Who is a gambler? Maybe this is a player who has taken an intermediate position between a cold-blooded bettor and a gambler? Or someone for whom betting is still something more than entertainment? Let's try to understand these issues and draw a psychological portrait of a gambler.

The last argument of the king

In a situation where parity is established between a weighted decision and an impulse, the gambler will always choose the second option, that is, a spiritual impulse. Because it is often more interesting and looks intriguing. Often, the bettor ignores the last reasonable ground in order to clear the way for a decision that is closer to his soul.

Money is money, and the game is a game

As it was sung in the unforgettable song "Money is needed by everyone and always." They really decorate the victory like nothing else, but the game itself is no less important for a gambler. After all, there are many ways to make money. Work on oil fields in the Tyumen region promises much more profit. However, it is boring and difficult, which can not be said about the game. The very sweet anticipation, the lingering feeling of choice, the excitement that makes you bet more than you intended - that's what the player expects from bets.

Importance of independent decision making

A gambler is pleased with the fact that he makes all decisions himself. A boring, corrosive newcomer torments experienced comrades, stares at a computer monitor to pain in his eyes, but here it does not smell of excitement. And after all, a real bettor comes after him. Excitement implies the independence of the bet, which in turn means participation in luck.

In other words, having won, such a player wants to feel proud that it was his opinion that attracted luck, that he himself was able to unravel the tangle of doubts and put on the toga of the winner. Your decision, your victory and, as a result, self-confidence.

Losing won't discourage

It's like the player is walking in deep snow. Step - Nast withstood, and on the next - failed. Each defeat for a gambler is just a stepping stone to the next step. And if he is attentive to his failures, in the future he will be more careful, but he will still play.

A gambler resembles a slalom athlete. He bypasses the obstacles that arise on his way, he may fall, but he continues to move towards the goal. A gambler just won't stop playing.

His professionalism pisses him off.

A gambler is always an amateur. But not in the Olympic sense of the word, which implies financial disinterest in the results, but in the original British sense, where an amateur is someone who takes part in an event, including sports, for the sake of pleasure. There is a traditionally respectful attitude towards amateurs in the UK. So, a professional approach to the game does not suit the gambling bettor. A professional may not play, since there is no suitable event, or bet when the soul does not lie in this, according to the system. A gambler knows many secrets of skill, but uses them as long as they do not limit the pleasure of the game.

Involvement in what you love

He talks about it everywhere. He listens to friends about their successes and fiascos, but takes nothing as useful baggage. He discusses his plans and past events, but is not going to listen to someone else's opinion. Sports broadcasts are of interest to him, including from the point of view of betting. And the player carefully notes those events that he managed to predict in his internal bookmaker's office.

He puts in several betting shops, but looks at other sites. Full immersion, but without the psychosis that is so characteristic of gambling addicts. Just a parallel flow of life, which from time to time approaches the main deep loop-like amplitude.

innocent surprise

Sometimes you are amazed at the childish expression on the face that appears on a bettor who has won good money. There is deep satisfaction in him, and disbelief that this did happen, and distrust that such things happen at all. Passionately believing in victory and declaring at every corner their confidence in winning, gamblers still get a mixed feeling of surprise and joy from him. And their story about him is reminiscent of a detective story in which the player was in imminent danger of failure. But about the future, they again demonstrate brilliant confidence. And I want to play.

Hobby

A hobby has always been considered an appendage to a person's professional activity. First, when meeting, they ask about work, then about hobbies. But a hobby is incommensurably more important for a person. Most of them work only for the sake of money, in this sense bettors are no different from the mass of other people. A hobby is something that keeps the heart and requires the soul, something that fills free time and colors it. As long as the passion fits snugly into the fragile framework of your favorite business, it's a hobby, if not, it's an addiction. The favorite hobby amuses and warms the soul of a gambler.

Today, many people suffer from some kind of disease. psychological nature. This does not mean that you have developmental disabilities or some stage of schizophrenia, it may well be a simple addiction to something. More often such people do not admit that they are not subject to their decisions, much seems trifling.

For example, a person takes out another cigarette, justifying it with what he likes, and he can at any time quit smoking, and after a couple of days, in the absence of money, he does not find a place for himself, wanting to make the desired puff. It is also important to note that there are those who suffer from gambling addiction. How to recognize in yourself a gambler who is ready to play slot machines at night? What should you pay attention to when analyzing your personality? You will learn about this in this article.

What are the characteristics of gambling addiction?

