Research on Ethical Issues with Online Gambling
Introduction
Throughout the different cultures, gambling has been a party o social life being a favorite past time for walks of the society. It comes in many different forms but the bottom line is gambling with its three major elements such as bet, money and winning excitement triggers a different ethical pattern for individuals. Gambling has been around for thousands of years, money or other valuables can be placed to accumulate prize money. The beneficiary of the pot money can be determined by the outcome of a game. It can either be a single or a multiplayer game in a form of teams like for example, animal race or a human involved physical game of strength and strategy. After several generations and betting schemes morphed in different possible ways, online gambling was introduced as soon as technology became available. The internet became a convenient avenue to meet bookers and gamblers for an electronically intervened game of luck. Popular games even crossed boundaries of gender and age, some online games are traditional casino games that can be played by legal age individuals for serious amount of money, but there are certain online games that were also introduced specifically for young players. Most of the online games for the youth are action games that most of the time appears to be violent in nature. War craft, for example is a strategy game but imposes idea of war and violence, the same goes for the phenomenal Counterstrike game is even more drastic, imagine the young players playing as terrorist and shooting people off the computer screen. Grand Chase on the other hand depicts street crimes. There are huge differences between online gambling and online gaming but eventually they are becoming more related in a sense that both genres are now involve in betting money. The question now is what are the policies that regulates this kind of games, what are the implications of online games and gambling in terms of violence and addiction?
Ethical Issues with Online Gambling
Through the ages, gambling has been related to social and cultural attribution and empirical researches has been done in order to explain the rational behind gambling and indentifying the reasons why people place their fortune on a game of luck. The modern age created a new way to gamble with added feature and that is allowing them to do so while n the convenience of their home. This is what is known as online gambling, with just three major components such as mobile or computer device, internet connection and website membership anyone can gamble away from anywhere they want. The motivating factors in that pushes individuals to go on online gambling is merely because of greater opportunity for easy money, there are subthemes of motivation that also contribute to gambler’s objectives and those are convenience, anonymity and great value of money (McCormack. A. and Griffiths, M.D. 2012).
Although gambling is legal as described by prevailing laws, it is very mush regulated, but the extent of legality is being limited as soon as the game hits the virtual nature. In online gambling, the regulations are focused mostly in keeping the criminals out of the network. This is because online gambling has a long standing reputation as being vulnerable to criminal intrusions. Another focus of policies on online gambling is to make sure of the credibility of the company running the games (Library.ca.gov. N.D.). Each regulation on gambling and online games varies in every state but with all the rules and regulations comes the flaws. The policies only defined players to be of legal age and that’s all, no provisions that focuses on the ethical behaviors and how it is being controlled. Federal law states that it is illegal to take bets through the internet, but somehow it doesn’t state that placing bets is illegal. The contrasting policy is evidently a loophole that needs to be addressed, because organizing might be illegal but placing isn’t and that is what the society is taking advantage of. The federal law does not specify legalities of websites taking bets. For several years the Department of Justice is insisting that the Wire Act is enough to prohibit taking casino or ports bet, but legal experts disagrees and as of December 2011 the justice department finally clarified that the wire act indeed allows casino and sports bet to take place online.
The fact that the law is not strong enough to prevent anyone from gambling online it opens up the door for even minors to be engaged in the same activity. As a result, many people maybe vulnerable to addiction because of the ease of access and not to mention the possibility of developing violent behaviors over some situations of losing in the bet. Gambling in general is classified is a habit, definitely a bad habit which is by nature is hard to break. Once a person is engaged in it there seems to be end to when the person will quite, jut smoking does. This development is commonly known as addiction, an excessive engagement to a certain habit that is subject to the person’s financial, psychological and emotional deterioration.
The core of online gambling addiction is the risk of losing financial, because there is a huge possibility that when a person has developed addiction to online gambling is that he might spend his entire savings, put his house, inheritance, jewelries, stocks and other valuables at stake. This situation would result to bankruptcy and will lead the person homeless and penniless. What makes a person so much into gambling? Gambling like any other game is addicting, the reason behind that is gaming will trigger the release of adrenaline which in return will increase the level of hormone that can change behavior. The increase of adrenaline also increases the person’s excitement over the game making him to ignore other important aspects of his life. Sleep patterns is also affected by the increase in hormone level, leaving the person having trouble sleep and that would also result in other physical problems (Old.saferinternet.org N.D.).
