How Has the Poker Gambling Addiction Affected Teenagers and Adults in the U.S

The Outlaw
The Outlaw, Yahoo! Contributor Network
May 19, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
In the last few years in the United States gambling has grown tremendously and a huge part of that reason is from playing poker. Poker has really boomed into a huge business in the United States as a result of the Sports Network ESPN airing the poker World Series on television. This has prompted thousands of people around the world to try and emulate thier favorite poker players such as Phil Helmuth or Phil Ivey or Chris Ferguson.�

As a result of more people at home watching the World Series of Poker, the prize money has increased each year. Several years ago the prize money for first place was $1 million. The year after that the first place prize was $3 million. In the 2006 World Series of Poker alone every person of the 9 people who advanced to the final table of the World Series of Poker of Texas holdem earned $1 million.� The first place prize money was near $7.5 million. That figure for first place will only continue to grow.�

The biggest reason for the increased prize money is that the pool of people in the world Series of Poker continues to grow each year. In the old days of Texas Holdem poker legend Doyle Brunson, the world Series of Poker has less than 100 people in it and every person was a pro poker player. Now the number of people is around 5,000 and most of those people and novices who do not play on the pro poker circuit. Most of those people no one has ever even heard of until they hit the television screen. Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer who won the World Series of Poker in 2004 and 2005 showed that even novices in poker could win. These two men held everyday jobs like that of an�accountant. This also showed that even a person who played poker at a "home" game with friends could�beat the top poker players in the world which has been the case. The sheer magnitude of players in the tournament make it very difficult for even the best players in the world to advance to the Final Table of Texas Holdem.�

All that is required for buy-in to play poker on a nationally televised table is $10,000 which most people have and can afford. The increase in poker players at the World Series of poker has also increased online poker play as have advertisements for poker online. This�has caused people to loose money quickly because funds are deducted from a credit card or bank account and players are so wrapped up�in playing they don't realize how much money they are loosing. Often this is rent money or money needed to pay bills that they cannot afford to loose.

Gambling is a serious problem and anyone who is addicted to it should seek immediate help. �

Published by The Outlaw

I am a student at Binghamton University interested in law. If you are looking at my Bio for spelling errors there aren't any.  View profile

7 Comments

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  • poker pro9/2/2009

    why chase you will lose more anyways i would walk away and stay the hell away and have good laugh do something else sleep or eat snack work out or get spend time with your wife

  • Fk queen!6/16/2009

    I lost more than a $150.000 playing on EVerest , fulltilt and Pokerstars. I lost every thing, every single penny.... They always give you hope and take it away and every thing else: nerves, logic, family, children, job.... every thing. STOP THIS MENTAL STORMs, BAN THEM and DO a FAVOUR for your SOCIETY and for the HUMAN BEINGS. REACT NOW, better than WATCHING THE TREMENDOUS CONSEQUENCES, IT'S REAL and DEVASTATING!!!!

  • Fk queen!6/16/2009

    All these poker sites including PokerStars, Fulltilt pokers sites have to be banned for ever, and their managers and workers prosecuted! These guys are playing with people nerves and money, monitoring every single hand in the favour of their benefit. They are contributing to the sadness and separation of couples and their childrens. They should be diconnected from the WEB and hardly prosecuted. Poker online is a disease much more dangerous than smoking cigarettes or weed, because it spreads the worst consequences on families and the entire society. BAN THEM, BAN THEM, PROSECUTE THEM, PROSECUTE THEM....

  • F KING12/1/2007

    GAMBLING IS A DISEASE AND THESE POKER SITES LIKE PARTY,PACIFIC need to be NUKED and banned.
    Many players I know have lost everything playing and and are now begging and taking it in the butt, on the streets of kings cross for poker money.
    There is only one winner, and that is the poker site !
    BEWARE

  • F KING12/1/2007

    GAMBLING IS A DISEASE AND THESE POKER SITES LIKE PARTY,PACIFIC need to be NUKED and banned.
    Many players I know have lost everything playing and and are now begging and taking it in the butt, on the streets of kings cross for poker money.
    There is only one winner, and that is the poker site !
    BEWARE

  • An Ex Poker Pro9/19/2007

    Complete Bollocks. Stay away from poker trust me. You may think you have got the skills to win like we all do but its all about luck. Playing poker live is ok but the odd on you winning online is rubbish and i will go as far as saying i think its fixed. The amount of flops i have seen is extraordinary and its complete tosh.

    Waste your money on a brothel if you want, but not poker.

  • MIKE S. UTAH8/15/2007

    I AGREE 100% WITH YOU ,I HAVE LOST OVER$50000.00 IN LAST 2 YEARS,GONE, NO FUN,IS A SERIOUS DISEASE, ADDICTION,
    YOU WILL LOSE YOUR WIFE ,YOUR CHILREN, YOUR BUSINESS,
    IS AN EXPENSIVE ADDICTION.STOP IT BEFORE YOU LOSE IT ALL. MIKE, UTAH

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