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Gambling is betting money or something else of monetary value on a game or event with an indeterminate result with the main intent of winning more money or other material items.

Types of Gamblers

• Professional: gambling is the main source of income and the person does it on a regular basis.
• Casual Social: gambling is a type of entertainment that occurs occasionally.
• Relief and Escape: significant activity in an individual’s life and it ranked equally important with family and work, but life goes on without being seriously affected.
• Serious Social: gambling is the primary type of entertainment and the gambler engages regularly in one or more types of gambling.
• Compulsive: gambling is the only important thing in life, family and work are often ignored and the gambler often engages in illegal activity to support the habit. Compulsive gambling is a disability and these types of gamblers often need professional help.

Gambling Statistics

• Since 1975, the gambling industry has grown ten times as popular in the United States.
• Approximately 37 states have public lotteries with profits about $17 billion every year.
• Two-thirds of the U.S. adult population engages in some type of gambling activity every year.
• In the U.S. there are about 260 casinos on Indian reservations.
• Profits from gambling in casinos are over $30 billion.
• Internet gambling has about doubled every year since 1997.
• Gamblers with annual household incomes below $10,000 are more likely to bet about three times as much on lotteries that people with annual household incomes more than $50,000.
• About 15 million people have some type of addiction to gambling.