“There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune:  go there with a large one”. Jack Yelton

Phases of Gambling

Winning phase. The gambler wins, maybe a large win or maybe many small wins. They feel excited and begin to gamble more in anticipation of winning more.

• Losing phase. The gambler begins to gamble more and to lose more. They begin to spend more money and may resort to borrowing or obtaining money by deception to finance their gambling activities. They begin chasing their losses. They begin to lie about their gambling activity.
• Desperation phase. The losses have added up. They suffer from remorse, anxiety and depression. The gambler begins to gamble fervently to try and win back their losses. This the phase when all control is lost and the gambler becomes desperate in attempting to win back money. Gamblers begin to engage in illegal activities to finance their gambling. Lying and deception escalate. The gambler may become suicidal at this point.

Copyright 2007

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