The Intangible Social Cost of Problem Gambling

Clutching a handful of scratch-off lottery tickets, Sandy Bartholomew stares at the blue keno screen mounted on the corner wall at Ted?s Stateline Mobil in Methuen, Mass. , and waits for the winning numbers to light up. Anticipation of a match with her picks excites the 52-year-old nurse, who thinks nothing of driving an hour from her home in New Hampshire three times a week to get her gambling fix with instant-result lottery tickets and the video keno game.

"I see a lot of people do it that shouldn?t be doing it," said Bartholomew. "But, I don?t spend what I can?t afford to lose anymore. "That?s not the case with medical clerk Jonathon Mitnick, 30, of Owings Mills, Md. Impulse gambling cost him everything, his home, his wife, his job, his savings, his self-esteem. Then he sought help. "I spent so much time trying to cover myself that eventually I had trouble keeping my lies straight," said Mitnick. "I was in that dream world of the compulsive gambler."

May 23, 2006
Posted By Susan Torres
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!

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