Gambling Addiction

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  Gambling is one of the many ancient activities that people continue to engage in. It involves wagering money on the occurrence of a particular event against the probability of other events occurring. This can be in a variety of activities, including casino gambling, betting on cockfighting or horse racing, sports betting, and even card games.

  People engage in gambling for a variety of reasons. The vibrant atmosphere created by the grandiose structures of many of the gambling circuits (especially casino gambling, card games, or poker) offers relaxation from the routine work schedule and project deadlines. To others, gambling offers them a chance to participate in an activity and culture that they cannot directly participate in. This is true, for example, for those who bet on sports events or on racing events. They may either be frustrated participants in the sport, hence deriving pleasure in taking part in some indirect manner, or supporters of the sport, hence seeing betting as taking a stand on behalf of their supported team. Others engage in gambling simply for the thrill and excitement of wagering on an outcome that can go either way.

  However, there are a number of levels of involvement in gambling, with some levels of involvement requiring intervention and attention.