1. Are you aggressive enough?. This is a character trait typical of many gamblers. In any game of chance, there is an opponent, whether it be a person or an automaton. That is why the player begins to show rivalry, trying to win. To do this, it is important to have enough strength and aggression so as not to give up and not lose. The more difficult the game, the more pressure and skill to fight is needed. It turns out that the player attacks the opponent, as a result, the game often resembles a fight. If you feel that aggression is a fairly frequent manifestation of your "I", then you should categorically refuse gambling.

2. Sometimes you feel like taking risks. These are people who love to get incredible emotions from overcoming their fears. Often individuals who show a weakness for gambling jump from bridges on elastic bands, fly on parachutes and go under water from scuba gear. The thirst for risk is part of the life of gamblers, so they often come to the conclusion that such games become their passion and everyday life. If you have ever felt a surge of energy and a pleasant palpitation at the moment of danger, then there is a high probability that you will gamble. Such people get real pleasure from risk, sometimes wanting not to achieve a result, but simply to take part.

3. Do you have a desire to assert yourself. You must have noticed that most of the players are . It is very important for them to feel like a winner and cause admiration from others. How to achieve this? You can conquer peaks and collect stars from the sky, or you can go to a local casino and get similar emotions. That is why people who lack self-confidence are more likely to have some kind of addiction. But here a trap awaits many, because you can increase your self-esteem a little, or you can get a completely opposite effect due to losses and condemnation of others.

4. Do you like to "hunt". Most often, such a hunt is led by men, because they want to achieve their goal, demonstrate their strength and greatness. In order to provide for themselves and their families, many go to desperate deeds. People are hunters by nature, and in gambling you can fully express yourself. If you are inclined to get your way by any means, and feel real pleasure when, after long days of hunting, you get what you wanted, then you are a gambler. Perhaps at the moment you are not interested in gambling, but no one knows how it will be after some period of time.

5. Love to trust your intuition. Intuition is a wonderful quality that is not characteristic of many. If you start listening to your inner voice, then it is likely that you will do a lot of positive things in life. But this does not apply to gambling, because it is not so important what you feel. Many people deceive themselves, suggesting to themselves that this game will definitely bring victory, and then they are surprised at how much money they spent. Trusting your intuition while gambling is not worth it, otherwise you risk losing everything. It is better to approach from a scientific point of view and build the game in stages. Many gamblers argue that it is necessary to trust your intuition, but how you do it is up to you.

6. You tend to be impulsive. Have you ever done something and only later realized how stupid it was? Often people who act impulsively start gambling. It all depends on the situation, because someone manages to get acquainted with this area personally, and someone does not know what feelings gamblers get. If you react quickly enough and thoughtlessly to some situations in your life, then in no case try to play slot machines and do not visit a casino. You simply will not be able to cope with yourself, and this is fraught with a sad result.

7. Do you want to be the leader. Or you already are. Maybe you are successfully working as a director or managing manager, or maybe you were the organizer of many events at school and knew how to lead people. In this case, the risk of becoming an experienced gambler is also great. Surely you feel true pleasure when others recognize your superiority and want to be like you. It is in this case that the likelihood of getting addicted to gambling is high. If you know that you are a leader or want to be one, take up other activities, and let gambling become a taboo for you.

8. You are easily persuaded. Be prepared for the fact that you will be "processed" by real professionals, so leaving the casino with money is not so easy. You will be convinced that luck is on your side, that there is nothing more valuable in life than winning a big game, and so on. If you have already had the experience of how you were persuaded to buy a product you did not need or make a choice that was not profitable for you, then gambling should be abandoned. It is possible that you came to the casino because someone brought you, or you just heard a lot of positive feedback. People who are easily convinced of something become real victims of the gambling business. Choose something else for yourself, because not you, but the employees of the establishment will think in gambling.

Recently, one more bad habit has been added - gambling. Now, due to the ubiquity of slot machines, this problem has become even more urgent.

In general, gambling addiction has a long history. Even Peter I had a negative attitude towards cards, but nevertheless he allowed gambling, but with a loss of no more than 1 ruble with copper.

Every tenth person on the planet has gambled at least once in his life - slot machines, casinos, lottery tickets, racing, betting, etc. About 5-7% of the population of almost any city are considered pathological gamblers.

Excitement is characteristic of almost every person, but it manifests itself in each in its own way. One directs him to achieve in his career, the other - to his personal life, the third - enthusiastically goes in for sports, and the fourth, unfortunately, begins to get involved in gambling. The manifestation of passion does not depend on gender or age.