Aside from excitement, a person playing a game or online gambling game in this case are also influenced by the social environment that he can find within the playing community. Encouragements from this community establish the idea that he is on the right track. What’s more when the person experienced winning he would eventually develop a mind set that he can do it again or there is a chance of winning another round. All of the aforementioned results in online gambling addiction, being that the player can do it conveniently, therefore accessibility are not an issue; this method of gambling somehow is preferred by most gamblers because there is no need to go physically to a casino to play the game, thus implies anonymity. Being addicted to online gambling will destroy the person’s financial stability, loss of fortune and huge amount of credit card debt (since credit card is being used for online betting). Professional life is affected in a way that the player can no longer focus on his job because of the thought of playing again. Resulting to tardiness and absences, it was mentioned as well that problems with sleep pattern is the result of hormone imbalance therefore it will lead to work problems and worst the person may lose his job as well (Shaffer, Howard J. Ph.D. January 16, 2004).
Violence follows after a certain time that a person is exposed to online gambling addiction. The National Research Council reported in 1999 that 25 to 50 percent of pathological gamblers spouses experienced abuse. Major communities that have a large population of gamblers have witnessed domestic violence. Such problem is evident in Oregon gambling treatment system showing that 40% of gamblers enrolled in the treatment program did commit crimes in order to finance their gambling habits. Since access to cash is limited, gambles will do drastic actions to cover up debts resulted by excessive gambling, the same goes with garnering more cash to continue gambling and also to appease bookies. The study done Gamblers Anonymous revealed that 50% of the participants have stolen in order to gamble and one third of them were arrested. Other criminal acts committed by gamblers are tax evasion, embezzlement, check forgery, theft, fraud and stealing credit cards (Npgaw.org N.D.).
The worst that a gambler could do is to hurt his family members for several reasons, because of irritation caused by excessive loss in the game. Like any other addiction, online gambling addiction deteriorate the healthy mind people who also lose in the game tend to be low tempered, makes poor decisions and verbally abusive. Once a gambler realizes the devastating outcome of his actions and loss of livelihood depression comes in the picture which will further deteriorate the person’s mental being. Depression is a dangerous condition, it could be treated with medication or counseling but if left untreated will inflict self destruction. Almost 10% of people undergoing the Oregon Gambling Treatment program have devised suicidal attempts. The major depression can force a pathological gambler to commit suicide after the realization of his current situation.
Conclusion
Online gambling is no different from actual gambling, no what method or how a person do as long as it involves monetary bet is considered gambling. It may have been legal in other location or the presence of casinos physically and virtually inflicts the same negative consequences. In some sense anything that’s excessive is dangerous; the same thing goes for gambling. The society should be more aware of its limitations and develop a sense of control. Rigorous exposure to gambling activities does not only ruin financial status but in the end will also be the reason for a bitter end. Members of the family should learn the importance of intervention to help the person developing gambling addiction to overcome his situation. The government on the other hand should be more vigilant when it comes to gambling and develop a stronger law structure that will minimize if not to stop people from getting addicted to gambling.
References
McCormack. A. & Griffiths, M.D. (2012) Motivating and Inhibiting Factors in Online Gambling Behavior: A grounded theory study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10, 39-53. Web Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://nottinghamtrent.academia.edu/MarkGriffiths/Papers/410317/McCormack._A._and_Griffiths_M.D._2012_._Motivating_and_inhibiting_factors_in_online_gambling_behaviour_A_grounded_theory_study._International_Journal_of_Mental_Health_and_Addiction_10_39-53
Old.saferinternet.org (N.D.) Online gaming & gambling Web Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://old.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/safety_issues/faqs/online_gaming.htm
Npgaw.org (N.D.) Facts and Figures: GAMBLING & SPENDING Web Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.npgaw.org/problemgamblinginformation/factsfigures.asp
Shaffer, Howard J. Ph.D. (January 16, 2004) Internet Gambling & Addiction Web Retrieved February 24, 2012 from https://divisiononaddictions.org/html/publications/shafferinternetgambling.pdf
