Whether you prefer the ponies, the greyhounds, or a good ol’ game of cards gambling is a growing epidemic as it becomes more and more accessible through the internet and the availability of over the phone bet placement. Gambling increases blood pressure, heart rate and adrenaline giving people an often addicting buzz. This compulsiveness to gamble is, like any other addiction, a mental disorder that will all too often progress into stress, anxiety, depression, and sometimes leads to suicide. Even more sadly, the effects of a compulsive gambler are felt family wide and can effect a gamblers personal relationships and career.

Recently in the news there have been stories of gamblers really hitting the jackpot and not being help accountable for their debts. For example a California woman who raked up more than $70,000 on a Visa card in online poker games was just released from her debt after counter suing Visa when they brought a suit against her for not paying the bill. She claimed that since the charges to the card were of illegal nature where she lives to begin with she shouldn’t be held responsible for the payment. Not everyone is so lucky to have such a large amount, or any amount of debt for that matter, written off with so little consequence. In fact, up to date statistics are showing that the prevalence of suicide contemplation is significantly higher in those who have raked up a huge amount of debt due to a gambling problem, than those who have problems that are more traditionally viewed as addictions such as drugs and alcohol.