Worried Council Says Online Gambling Has a Social Cost

The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling has rather naively told lawyers in Hartford that should internet gambling in United States become legal, the state would have to prepare itself for a wave of gambling addicts, growing crime, extra stress on families, and even suicide attempts amongst users.

Despite this, officials from the Connecticut Council on Problem Gaming are reportedly backing away from either advocating or opposing support for the legalization of online games, which the U.S. Department of Justice has just cleared whilst there is a growing argument whether or not to change the American gambling laws.

The executive chairman for the problem gaming council recently commented that should Connecticut’s surrounding states adopt legalized gambling for themselves, it will still be Connecticut that suffers from social costs and increasing suicide attempts by broke and failed gamblers. There seems to be no facts however, to back up the suicide portion of his theory.

Connecticut spends approximately $1.9 million a year on care for addict gamers. Of this $1.9 million, the council itself receives 5%. Dannel P. Molloy, the Connecticut Governor added to the debate: “If we were to go any direction, and by the way this is a legislative question, if we were to go any further with respect to types of gaming, I think an appropriate factor would be 1 percent, a full 1 percent of any increase.”

On the flip side of this coin, the current betting enterprises bring in roughly $640 million a year in revenue, making the amount spent on addict gamers, pale in comparison.

According to a study carried out in 2009, the same problem gaming council estimated that 1.2% of the states population could fit the profile of future possible problem gamers, with an additional 192,000 of the population, considered at risk for addiction. But of course, such reports are often taken with a pinch of salt, due to their inaccuracy.

However the vote turns out for Connecticut, the Council for Problem Gamers is likely to be waiting in the wings, to advise any problem gamers on how to cure their addiction, should internet betting become legal.