Here are shocking effects of gambling to youths that you don't know

There has been considerable home spun concerns raised in relation to gambling. I would love to place my grip as a researcher, an analyst and youth leader onto this discourse with a special bias on consciousness raising approach.

Personally I don't have any problem with gambling businesses especially in these countries of ours where economic exclusion bites deeply disadvantaging various groups in our societies.

Gambling not only brings non predetermined allocation of rewards but provides also an easy-peasy way of financial survivability. It is because of this plasticity of the populace indulging in gambling due to the known reasons of economic non-inclusion and economic harshness that I choose a mild way of shouting this points out. This is thus not a paroxysm but a conscious nonjudgmental probabilistic prediction and analysis that I feel is important passed raw.

Gambling is a concept that includes a range of different activities such as betting on games, casinos and lottery among others. For the vast majority of gamblers it's an enjoyable pleasure pursued for a range of reasons (excitement, win money etc.). For these individuals gambling loses are simply the price of entertainment and they pursue this risky entertainment once in a long while.

However, among the gamblers, there is a group that for purposes of being mild I'll call them "consistent gamblers". To these band of " risk takers" losing or winning starts a deeper and desperate urge to attempt to win the next time and not just as a mere one time entertainment/enjoyment. Pathological gambling, sorry, "consistent gambling" then creeps in, - a behavior that is out of control to continuously indulge so as to win the next other time- this disrupts personal, family and employment relations. This can initiate a spiral of "consistency” related problems such as debts, bankruptcy, criminal activity, domestic violence, familial breakdown and suicidal tendencies.

Currently it's almost impossible not to meet in the various town and village centers across the country, youths (scraggy looking) sashaying all over with a piece of paper and a pen analyzing bets and games allegedly. Some of these are young boys of about 15 yrs. old, some are form four drop outs who are never thinking of progressing in their studies anymore and some are the learned lots in the centers. Youths are now dropping out to fully engage in this dildo- dildish excitement especially when academics get tough. This is fiendishly fatuous!

One time gambling is not harmful, but pathological gambling is. Sadly these young fellows especially aged between 15 and 23 are indulging in this uncontrollably. This will have severe social and economic impacts especially after a while of indulgence.

 Have you ever asked yourself what will happen in ten years’ time if this state of affairs continues?  Now let me put you in the know using a number of experiences from other Western countries that have had a number of "consistent gamblers". Straight to point is a report by Australian productivity committee that presents a number of scary statistics related to “consistent gambling ".

 Notably among the statistics these are worth mentioning: One out of every five “consistent gamblers" develops other harmful dependencies such as alcohol and drug addiction. To the victims who are married, for this case youths with spouses, this hits hard on the spouse. One consistent gambler affects, 5 to 10 people in his or her close circles. This could be among them the spouse, the child, the friend or the other relatives. Financial stress, lying and arguments that frequently express among these "consistent gamblers" lead to significant pressures on the families.

In Australia alone gambling plays part in causing over 1600 divorces a year. Reduced familial stability and household income affects and may develop psychosocial problems that make them vulnerable and inclined to using addictive substances. Wives on the other hand develop higher than average depression rates.

Las Vegas city known for gambling has the highest number of suicide cases in America for both residents and visitors. Gamblers anonymous in the US revealed that over 15% of its "consistent gamblers" population had ever attempted suicide compared to 1.3% for the general population.

For obvious reasons problem gamblers/pathological gamblers or for political correctness "consistent gamblers" are very likely to suffer severe financial problems. A British study of Casino patrons found that 87% of these gamblers hard been forced to turn to others to receive a desperate financial situation caused by gambling. 52% had sold their possessions to pay gambling debts. 46% committed illegal acts to get money to gamble.

In India, a study on a range of Indian owned casinos found that within four years of opening the gambling joints, violent crimes had increased by 9% and property theft by 4.5 %.

So what's the way to go? It is apparent that gambling isn't bad. Overindulgence is. It is also clear that it’s within the law for an adult to engage in gambling, but kids below 18 years or in secondary schools and below should be banned by whatsoever measures to be instituted. All gambling websites should have gambling warnings like the one on star city casino; "Bet with your head, not above it".

Better information about odds and cost of gambling should continuously be at the reach of the gamblers. Responsible gambling act should be in place as seen in other advanced countries and lastly collective implementation of basic principles of consumer protection.

While gambling appears to have economic benefits for economically depressed groups, conscientious and informed decisions should be made by stakeholders soberly so as to cushion the unaware youths who are currently enjoying this short lived orgasmic dildo- dildish escapade impulsively. The relevant stakeholders should move fast especially in analyzing and fixing the policy implications and exigencies.