Welcome to Spotlight Advanced.
I’m Adam Navis.
And I’m Liz Waid.
Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.
It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
When Guy was a young man, he had a problem.
He liked to gamble.
He played games to try and win money.
Guy told Addiction.com how his problem started.
“It all started when I won 100 pounds on a lottery card.
After that I went to the betting shop to gamble on sports.
And I played the machines in the shops.
I did this almost every day.
On some days I won some good money.
But overall it did cost me a lot.
What the average person does not understand is that gambling is an illness.
It is like taking drugs.
And just like drugs, it is also very difficult to stop.
People think you gamble to win money.
But to a gambler, money does not mean anything.
It is what lets you keep playing.
The gambler is likely doing it to escape his or her problems.
I would gamble to escape my depression and fears.
It’s a process; you win, you spend and you lose.
Millions of people around the world are just like Guy.
Some people gamble to have fun.
Other people gamble and destroy their lives.
Today’s Spotlight is on gambling.
Gambling is a big business everywhere in the world.
Gambling creates over 500 billion dollars each year.
This includes playing games of chance.
It also includes games with some skill, such as card games like Poker or Blackjack.
It can include trying to choose who will win a particular sporting event.
Gambling happens in almost every country.
And yet, gambling is illegal in many parts of the world.
Governments of many countries believe that gambling is not a healthy thing to do.
This includes countries like Brazil, China, Indonesia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
Other countries permit gambling, but only under strong laws.
They may only permit gambling in particular cities or buildings.
In these countries, when people break gambling laws they may go to prison.
Countries make gambling illegal because it is dangerous.
People think they can win a lot of money.
But people can become addicted to gambling.
They cannot stop.
They spend more and more money.
For example, studies have found that in the United States, three to four million people
are addicted to gambling.
Experts give two reasons that gambling addiction has become such a big problem around the world.
First, people are starting to understand the addictive power of gambling.
Ferris Jabr is an editor at Scientific American magazine.
He wrote about the power of gambling.
“Not long ago people did not believe that a person could become addicted to gambling
the same way a person gets addicted to a drug.
Now scientists agree that in some cases gambling is a true addiction.
Research shows that gamblers and drug users both share some qualities.
They both make fast choices and want fast rewards.
A drug user requires stronger and stronger amounts to get high.
A gambler will attempt games with more and more risk.”
The second reason that gambling addiction is a problem is that the games have changed.
Years ago, people played mostly games that required a high level of skill.
These were card games like poker, baccarat, or blackjack.
Before you played, you had to learn the rules.
You often had to travel to a special city in order to gamble.
The Internet has changed both of those things.
A person who wants to gamble can do so at home on their computer.
There are a lot of guides online that teach people how to play the games.
Sports gambling is always very popular.
But now people also like to gamble on fantasy sports and e-sports, such as video game competitions.
And some gambling requires no skill at all!
Casinos are public places where people can gamble.
One of the most popular casino games is a slot machine.
Traditional slot machines have a small space, or slot, to put in a coin.
But today, many use a digital card instead.
These machines require no skill.
People do not even need to talk to anyone else.
They just press a button again and again, hoping to win money.
Gambling may seem harmless at first.
But gambling’s biggest secret is that it can destroy your life.
Terry White lives in Wales.
He was addicted to gambling and it cost him everything.
He explained to the BBC,
“I lost my house.
I have stolen.
I have lied to people.
I am now 40,000 pounds in debt.
The low point was when I tried to kill myself.
I was in hospital for three days.
The pain of the addiction is with you as soon as you wake.
I have nothing to live for.
I am afraid of going food shopping in case I end up in a betting shop.
I still want to go into betting shops.
I am used to gambling 60 pounds.
I could not go back to playing with five pounds.
I would always be thinking “I should have gambled more!"
Do you like to gamble?
Do you think you may have a problem?
You can decide with the help of a few questions like these:
Do you gamble more money than you can lose?
Do you try to win back money you have lost?
Have you ever borrowed money to gamble?
Have you sold something so you can gamble?
Has anyone ever asked you to stop gambling?
Do you ever feel bad about how your gambling affects people you love?
If you answered yes to several of these questions, then you may have a problem with gambling.
If you want to stop gambling the best thing you can do is ask for help.
There is hope!
Programs and groups exist that can help.
Look for a program in your community.
If you cannot find one, visit the website gamblersanonymous.org and click the “international
meetings” link.
Remember that no matter how bad you may feel about your problem, you are not alone.
Do you think gambling is just fun?
Or should it be illegal everywhere?
Tell us what you think.
You can leave a comment on our website.
Or email us at radio@radioenglish.net.
You can also comment on Facebook at Facebook.com/spotlightradio.
Visit us on YouTube at youtube.com/spotlightenglish1.
The writer of this program was Adam Navis.
The producer was Michio Ozaki.
The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom.
All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight.
You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net.
This program is called, ‘Gambling’s Biggest Secret’.
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program.
Goodbye.