Combat Gambling Addiction: Gambling at the slot machine
In gambling, the slot machine is high on the addictive potential. According to a study from 2007 (Bühringer et al.), About one in seven people who play automaton are at risk of devoting their life to the automaton. Since there is no flag or intoxication, as is the case with alcohol, the addiction can be hidden until the dwindling money causes problems and the façade crumbles.
What happens at the slot machine?
Every few seconds the machines promise new luck with a new game. It does not have to be won, even fast profits are enough for the feeling of happiness? and on it goes to the next round. The manufacturers of the games can come up with some: There are catchy game tunes, which are also known to the non-player from restaurants, and win in bonus rounds to drive. And, of course, the graphics, the fruit, adventure or 3D vending machines come to life, strategically sophisticated products that do not even have to look good. Does the automaton spit something out and there is a soothing money-gimmick, so is a state of fortune achieved, which one may have again? as with other addictions, too. In the end, only games make you happy, and only the slot machine counts.
In gambling halls the customer is king
From the outside, gambling halls look gloomy and dark, sometimes shrill and worn. Inside, lighting control and air conditioning boost sales. The mostly female staff offers free drinks and snacks. Coffee is available around the clock, day and night are blurred. The customers should be kept as long as possible. Everybody knows about the saying that gambling is addictive, and so it is not taken into account. Since it helps only conditionally that the staff is trained and should appeal to gambling addicts. Fortunately, if necessary, you go on a game library. There are plenty of venues, and their numbers have increased in recent years. With the last amendment of the Gaming Ordinance, which is based in the arcades, the protection of players should be strengthened. The regulation regulates, for example, that a maximum of 60 euros per hour can be lost and the profit outlook per hour does not exceed 400 euros. In any case, the operators as well as the state earn, while the players play on strategy or on good luck, leave their money behind and often enter into a debt trap.
How do you get out of the gambling addiction?
The ways to get out of gambling addiction are different. Former gambling addicts report that they were so shocked when they went to the children's piggy bank, and that this very negative experience paved the way for them to get out. But the ever-calling reward center in the brain is strong and often it needs support from the outside, in order to no longer seek happiness in the gambling den. Anyone who dares can first go over the telephone counseling hotlines, which are offered free of charge and anonymously:
| Advisory services on gambling addiction by the BZgA | 0800 ? 137 27 00 |
| Expert hotline Gambling addiction of the state office NRW | 0800 ? 077 66 11 |
| Turkish consulting hotline on gambling addiction | 0800 ? 326 47 62 |
| Russian consulting hotline on gambling addiction | 0511 ? 70 14 664 |
If you do not like talking about your gambling addiction on the phone, you can also contact an addiction or psychosocial counseling center on site. Family doctors are also familiar with the subject and help to put together the right therapy. For some, a regular discussion group is valuable support, but it can also be thought about a break in a specialist clinic with the aim to renounce the addiction, to be mindful of yourself and to plan the return to everyday life.
The state office gambling addiction in Bavaria offers the free App PlayOff for players, who either stop or want to continue to play controlled. The app relies on behavioral therapeutic methods, is equipped with a diary function and a weekly plan and offers an evaluation of one's own gaming behavior. PlayOff is free and available for download on iOS and Android devices.
According to the study "gambling behavior and gambling addiction in Germany 2015? The Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), the male age group between 21 and 25 years with 2.7 percent is the most at risk to develop a problematic gambling behavior. Also on the basis of this realization, the Lotto-Community Baden-Württemberg starts the program "Joker", which will be used in the Youth Vocational Guidance from September 2016. It is intended to protect adolescents from gambling addiction. The app is available for all interested parties.