There is even a special term "ludomania", which refers to a pathological addiction to gambling. Previously, everyone encountered gambling addiction in the West, where this problem was equated with alcoholism and drug addiction, and gamers are treated with appropriate methods.

In many countries, preventive measures were taken - gambling establishments were allowed to be located in certain areas of the city or even individual cities. One such city is Las Vegas.

There are also countries where gambling is prohibited by law, and people who risk holding gambling establishments face life imprisonment. In some countries, each person has the right to write and always carry with him a statement according to which he is not allowed to enter a gambling establishment.

In Russia, the number of people suffering from gambling addiction has recently increased significantly. In 2005–2006 the authorities of Moscow seriously thought about the negative consequences of excessive passion for slot machines. An epidemic of gambling addiction was even declared, while there are already about 300 thousand people with a similar diagnosis.

Online gambling has also become widespread. According to American scientists, a person quickly gets used to gambling on the Internet than to casino games or slot machines.

Psychologist Nancy Petrie, who took part in the study on the formation of gambling addiction on the Internet, said: “... among patients, a lot of patients are addicted to gambling on the Internet. Although this passion is still quite rare in the general population, it is spreading quite quickly. According to Petri, “Adolescents are primarily at risk. Among them, addiction to gambling is much more common. Teenagers generally use computers much more.”

Many people are concerned about the question of why a person becomes a gamer. For a long time they were unknown, various theories were put forward, surveys and studies were conducted. Recently, many researchers tend to believe that the only cause of gambling addiction can only be psychological disorders.

One of the reasons for excessive gambling is loneliness. Most lonely people from time to time fall into a state of depression, experiencing a feeling of incomprehensible melancholy and melancholy. According to the results of some studies in lonely people, the content of endorphin in the blood is significantly reduced. It is gambling that gives them a state of euphoria and the necessary adrenaline. Such people are easily and quickly addicted to gambling, experiencing a real psychological dependence on them. And almost none of them manage to get rid of it on their own.

The deputies are considering a proposal that all gambling establishments in Moscow hand out booklets about the dangers of gambling. Vladimir Platov about gambling: “In any gambling club, attendants should give visitors booklets about the dangers of gambling, which should describe all the harmful consequences that machines, roulettes and cards lead to.”

Most gambling addicts tend to be impulsive from time to time. As a result, gambling is the most dangerous for creative people, as well as for people with a fine mental organization, who get used to it very quickly and can no longer refuse to play on their own.

Another reason for excessive gambling is, oddly enough, the lack of money. Having financial problems, a person hopes to win a significant amount of money and, thereby, improve his financial situation.

Such people think as follows: “I don’t have money, which means I won’t be able to lose much, but there is a chance to win.” Over time, they also develop psychological dependence.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that in most cases gambling addiction is not a cause, but a consequence of some psychological problems. To get rid of excessive gambling, you need to look for the cause in the person himself, his lifestyle, etc.

Very often gambling addiction begins against the background of alcoholism or drug addiction. At the same time, a person is subject to a sharp change in mood, he has somatic disorders, involuntary trembling of his hands, in addition, he often feels guilty towards his family for his addiction.

According to scientists who have studied the problem of pathological gambling addiction, there are several categories of gambling addicts:

- gambling addicts who, in addition to attachment to gambling, have a number of pathological addictions. In other words, these are people suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, and so on, along with this, they are fond of gambling;

- gambling addicts who some time ago were treated in psychiatric clinics, that is, suffering from mental illness;

- gambling addicts suffering from feelings of loneliness. As a rule, these are closed, shy people who have neither family nor friends. For them, gambling serves as a kind of outlet or a way to escape from everyday problems. Wholeheartedly surrendering to the game, such people stop thinking about their own lack of demand;

- gamblers-professionals. These people began to play professionally, not hoping for a chance, perhaps they even developed their own method of winning. Over time, they lost their professionalism and the usual hobby took on the form of a pathological addiction;

- gambling addicts who do not fall into any of the above categories. For such people, addiction to gambling has formed due to individual reasons - sudden bankruptcy, death of a loved one, betrayal of a friend, divorce, etc.

As a rule, a gambler can be distinguished by some characteristic features. It is very important to identify this bad habit in the early stages of formation and help a loved one get rid of it in time.

There are cases when people during the game lost consciousness or even died from lack of sleep and exhaustion.

