Jeff's Life In Retrospect

Moderate gambling, like moderate alcohol use, is an accepted part of our culture and causes no problems. As with alcohol use, however, gambling to excess is a common weakness that may lead to serious security problems.

Compulsive gambling, or pathological gambling as most psychiatrists prefer to call it, is an inability to stop gambling even when one recognizes that gambling is causing serious financial, family, work, or other problems.

Compulsive gambling parallels alcohol and drug addiction in many ways. Compulsive gamblers lose control over their behavior and commonly lie and cheat in order to continue their gambling. They frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cut down or quit.

Compulsive gambling does not involve use of a psychoactive substance, but the “action” which compulsive gamblers crave is an aroused, euphoric state comparable to the “high” sought by drug users. This aroused state is accompanied by changes in brain chemistry similar to those caused by alcohol or drugs. There may be a “rush,” often characterized by sweaty palms, rapid heart beat, and nausea which is experienced during the period of anticipation.

Alcoholics and drug abusers develop “tolerance” for their drug of choice and then must increase their consumption in order to feel the same effects. Similarly, compulsive gamblers develop “tolerance” for the “action” and must increase the size of their bets or the odds against them to create the same amount of excitement.

About 2 1/2% of the adult population now has some degree of gambling problem. The rates of compulsive and problem gambling among 16 and 17 year olds are similar to those for adults.

The key difference between compulsive or problem gambling and social gambling is self-control. Each social gambling session usually lasts for a set period of time and involves pre-determined spending limits. It typically occurs with friends or colleagues rather than alone. The player gains satisfaction whether he/she wins or loses.

The key to gambling is money management and gambling in moderation.  If you think you have a problem, seek help.

New and exiting tools overwhelm the world everyday and it seems that mobile gambling is only a cornerstone in future generation of technologies. As the thriving interest around online gaming, especially online casinos, moderates, it already appears as if we are on the verge of a new gambling revolution: casino gambling inside individual cell phones.

What is the perfect definition for mobile gambling? The word “mobile” carries the following definition: capable of moving or of being moved readily from place to place or in more simplistic way it implies movement, therefore, mobile gambling refers to gambling performed on a remote wirelessly connected apparatus. The range of such equipment includes wireless tablet PC’s, mobile phones and other non traditional networked commuting devices. Usually mobile gambling requires a data connection to operate and in most cases, the telecom provider for that specific region or a country satisfies this need.

Gambling on mobile devices underlines clear advantages and it is set to become a significant revenue earner for gambling service providers and mobile operators.

First, traditional gambling methods do not offer the possibility to place a wager at any time and any place like mobile gambling does. Thanks to mobile betting, you can now bet on your favorite sports event or play your favorite casino games, disregarding your location and point in time.

Second, from a regulatory perspective, mobile gambling offers unique ability to detect the location of a mobile phone, what allows the operator to determine if the user is within a jurisdiction where mobile gambling is licensed. For now, it is possible to gamble wirelessly only outside the United States, but other countries are not so puritanical.

Third, cell phones devices are becoming better suited to gambling. The newest cell phones are essentially mini computers, with full operating systems, heavy-duty processor power, high-resolution color screens and good quality software with Java programming language, which offer great online experience.

Another great benefit about mobile gambling is that mobile Internet usage is about to get cheaper. Analysts expect prices for data calls to fall further in the next few years as the cellular carriers redesign their pricing plans. Carriers have spent plenty of time on upgrading their networks to allow immediate data access over the last few years, and they desperately need consumers to use the data services to pay for the investments.

The thing that turned online gambling into such an amazing success is the fact that it gave people the opportunity to gamble whenever they wanted, without leaving their home. After casino gambling has overcome the location obstacle, the only thing standing in the way of sworn gambling lovers was the tie to the home computer. It is a well known fact to every gambling enthusiast that there are many advantages to being able to gamble whenever you want and never miss a good opportunity, if one arises. Mobile gambling has solved this problem beyond any doubt. It is amazing how easy it is to be able to verify the status of your bet or your ongoing jackpot slots machine in your cell phone.

