About nine years ago, I was in town gambling. It was my night out; the wife already had hers. I did well for a while, up and down for a while. As the night went on, I started drinking and gambling more and started not caring about the time. Oh, I knew it was getting late and I had to be home already. I started losing a lot now and started using my bank and credit cards. I played scared, but I couldn't go home a loser. I continued playing until about five in the morning. This is when I exhausted all my funds. I was in big trouble. Suicide crossed my mind, but I didn't have the courage. I came home drunk and depressed. My wife was waiting at the door with the baby in her arms. She was worried at first, but then lost her temper when I told her the news. "What the hell have you done? The last thing we can afford is your gambling. There's no groceries and the baby needs formula." I knew all this, but I got caught up in the gambling fever. There was no way I could make that up. I was depressed for weeks and this was just one of the incidents that led to my divorce after we moved to Reno. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Gambling is quickly becoming America's favorite pastime. It is now more popular than all sporting events combined. “In 1995, Americans spent more on gambling than the US government allocated for defense: about $500 billion in all, or $2,000 for every man, woman, and child” (Vogel 1). Gambling, or “gaming” as the industry calls it, is quickly becoming a part of many people's daily lives. For years, Nevada was the only place you could go to gamble, but now legalized gambling has spread across the country. Whether it's lotteries, horse racing, bingo or gaming, there's a game near you. What is meant by gambling? “Gambling means betting on an uncertain outcome or playing a game of chance with stakes” (Compton Ref. 1). People knowingly enter as losers. For the majority of the population, gambling is a fun and exciting way to spend their free time. For a smaller and more significant part of the population, gambling ruins their lives. As a casino dealer for the past twelve years, I have seen the damage that gambling can do to the individual and to society. “The editors of Esquire wrote that the oldest diversion…is the same as the oldest profession, but it's strange -gambling came next, maybe even soon after'” (Thompson 3). No one knows for sure when gambling began, but there is evidence that it has been around for a long time. "When archaeologists excavated the pyramids, they found dice next to the mummified bodies of pharaohs, shaved or crooked. Greek history contains stories of soldiers playing dice to while away the monotonous hours during the siege of Troy, and the Bible documents the story of Roman centurions gamble for Christ's robes after the crucifixion" (Thompson 4). Throughout history, gambling has been a common practice. Attempts to make it illegal usually fail. Growing up in Illinois, my mother and father played poker in a back room at the Moose club. The mayor and a state trooper were regulars at the game. Although illegal, it was accepted and was not considered a big deal. With the legalization of gambling in the 1930s, Nevada faced a lot of criticism. Some states wanted itkick Nevada out of the Union, but gambling prevailed. Gambling in Nevada took off with California's population explosion in the 1950s. Although it initially suffered from many mafia influences, towards the end of the 1960s American multinationals began to take over and bring a new respectability to casino gaming. Today, gambling is more popular than ever before in history. What drives us to gamble when we know the odds are not in our favor? The voice in my head always told me not to play. If I had extra money, the voice would tell me to go buy something, and if I didn't have extra money, it told me I had to pay the bills. Unfortunately, I rarely listened to that voice. Why don't we have early education about listening to our own voice of reason? I think people gamble because they are trying to fill a void or because they are bored. Gambling is a temporary solution that provides the thrill and excitement that our lives are missing. Personally, I always played more when I was lonely or depressed. If I had a girlfriend or wife, I wouldn't bet so much. After the novelty of the relationship wore off and the excitement was gone, I sought it out in gambling. Deep down I always felt like I could lose, but the ability to go home with more money than when I started (and fill the void in the process) was what kept me going. If I went to the movies or out to eat, I would spend at least ten to forty dollars. With gambling there was always a chance of winning and the night out would be profitable. This type of thinking is what gets many people into trouble. Gambling is like a drug addiction for the problem gambler, and there aren't many drugs that give you the high that winning money does. Take a walk around a casino and you can pretty much tell