Although many people view gambling as harmless fun, the fact is that it becomes an addictive behavior for a large proportion of people. People who are capable of gambling just for fun without becoming addicted find it hard to understand what can happen to those who are incapable of keeping the habit at that casual level and tend to vote in favor of gambling as a means of funding public education or for other ostensibly worthy causes. Those addicted to gambling, though, feel a compulsion to gamble even when they cannot afford it. Stories of gamblers selling their things, taking all their money out of the bank, or stealing from relatives to fuel their habit are legion. These people may recognize that their gambling habit is causing serious financial problems, but they feel powerless to stop. In many cases, their habit causes a chain reaction of effects that disrupt their family life, their job, and even their personal safety. Gamblers find it hard to stop thinking about gambling, even at work. They may listen to the radio all day to hear lottery results or participate in contests. Gamblers who have access to the Internet at work are tempted to gamble online when they should be working. They use up their sick and vacation days as soon as they become available, arrive at work late, take long lunches, use the phone too much, read the racing forms at work, disappear in the afternoon, and indulge in other job-damaging behaviors, just to gamble (ôCompulsive Gamblingö). They can become so consumed with their habit that they actually lose their jobs, compounding their financial problems. The simple fact is that for addict-prone people, legalized gambling causes debt, which leads to crime.
Gamblers whose spouses are aware of their habit and asking them to stop can become deceptive. They may hide their involvement with gambling, conceal loan receipts, and liquidate mutually owned bank accounts without disclosing this to the
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