Temptation at Your Doorstep: Internet Gambling.

Can you imagine being able to place a bet with just a press of a button? Can you imagine playing and betting as long as you want?

Can you imagine gambling from the comfort of your own home?

We know for a fact that gambling is risky business, and unrestrained gambling is just asking for trouble. Compulsive gamblers already have a hard time restraining themselves from the call of casinos and bookies, and now Internet gambling just takes the ante a step further.

With Internet gambling, you don’t need hard cash. Everything that is online is so easy to access. Play Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Keno, Roulette or Slots. Play all day, all night.

Before the 1990s, gamblers who wanted to place a casino or sports type bet in the United States basically had two choices: they could travel to a legitimate brick-and-mortar gaming establishment or place an illegal wager through a bookie. However, with the emergence of the Internet in the mid-1990s, a new form of gambling appeared; Internet gambling through gaming casinos and sports wagering. Internet gambling can take place on any electronic device that offers Internet access anywhere on the globe.

Internet gambling makes payment options for gambling individuals easy. They can just choose from several types of payment options other than credit cards. These include:

VISA and MasterCard cards: These cards are tied directly to the cardholder’s bank account. Funds for all transactions are deducted directly from the cardholder’s bank account, but cardholders can make credit card-type transactions that do not require a personal identification number.

Private-label debit cards: These cards are similar to check cards above but are issued by private companies rather than credit card associations.

On-line payment providers: These companies send and receive funds electronically for such uses as on-line auctions and purchases.

Wire transfers: Some Internet gambling sites promote this method of payment, which allows Internet gambling customers to wire money directly from a bank account to the site.

“E-cash” or digital cash: It is a digital representation of real money that can be placed on a computer hard drive, smart card and other devices with memory. It can be purchased from an authorized provider.

Internet gambling sites also offer money orders; traveler’s checks; bank drafts; cashier’s, certified, and personal checks; and a number of other electronic banking systems or processors as payment options. With Internet gambling’s easy payment options, even a non-gambler would be tempted to try.

Statistics also show that Internet gambling has nearly doubled every year since 1997 – in 2001 it exceeded $2 billion. It also boasts 110 sport-related Internet gambling sites.

According to the American Psychological Association, Internet gambling could be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs.

This is a confession from quoted from The Gambling Problem Talking Point website:

”... I am addicted to online poker, not to mention soccer betting and casinos whenever I am in the vicinity of one.

For the longest time I thought I had the beast under control. Thought I was smater than the pack, and shrewd enough to beat the pack. Considered my betting to be more of an investment than anything else.

How much hav I lost gambling? I am afraid to tally.

Has it ruined my life? Almost ... I guess being from a wealthy family, it helped me to cover the tracks not to mention the losses.

But enough is enough and I would like to kick the habit alltogether.

I am sorry if I sound a little cocky or arrogant ... I have a problem. And even now am half hearted to completely agree that I do have one.

Will I continue to gamble? I am not sure. I would like to stop, but it is just so easy with the Internet and all.

I guess if I was in NZ, I could join a group onj a regular basis and get some help in person. But in Malaysia, how do I do that?

From reading some of the posts here, I share all the common symptoms.

It is a disease, and can destroy the best of people, not to mention families and loved ones a like.

What can I do? How can I help myself...”

Internet gambling is a very slippery slope. It can ruin your life and the life of your loved ones. So the next time Internet gambling knocks on your door, think twice.