who is winning. The players who are winning are happy and seem to feel smart and arrogant. It's as if, because they're winning, they have an advantage or know something that no one else knows. Unfortunately, winning only happens once in a while. Players gamble their hard-earned money for a chance to get rich quick. When players win, they become greedy and want more. If they're tied, that's how they got in and they need to move on. When they lose, they frantically try to get even. Many people win while gambling, but become greedy and end up losing. The "gambling fever" consumes them and leaves them defenseless. He is a rare person who can move forward and an intelligent person who can cut his losses. Have you ever noticed people playing poker machines? Electronic morphine put these people into a trance. They are totally unaware of what is happening around them. Players gain satisfaction by accumulating six-packs of soda or beer; meanwhile, they lose wages in the process. Gambling is a drug that gives a strong effect, but when it comes down, it causes severe depression for days or weeks to come. One of the biggest problems associated with gambling is drinking. Casinos encourage this for obvious reasons. Scantily clad cocktail waitresses regularly bring free drinks while gambling. Alcohol helps players relax and eases their anxieties while playing. A couple of drinks are fine, but over time players end up getting drunk. They do things they wouldn't normally do if they were sober. I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars while playing just to get the free drink they ordered. Another problem associated with drinking is betting more than you can afford. Once aplayer has finished his change, goes to the ATM. After losing that money, it's the credit card's turn. This is when gambling becomes dangerous. For a nominal fee of fifteen dollars and up, you can withdraw casino cash from your credit card. I've seen gamblers take thousands of dollars out of their credit cards in one night because they didn't know how to quit. If they are lucky, they win some of their money. The one time they don't, the game has destroyed them. If they don't stay in hotels, they end up returning home drunk and putting the lives of innocent people at risk. When they wake up with a hangover, depression becomes a big problem. The reality of what they did dawns. Future earnings are gone and there is no way to reverse what has been done. Of course there is always the possibility of going back and trying to equalize. “Pathological gambling is one of the fastest growing, yet ignored, mental health problems in the United States” (Abate 213). Depending on what you read, 2 to 7 percent of the adult population are compulsive gamblers and they account for about fifty percent of casino revenue. Of this group, nine out of ten are men. These players usually start getting lucky and winning the first few times they play. After a while, the odds catch up with them and they end up losing everything they have. “Several characteristics of a pathological gambler are preoccupation with gambling,…gambling aggressively or for longer than expected,…restlessness and irritability during gambling 'inactivity, ... chasing losses, ... frequent efforts to stop gambling, ... gambling even if other obligations are pressing ” (Thompson 54-55). Alcohol, the only real cure for compulsive gamblers is abstinence. Many gamblers seek help at anonymous or mental health treatment facilities where gambling is legalized. When people are exploited and have the need to gamble, they usually no longer work but turn to crime. Every city where gambling has been legalized has seen a large increase compared to pre-gambling days. “Atlantic City went from 50th to first in the nation in crime per capita. . . . Las Vegas, NV consistently ranks first in crime per capita. . . . In Tunica Mississippi, court cases rose from 1,500 in 1992 to nearly 7,000 in 1994, after nine casinos opened. Forty percent of all white collar crimes are committed by those addicted to gambling. Having had a gambling problem in the past, I can honestly tell you that I have turned to crime to recoup some of my losses. Thank God I never did, but it just goes to show how easily the mind can be distorted. As stated in my introduction, gambling can wreak havoc on a family. Legalized gambling areas consistently lead the nation in divorce rates. I have been playing cards for twelve years and have seen thousands of disputes between husbands and wives. Usually the wife is ready to go, but the husband refuses to go. The wife is trying her best to maintain her composure and the husband couldn't care less. I've had players threaten to kill their wives if they don't leave them alone. They are obsessed and family doesn't matter. This happens with wives too, but not as often. I think there is an ego thing going on and a male hates walking away as a loser. After a while the wife can't take it anymore, so she gets up and leaves with the children. Now,.