Signs of the formation of gambling addiction:

- a person during the game begins to experience unprecedented excitement and excitement, constantly raises the stakes;

- even outside the game, a person constantly loses his past games in his thoughts and plans future ones. He constantly thinks about how he will raise the stakes, how he will start the game and win. Also, all thoughts are busy with where to find money for the next game;

- if a person is forced to stop the game or he runs out of money, he becomes aggressive and angry, he can vent evil on others. If he is prevented from playing, he may even hit a person;

- if a person does not have money for the game, he can commit illegal actions for this - go for theft, frame another person, etc.;

- a person plays when he has any problems at work or in his personal life. With the help of the game, he tries to get away from these problems and somehow distract himself;

- a person cannot stop the game on his own, persuades himself to play again and then stop, and so on ad infinitum;

- a person begins to deceive loved ones, hides that he is addicted to gambling, how much he has lost, etc .;

- after each loss, he strives to recoup at all costs, loses again and again wants to recoup, and so on in a vicious circle;

- for the sake of the game takes risks to one degree or another. For example, risking work, family, money, promotion, well-being of loved ones, etc.;

- a person is constantly in debt, he begins to borrow money to pay off old debts, in some cases he may not be able to withstand and lose them again.

A person who is obsessed with gambling usually goes through 4 stages:

- win stage. At this stage, psychological dependence has not yet formed. A person plays very rarely, from time to time. He only dreams of winning, but does not yet strive for it at any cost. Over time, he may even start to win, it is after that that he sometimes begins to raise the stakes and plays much more often;

- stage of loss. The beginning of the formation of psychological dependence on gambling. A person begins to play quite often, specially comes to gaming establishments, can borrow a large amount of money, hoping to win. There comes a time of scandals in the family, debts not returned on time, lies, reproaches, etc .;

- stage of desperation. At this stage, a person becomes more and more isolated from his family and friends, his reputation at work deteriorates. At this time, he may begin to commit illegal acts, and is also prone to fear and panic. He already feels his dependence and does not know how to get rid of it;

- stage of hopelessness. This is the last stage of gambling. At this time, the person is already completely confused, he does not know what to do next, how to return huge debts, family and friends. At this stage, a person often has thoughts of suicide. The person may start drinking or using drugs. In some cases, he can go crazy.

As already mentioned, excessive gambling can lead to serious mental disorders. As a rule, it is not this passion itself that leads to this, but the negative consequences that arise after that.

Psychopathy is a stable character pathology that has a hereditary or acquired character. With such a pathology, the intellect of a person, as a rule, is not disturbed, but in this state it is very difficult for a person to maintain normal interpersonal relationships.

For a long time, the clinical picture of psychopathy has not been studied. According to the results of some studies, the following forms of psychopathy have been identified: affective, excitable, schizoid, paranoid, asthenic and psychasthenic. There is also a stable and unstable psychopathy.

Psychopathy does not affect the central nervous system of a person, so as the disease progresses, many of the symptoms characteristic of most mental illnesses do not occur. For example, psychopathy does not cause hallucinations.

For a long time it was believed that psychopathy acts as a protective reaction of the body, manifested in response to the aggression of the external environment. Thus, a person tries to adapt to the world around him. Usually, psychopathy can begin after a person is in a stressful situation for a long time, for example, he constantly loses, cannot repay a debt for a long time, etc.

It has also been suggested that the emergence of psychopathy is the first step towards the underworld. Most people suffering from this disease commit more or less serious offenses.

Usually a person suffering from psychopathy and committing a crime is completely sure that he is right. He thinks that crime is the only way out in this case.

As a rule, people who grew up in an unfavorable environment are susceptible to psychopathy. Perhaps they had problems with their parents or, conversely, they were overprotected, they had poor living conditions, they were offended by their peers, etc. All this only exacerbates the situation. Passion for gambling will be in this case the impetus for the development of the disease.

As a rule, improvement occurs if a person is isolated from an annoying factor for a long time, in this case, does not gamble. With constant exposure to an unfavorable environment, a person cannot adapt, and this is manifested in the appearance of psychopathy in him.

The manifestations of the disease largely depend on the personality itself, on the nature of the person and his life attitudes. This is what distinguishes them from most mental illnesses. The peculiarity of the manifestation of psychopathy lies in the individuality of the person himself, in how he treats himself and how strong certain character traits are in him.

If a child is brought up in an incomplete family, in the future, under certain circumstances, there is a high risk of psychopathy.

The main symptoms of psychopathy are insomnia, headache, weakness, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, emotionality, etc.

