There is such a kind of psychological disease as a gambling addiction. While some people become professional gamblers and earn a lot with their gambling experience, others start suffering and feel some kind of addiction, keeping losing their money. This kind of addiction is called ludomania, and it is a serious problem that can lead to very bad consequences. There were even samples when people committed suicide because of losing all their money in casinos. The more often problem that happens due to this addiction is divorce. Many people have a problem when their families break because of gambling or other factors that follow the addiction. Further in the article, you will read about the main reasons why people divorce because of gambling and find some bits of advice on how to avoid it.
Why The Addiction Happens
The main question is why people differ so much, and gambling is a cool way of entertainment for most of them while it is a real problem for others. Unfortunately, you will not be able to find the one answer to your question, as every person is unique and everyone has his own reasons, but we will try to describe some groups of people for who this activity can become a problem:
| The group of people | The reason why they can become addicted |
| People who like free promotions. | There is such a group of people who always look for coupons, sales, discounts and other options. They are usually very proud of themselves when they had a big economy. For these people, the begging is usually with online no deposit bonus casinos usually offer for new players. This promotion is a great opportunity to win big with no risks, but keeping moderation is very important. If you see that someone starts applying many bonuses at a time and deposits without withdrawals – it is the first hint of problem gambling. |
| People who have any other addictions. | Unfortunately, if the person has already got some addiction, no matter if it is alcohol or smoking or anything else, we can say that this person shouldn’t try gambling at all. One of the main things about gambling is the skill to stop when it is not too late. Having any other addictions mean that it is very difficult to do for this man. |
| People who have some psychological or emotional problems. | When you gamble, you can see how many emotions this activity may cause and if the person has any psychological problems, then these emotions may overcome logical thinking. Luck is a very good helper in gambling but it is not enough to become a winner. |
Reasons Why People Divorce Because of Gambling
You would be surprised to know that there are several reasons why gambling affects relationships and make some couples divorce. Some of the reasons are very obvious, and others may be hard to understand without explanation. Further, you will read about the main divorce reasons that gambling causes and real-life samples of such couples.
Gambling Escort
It is a very common practice for rich single men to pay young and attractive ladies to follow them to different casinos. It makes their gambling experience brighter. These ladies support you if you lose and jump with happiness if you win. It looks sad, but there is no problem with it if the man is single. Another sample of gambling escorts is when young ladies purposefully come to the casinos to get acquainted with rich men and can even offer them paid sexual services. Anyway, if the man is married, this kind of communication with such individuals may cause marriage problems and even divorce, as happened with Tiger Woods. He is a popular golf player, but another hobby was gambling. His wife decided to divorce after he had many times been mentioned with many young beautiful ladies while gambling. The gossips say that this divorce was his biggest gambling loss. In the divorce, his wife sued him for about $750 million.
Illegal Gambling
The other problem that can affect family relationships is illegal gambling. In some countries, this activity is strictly forbidden, and even online playing can be considered as breaking the law. Also, there are some people who play so-called “underground poker”, the kind of poker which is played illegally, with no licensed gambling platform and taxes paid. It can also be considered a crime, and anyone who did it can be punished according to the law of the country where it happens. For example, it happened with the famous movie star Tobey Maguire, who was the main hero of the Spiderman movie. Gambling was his hobby for quite a long time, though it didn’t cause marriage problems till 2011 when the actor was blamed for creating an underground casino. He divorced a little bit later, and though the couple didn’t make any official announcements, people thought that gambling was the main reason, as who wants to be married to a criminal.
Additional Addictions
Gambling is a kind of hobby that doesn’t require any physical activities. If it is online gambling, you can become successful even sitting on your sofa in your favorite pyjamas. If it is the land-based casino visiting, as usual, some alcoholic drinks and cigars are offered. That’s why, with gambling as a hobby, some other addictions like overeating, smoking or alcohol consumption can appear. The same happened to a very successful Hollywood actor Ben Affleck. He admitted that he had gambling problems, and it bothered his wife, but after the divorce, the insiders were speaking about alcohol addiction as the main reason for his breaking up with his wife. The couple didn’t make any official announcements.
Other Reasons For Divorces
Besides all the reasons which have been mentioned above, there are others that also can be caused by problem gambling. Here is the list of other reasons which can become serious enough for the couple to divorce:
- Money. Of course, when we speak about celebrities, they don’t really worry if they lose 10 thousand dollars. They have a one-day payment of approximately this sum. But there are people for who these dollars were the last. They hope to win so badly that the outcome of losing is an unbelievable sorrow. The lack of money because of gambling became the reason for divorce for many people all over the world.
- Time. Problem gambler doesn’t pay much attention to time, and it is okay for them to forget about everything they ask. All his free time is devoted to gambling, and the family has no time left. The couple starts fighting all the time, but there is also the last drop when the spouse can’t stand it anymore, and they divorce.
- Different Interests. Here we are not speaking about problem gambling. In this case, even if the gambler has his gambling as a normal hobby, he devotes some time to his family and work, and he doesn’t lose more than he wins. Even in this case, gambling can become a problem if the spouses have absolutely different interests. They start speaking to each other less and less with time, and finally, one day, one of them sees no reason to continue relationships.
How to Avoid Problem Gambling
If you are not a person from any of the groups mentioned in the paragraph: “Why the addiction happens”, then you have a chance to have gambling as a hobby or additional source of income and have steady relationships. Here are some tips on how to do that:
- Be ready to stop. Successful gambling is about the ability to stop any time it is required. If you see that the day is not lucky, or you can’t focus, or you have bad cards over and over, decide to stop and return to the gameplay later.
- Control your emotions. Never let your emotions overcome your mind and logical thinking. The spirit of competition is good for sports but not for gambling.
- Count. You have to be very careful with your funds. Make the budget for your gambling. For example, you are ready to waste 500 dollars on gambling for a month. If you lost all the 500 dollars, wait until the other month will start. If you won 1000 dollars, leave only 500 dollars for gambling for the other month, and the rest is your income.
- Prioritize. Make your family and your wife in the first place of everything that is very important to you. Take care of everything that happens in your family, talk to your wife, ask about the school of your children, and plan weekends and vacations without gambling and it will help you to keep strong relationships.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why people divorce, and gambling can easily become one of them. However, it can also become a good way to earn additional money and make your family even happier with them. If you know what a conscious gambler is and you don’t let your emotions overcome your mind and your logical thinking, then your marriage can be successful as well as your gambling experience.