The best online casinos usually offer its players a mobile version of online gambling in addition to regular online edition. Nevertheless, mobile betting could still face legal challenges in Europe, which does not have legislation addressing the growing phenomenon.

In the last few years we have witnessed a revolution in online gambling. Online gambling was once considered a shady operation in which unscrupulous web site operators simply vanished with their customers’ money. But things have changed a lot since those days.

As the number of online gamblers has increased, and the amounts of money being wagered have sky-rocketed, like all other ecommerce businesses, online gambling has become an established, credible alternative.

These days, online gambling is so popular and so well organized that no legitimate operator of an online gambling enterprise would risk the future of his business by ripping of his customers. As in any business, the credibility of the operation is critical to its success. This is especially the case with online businesses, where bad news travels very quickly. Every serious online gambling establishment makes it a top priority to deal with customers openly, honestly and fairly.

** The appeal of online gambling

We take for granted that millions of people around the world like to gamble. The reasons and motivations for this are the same whether they gamble in casinos, at physical venues like race tracks or betting shops, or whether they gamble online.

Land-based casinos obviously have some features that you cannot get from an online casino. There is an important social component that is not there with online gambling. The glitz and flash of the casino atmosphere draws many people in and encourages them to get involved. People are drawn in by the excitement and the immediacy of the activity around them.

But setting aside the “entertainment” value of spending a night at the casino, from the wagering perspective, doing your gambling online has far fewer distractions, is more efficient, and lets you more easily focus on the task at hand. It’s all gambling all the time. Which means that you can spend hours — or minutes. You can place your wager and move on to something else.

** Convenience is very important

In other words, online gambling is much more convenient. There is no need to drive an hour or two to spend an entire (expensive) evening eating, drinking, and wagering. When you gamble online you do it from the comfort of your own home. You can do it online at any time — in the middle of the day, or in the middle of the night.

You can also do it at your own pace. If you are a newbie to the world of online wagering, most sites will have tutorials and demos that show you how things work. They will explain the rules and the terminology. And there is no pressure to play games or place wagers before you know what you are doing.

** Practise and play for free

In fact, with online gambling you can get your feet wet without risking any money at all. There are many games where you can play for free. You can even “test run” many actual games to see how they work and how you might have fared if you had been wagering real money. This is a great way to learn how the system works and to get a feel for what interests you most. Once you feel you have sufficiently mastered the techniques you can open a small account and start placing actual wagers.

** Play a greater variety of games

There is now a multitude of established casinos and wagering websites, and most of them have a wide variety of games to choose from. For instance many have a complete selection of casino games such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Keno, Poker, Roulette and Craps.

But that is only part of the action. There is often a complete Sportsbook betting facility where you can place wagers on virtually any major sporting activity taking place in the world. That includes NFL Football, NCAA Football, NBA Basketball, NCAA Basketball, WNBA Basketball, Major League Baseball, NHL Hockey, PGA Golf, Pro Tennis, Auto Racing, Professional Soccer, Professional Boxing, Olympic Sports, and much more.

** Security issues

Most people are concerned about the safety and security of online commerce, and this is especially the case with online gambling. The fact is that any successful online business must protect its reputation and guard its integrity, or it will be out of business very quickly. This is even more true for online gambling sites.

That is why you should check the legitimacy of any online business you are thinking of dealing with. Search for reviews of the site in online forums where users comment on their experiences with the site. You should also search for special review sites where online gambling sites are reviewed. Bear in mind that these reviews may not be objective and are often out-of-date, but they can serve as a useful guide.

Once you decide on a site, build a relationship gradually with small amounts of money. That will give you a chance to see how the system works, and to see how the online gambling site you have chosen treats its customers.