A person suffering from psychopathy often provokes conflict situations with others. It is impossible to communicate with him for a long time. The aggressive behavior of such a person can be caused by anything, it seems to him that people do not look at him that way, any words seem offensive, etc.

A person suffering from this disease rarely meets new people, he is closed and reluctant to make contact. Even with his closest relatives, he does not have a very good relationship. A sick person is characterized by obsession with some kind of super-ideas and he is very offended when he does not find support from others.

Such people become very touchy, they are hurt by any word or deed. Later, in their thoughts, they re-scroll the “offense scene”, come up with words that they would answer to their offender. They are able to remember the offense for many years and subsequently behave very arrogantly with the people who offended them.

There is another type of people who, with a similar disease, behave in exactly the opposite way. They are very insecure in their abilities, it seems to them that they are not capable of anything. Such people are very silent, because they are afraid that they will say something wrong. Before deciding to say a phrase, they scroll through it several times in their heads.

In any case, a person with psychopathy, deep down, wants to always be in the spotlight. Some even make up stories that supposedly happened to them and tell them to their friends. Some of their gestures, views are very theatrical, they can even work them out alone with themselves for some time, in order to impress others later.

Neurosis is probably the most common mental illness. For the most part, neuroses arise as a result of prolonged mental overstrain.

The term "neurosis" was proposed by the Scottish psychiatrist W. Cullen in 1776.

There are 3 forms of neurosis: hysteria, neurasthenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. External factors influencing the occurrence of neuroses are stress, obsessive fears, prolonged depression, intoxication of the body with harmful substances, etc.

As the disease develops, a person feels a deterioration in well-being, mental exhaustion and a disorder of some autonomic and somatic functions develop.

People with a psychopathic temperament are especially prone to neurosis, but even a completely healthy person can get sick under the influence of situations that are very traumatic for the psyche.

The main symptoms of neurosis are melancholy, depressed mood, depression, weakness, deterioration in well-being, a feeling of incomprehensible anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, cardiological syndrome, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, belching, sexual dysfunction (reduced sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, frigidity, etc.), seizures, trembling of the extremities, tics of the facial muscles, aphonia, partial impairment of vision and hearing, goosebumps, numbness of the extremities and headache.

Neurasthenia in its development goes through 3 stages:

- hypersthenic;

- transitional;

- hyposthenic.

At the first stage of the development of the disease, a person becomes very irritable. He is constantly in nervous tension, while he often provokes such situations. At this time, a person becomes very inattentive, his thoughts are fuzzy, which prevents him from concentrating.

At the second stage of the development of the disease, a person is capable of aggression towards others. He responds to any statement addressed to him with anger and irritability. After the manifestation of aggression, a person feels severe weakness, drowsiness and loss of strength. In this state, a person cannot do one thing for a long time, as he quickly gets tired.

At the third stage of the development of the disease, symptoms of mental and physical asthenia begin to appear more and more in a person. The patient is characterized by very rapid fatigue, not only physical, but also intellectual work is difficult for him.

Quite often, patients with neurosis have a syndrome of obsession. In this case, a person constantly forgets whether he turned off the light or the iron, whether he locked the door, etc.

In the last stages of the disease, a person suffers from suspiciousness. It constantly seems to him that he is ill with an incurable or serious illness - cancer, AIDS, hepatitis, syphilis, etc. Because of this, he can stop going out, constantly washes his hands, does not use other people's things, etc.

A sick person may develop various phobias. He may begin to be afraid of enclosed spaces, heights, sharp objects, elevators, etc. Such a person is very afraid of losing consciousness, in his opinion, others may think that he is dead and bury him alive. He constantly imagines how he will suffocate, trying to get out. Such thoughts haunt a person, further aggravating his condition.

Psychosomatic diseases are a complex of somatic diseases. They arise due to the influence of external factors that affect the emotional sphere and cause certain mental disorders.

The disease can occur with both short-term and long-term exposure to a certain external factor. The first major loss can provoke the onset of the disease. All subsequent ones will cause her relapses every time.

Psychosomatic diseases and the factors that cause them can provoke the occurrence of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, migraine, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, psoriasis, thyrotoxicosis, ulcerative colitis, urticaria, neurodermatitis, etc.

The main symptoms of psychosomatic illnesses are frequent urination, sweating, salivation, diarrhea, fever and blood pressure, heart spasms, palpitations, weakness, fatigue, insomnia, etc.

The abandoned wife of the player suffers And the mother of the son who wanders around no one knows where. Burdened with debts, frightened looking for money, He goes at night to the house of other people.

Rig Veda, "Player's Hymn". Translation by Elizarenkova T. Ya.

