March is National Compulsive Gambling Month --- an optimal time to delve into this question

Online avatars, a graphical image that represents a person, are growing in popularity as a fun activity. A person can create their own unique avatar that can participate in various activities in the virtual world including socializing, shopping and even gambling.

“Internet gambling has been identified as a form a problem gambling for quite some time. The introduction of avatar gambling can complicate the problem,” says Marie Apke of Bensinger, DuPont & Associates, a Chicago-based resource for national problem gambling services, including help lines.

Consider this scenario: Joe (name and situation changed to protect confidentiality) creates an avatar and becomes involved in the virtual world. Through the virtual world, Joe can purchase various virtual goods and services by linking his real life credit card information to his avatar in the virtual world. In Joe’s situation, he became enticed to keep gambling by the big jackpots available in the virtual world. He reported that he couldn’t stop participating because he wanted to win. Eventually, he contacted the problem gambling help line after turning to his family for financial assistance.

What may begin as a pleasurable pastime can lead to an unhealthy compulsion to gamble. March is National Compulsive Gambling Awareness Month, an optimal time to raise awareness of the issue of problem gambling.

The magnitude of problem gambling comes more into focus when you consider these statistics:

· National Council on Problem Gambling reports that 86% of Americans have gambled during their lives and 60% gamble in a given year; in a given year, approximately 1% of the U.S. adults (3 million) meet criteria for pathological gambling; another 2-3% have less significant, but still serious problems with their gambling and are known as problem gamblers.
· The American Psychological Association, which classifies compulsive gambling as a mental health disorder, estimates 2 to 4 percent of Americans have an active gambling problem.
· Pathological and Problem Gamblers are much more likely than others to have problems with drinking, drugs and smoking, and to suffer from depression. (National Council on Problem Gambling)

Given these findings, it’s clear that if left untreated, a gambling problem can eventually turn a valuable employee into a liability,” says Apke. “Unlike substance abuse where it’s fairly easy to identify those under the influence, problem gamblers typically don’t exhibit easily recognizable signs, says Apke. That is why it’s imperative to understand the following warning signs of problem gambling:

* Preoccupation with gambling (reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next venture or thinking of ways in which to gamble).
* Needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
* Lying to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.

* Suggestions by others that the person might have a gambling problem.
* Bragging about wins but not talking about losses.
* Eager to organize and participate in betting opportunities.
* Pay is requested in lieu of vacation time, large blocks of vacation time are not taken.
* Frequently borrows money, argues with co-workers about money that is owed to them.
* False claims are made against expense accounts.
* Complains about mounting debts.
* Experiences mood swings, often related to winning and losing streaks.

Bensinger DuPont & Associates (www.bensingerdupont.com<http://www.bensingerdupont.com/>) is a national provider dedicated to helping clients achieve high performance through problem gambling services, customized employee assistance programs and work life services, training and education, drug testing management and specialized clinical services. For additional information, Apke can be reached at 1-800-227-8620.