, the goal is to introduce new players to online gambling and make them feel comfortable placing real bets with real money after they have had some success with the free version. And how do internet gambling websites make sure that new players are successful? Simple, the odds are inflated to favor the player when he/she is gambling with play money. By doing so, the player incorrectly assumes that the success he / she had with the free version will translate into success when using real money. Of course, the odds change in favor of the house as soon as real money is involved.
On the internet it is sometimes easy to forget that electronic money is still real money (just ask any eBay user about how easy it is to chase a bid well beyond what is a reasonable asking price). Players may be able to use credit cards to deposit money into an online account that they can access as funds inevitably run out.
Internet gambling websites may use computer programs to represent what one may believe to be real human players. These 'poker bots' may be programmed for both optimal play and / or to increase the amount that the human players are actually betting.
Why Online Gambling Is Bad Luck
Online gamblers may unknowingly be the victims of deceptive opponent practices. For example, one common technique involves collusion between online poker players. That is, several players are actually in the same physical location and are sharing information to give them an advantage over other players.
Whereas traditional casinos may be able to ban problem gamblers, there is little to prevent a compulsive gambler from accessing online gambling sites at will. Online gambling sites typically do have policies on restricting access (for example to underage players and to those who have voluntarily banned themselves), but their ability to actually enforce this is very debatable. Furthermore, a player banned from one site can simply sign up at another with just a few mouse clicks.
Online gambling at home provides greater convenience and comfort than playing in a casino, allows bets to be placed without the scrutiny of others, offers a more immerse interface, and allows players to place bets after heavy consumption of drugs or alcohol - all factors which can increase both the duration of time spent gambling and the amount of money wagered.
Players who unknowingly provide personal information or credit card details to non-reputable online gambling websites (and there are many) may be placing themselves at risk for identity theft and credit card fraud.
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Online Gambling Addiction - Risks, Facts, Signs, Stats, & Treatment
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Gambling Addiction Signs - Symptoms Of Online Gambling Addiction
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Why Online Gambling Is More Dangerous Than Casino Gambling
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Online Gambling Stats & Facts
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Online Gambling Addiction Treatment & Help
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Responsible Gambling - Ten Tips For Online Gamblers
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You May Have An Online Gambling Problem If You…
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The Popularity Of Online Gambling - Twelve Reasons
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Teenage Gambling Online - Risks, Assessment, & Advice
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