Online poker has been actively developing in the Russian segment of the World Wide Web since the second half of the 2000s. The devastating consequences for a person from addiction to playing poker and other card games are no less pronounced compared to such widespread addictions on the worldwide network as pornography, online casinos, network games.

World religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, unambiguously interpret the craving for gambling as an unnatural and sinful impulse. For a person on the path of spiritual development, the desire for gambling should be nipped in the bud.

For example, in Buddhism, the reasons for the negative attitude towards gambling can be traced to the four noble truths - the main teaching of the Buddha. The second noble truth speaks of the cause of suffering - it is desire, insatiable desire. This insatiable desire is also present in the craving for an easy way to get money through gambling.

Online poker began to grow at a particularly fast pace - in the world and in Russia in particular - after the victory of amateur Chris Moneymaker at the largest poker tournament in Las Vegas in 2003 (the so-called "Moneymaker effect", which did not fail to take advantage of the poker industry dealers) . In the same tournament in 2008, Russian professional player Ivan Demidov took second place, which gave an additional impetus to the spread of poker in Russia.

In popular social networks, gaming applications are common that allow you to play poker with other people for play money. Poker - the art of reading an opponent and calculating the odds in the bank, or a severe gambling addiction that destroys the player's personal life and prevents a person from becoming a person in ordinary areas of life? Disputes on this topic have not subsided so far.

Of course, if a player is fluent in poker mathematics, understands psychology, knows how to “read” opponents and determine their level of play, is calm and reasonable and does not give in to “tilt” (inadequate emotional state caused by losing or winning) – such a player will win more than to lose. Why? Because most players are amateurs and can't make much progress in the game due to various reasons.

According to some reports - poker sites do not like to disclose exact data - approximately 90% of online poker players lose. The remaining 10% (or even less) are professional poker masters who make a living from the amateur play of inexperienced players.

Some fans of the card game consider poker as a leisure activity that allows them to tickle their nerves and experience excitement for reasonable money. Others may spend more of their free time playing poker, thus losing more money while controlling their passion. The third category of losing players can have serious psychological problems, the cause of which is a painful addiction to the game (gambling, ludomania, gambling addiction).

And this third category is not so small. Young people are especially susceptible to acquiring a gambling addiction, spending a lot of time on the Internet and paying attention to offers on how to easily earn money without leaving home.

Many thematic sites related to leisure and the gaming industry are full of offers of poker rooms (poker rooms where the game is played directly). Poker rooms offer tempting deposit bonuses, special offers and promotions for beginners.

Real money poker rooms have a tense and hostile atmosphere. After all, the goal of the player is to defeat the opponent and join the money of the vanquished to the money that is on the account of a more skillful and successful player. A common occurrence is when a losing player starts swearing in the chat and cursing the offender for what the light is worth. In fairness, it should be noted that most players try to behave with dignity, despite the psychological stress.

Here are just a few facts that testify to the pernicious addiction to the game:

• Stewart Errol Unger, who won the World Series of Poker Main Event three times, spent most of his winnings on sports betting and drugs. Unger died at the age of 45 as a result of heart disease caused by drug use;
• professional poker player Ernest Scherer was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his parents in 2008. The motive for the cruel crime was the desire to alleviate the difficult financial situation in which Scherer was at the expense of receiving an inheritance;
• poker player Alessandro Bastianoni committed suicide in 2013 after a series of significant losses;
• Andre Moore, in October 2013, during a card game with his brother, discovered that he was cheating, and in a fit of anger, he mortally wounded a relative with a pistol shot.

The above examples of the detrimental effect of the game on human behavior make us think seriously.

In some countries, poker and other gambling are recognized not just as illegal, but as a real evil, for which you can get a real prison sentence or become the object of a public beating. These are Afghanistan, Indonesia (including the ban on online games), Bhutan, Algeria, the Vatican. In Israel, the game of poker was banned in 2008, and residents of the country are forbidden to play even at home with friends.

But, unfortunately, formally online poker is practically not banned anywhere, including in Russia. It is also sad that many countries only pretend that they are somehow struggling with this problem, but in fact they are only trying to control the cash flow by collecting taxes from this business. So the game doesn't stop but gets a bit more difficult for the end users...

There are countries that have recognized poker as a sport, and Russia was no exception (in August 2009, they still approved poker as a game of chance and introduced a ban on participation, but established 4 gambling zones). And here the saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” will be appropriate. Of course, the opinion that sports poker enhances the intellectual and ethical development of the individual, helps to distract citizens from negative and harmful habits and antisocial behaviors and is a useful and enjoyable form of spending free time, has the right to exist, BUT ... Almost all people associate poker with with the opportunity to earn easy money, and an innocent, at first glance, hobby can provoke the appearance of mental abnormalities and the formation of a serious addiction. Statistics show that there are far fewer people suffering from drug addiction than those who gamble.

International classification of diseases: disease no. F60 "A disorder consisting in frequent repeated episodes of a person's participation in gambling, dominating the life of the subject and leading to a decrease in social, professional, material and family values." Pathological addiction to gambling leads to the fact that for a person a game is the only way to relieve stress, forget insults, a way of communication, a chase, a dream to get rich, establish oneself in one's significance, achieve recognition, a way to fill a certain void. There is a process of destruction of the personality, which is aggravated by social consequences, i.e. impoverishment, job loss and family breakdown. It is very difficult to realize this addiction, because it is a psychological programming and keeps the thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions of the player under control. In gamers, even the biochemical composition of the active substances of brain cells changes, which manifests itself in the form of perverted emotional reactions. Instead of fear from a sense of danger, players begin to experience euphoria, a heady feeling. The very important neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for positive feelings towards others, feelings of satisfaction and joy, drops to incredibly low levels.

There is nothing illegal or unacceptable in poker itself (or any other form of card game) in the eyes of the average person. At the same time, does the game help the individual to achieve something really important and valuable, does it contribute to the development of your noble qualities or opens up a deeper understanding of the world and your destiny? The card game takes time and energy, the most important resources at the disposal of the individual, and is capable of bringing out in the human person terrible feelings and disgusting impulses that will ruin the player's life, turning it into one big stupidity ...

So is it worth spending such a valuable life in the human body, so as not to actually be present in it, plunging into the world of the game?

The decision is yours, I hope we are on the same side!

In April 2005, the IMA-consulting company conducted a large-scale study of gambling behavior. Its results allow us to understand the possible ways of developing the gaming business in Russia, as well as to understand the mechanism of gambling behavior in general.

Recently, the gambling business has flourished in Russia: all kinds of lotteries, slot machine halls, online gambling games, not to mention casinos. Everyone plays - teenagers and pensioners, businessmen and housewives. Game clubs open almost at every exit from the metropolitan metro, at every electric train station in the near Moscow region, in almost every provincial town in Russia. The net profit from the entire gambling business in Russia, even according to the most conservative estimates, is more than 6 billion dollars a year. Someone wins, providing himself for life, someone loses the last shoes, and someone plays in moderation, afraid to break loose at any moment. Questions arise: "Why do people play, and everyone, from young to old, and play recklessly?", "What is gambling? Is it a form of psychological trap, mania, illness, or the possibility of human self-realization offered by our society?". Answers to the questions raised were obtained in a study of gambling behavior conducted in April 2005 by IMA-Consulting.

According to its results, more than 70% of respondents consider themselves very gambling or rather gambling people, and only 4.8% - not gambling at all (Fig. 1). Moreover, excitement is understood as the desire to experience a feeling of victory, involvement in the game, to prove oneself, to become a leader, to beat an opponent. Some understand the extreme forms of passion - "the desire to put everything on the line, even your life."

Rice. 1. Distribution of answers to the question: "Tell me, please, are you a gambler or not?"

In the course of the study, portraits of the players who "provide cash" for the organizers of gambling games were compiled: professional players, intellectual players, spontaneous players, "tied up" and "status" players.

1) Professional Players- those for whom the game has become the main "profession". Losing for them is "current expenses" and an investment in future gains, while winnings are in fact the main and only means of subsistence. Their strategy is to play long enough and with a "certain method" to "break the bank" and exit the game with a win. The strategy is based on an accurate, from their point of view, scientific (mathematical) calculation and on a deep knowledge of people's psychology. They are characterized by a strictly rational approach. Their tactic: with minimal risk of losing and, if possible, with the maximum chance of winning, play long enough to be "in the right place at the right time" at the moment of winning. One could describe their tactics as those of a hunting wolf, keeping track of any sheep that have strayed from the flock. Their driving motive: to gain profit, to earn a living.

2)Intelligent Players- those for whom the game is nothing more than expensive, but still entertainment that amuses pride. There are two types of intellectual players. The first type includes socially realized businessmen, with developed self-regulation, who are able to afford exclusive - and therefore expensive - entertainment "playing risk in its purest form." Losing for them is only an emotional shake-up of the intellect ("a tickle of the nerves", which they no longer receive in life and from work in such an acute and fresh state), and winning is an abstract goal that brings purely moral satisfaction, since he managed to win in obviously losing conditions: "When sometimes you want to warm yourself up, when you really seriously begin to turn on your intuition, then material reinforcement activates this." Their strategy is to rely on chance and, having won, prove to yourself that you are not just an undeserved "lucky" in life, but "deserved" those benefits that you have. This attitude fits well with the Protestant ethic, which implies that success in worldly affairs is an indicator of being chosen by God. This concept dominates the minds of businessmen. Their tactics: playing "on an equal footing", opposing blind chance (on the side of which the mathematical probability of excess risk) is the strength of their own professional intellect. Their motive: to get satisfaction from the solution of the most important task (which, in principle, is beyond the power of the human mind, but is considered solved by them in case of a significant gain). The second type includes educated, but not socially recognized people. For them, the game also acts as an opportunity to prove to themselves that "he can achieve something in life", the win acts, just as in the first group, a direct confirmation of the high intellectual potential of a person, but, temporarily, unable to prove that " there is also a place for him under the sun";

3) Spontaneous Players- those for whom the game has become a way of life. Such players do not realize their dependence on the game, although in reality it completely captures them and "leads" them through life. Psychologists and psychiatrists also call such players addictive (from the English addiction - "an addiction to something, an addiction"). Losing for them is a phenomenon with a "reverse sign", that is, it encourages them to play even more in order to "get their way" - to win. Such players are characterized by a fantasy, unrealistic, mythologized idea of ​​the essence of the game. They ignore the essence of the game, and see only their goal (winning), the emotional factor dominates in decision-making. And winning for them is the "American dream" of instant enrichment, so that "then you don't have to work all your life." It can be assumed that the desire for "free" enrichment captures them, they become uncritical, all the resources of life are directed to achieving a once conscious goal. It is very important that such people are attracted by: (1) someone else's example (they are convinced that winning is possible, envy arises, stemming from the lack of their own achievements, which one could objectively envy; they see a real - and often the last and only - chance in the game) ; (2) the personal motive of "revanchism" in the whole society, in a failed life. Asking yourself the question "Am I a trembling creature or do I have rights?" even more motivate themselves to play further. Their strategy: to be "smarter than everyone" and beat the organizers of gambling. We pay special attention to this fact: not to "catch luck by the tail", not to test your "luck", namely, to purposefully be able to "punish". Their tactics: having "secret knowledge" (personal knowledge mixed with their subjective perception) based mainly on their simple desire to win, and not on an objective analysis of the game itself, play "by the system" and beat the organizers of gambling, "punish" them to win. Their motives: one fine day to enter this life on a white horse, to take revenge on all offenders. The desire to recoup all insults and humiliations. Such people are led by wounded pride, lack of close friends, family, favorite and profitable work, lack of self-realization. As you can see, all motives stem from destructive provisions, from the action "in spite of", "contrary", "in opposition to". Such a player thinks in limited categories and within the proposed system: he easily accepts the conditions of gambling and cannot begin to think beyond their framework.

4) "Dead" players, "I used to play, and after that I quit. I made a vow not to play for big money. I'm afraid that if I break loose, then that's it ... Then I will lose everything that I have stale in my pocket." Such players want to play, the game charges them emotionally, but they have developed acceptable boundaries - "I lose 500 rubles and leave." They play systematically, but they are not interested in the result (i.e. winning), but only the process of the game. Motives: "constantly experience adrenaline in the blood, without the game life loses its colors", "the game is a cure for everyday stress."

5) "status" players- those who play "for the company", for the sake of matching their social group, they make those bets that are accepted in his social group.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that the majority of players (without division into types) indicated that they started playing because they wanted to somehow prove themselves, to make them noticed, they wanted an absolute, undeniable victory. As psychologists would say, they had an unfulfilled need for recognition or self-realization. Gambling, especially if it was accompanied by a win, made it possible to experience new emotions, "the feeling that you are flying in the clouds." Then there was a need to experience these emotions again. Then the game began to perform "psychotherapeutic functions."

Today, favorable conditions have developed in society for the development of the gaming business, since people find in the game an opportunity to satisfy their unfulfilled needs - self-realization, recognition, etc. However, as soon as other areas related to leisure begin to actively exploit the theme of self-realization and self-expression and pursue an aggressive promotion policy, then the gaming business will certainly have to change its tactics of influencing target audiences.