by Alex Williams
Daily Lobo
There are 21 casinos in New Mexico, the closest being seven minutes away from Albuquerque.
"Gambling provides instant gratification for little work," UNM student Beau Carey said. "That's why people are attracted to it."
A person has crossed the line into addiction "when they lose control of their behavior," said Carol Wagner-Adams, manager of Counseling and Therapy Services at the UNM Student Health Center.
"Like an alcoholic, you have to have that drink," she said. "There's a compulsive quality to the addiction. Drugs, shopping, shoplifting and gambling are all the same in the way that they work on compulsion."
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Carey said gambling is not just something people do in casinos.
"People gamble every day, whether they know it or not," he said. " I gamble upwards of a $1,000 at the beginning of each semester, hoping my education will eventually pay off."
Wagner-Adams said the effects of gambling could be devastating.
"They might go into debt," she said. "They may mortgage their house. They may spend the money they need for medical expenses."
Luckily, she said, not many people come into Counseling and Therapy Services for gambling addictions.
"Hopefully they would be too busy working and going to school to spend time in casinos, but with the increased proximity of casinos, it would be reasonable to expect that it may become a more frequently occurring problem with students," she said.
According to the New Mexico Center on Problem Gambling, the groups with the biggest risk of becoming compulsive gamblers are Hispanic women and senior citizens.
It states gambling is a progressive, potentially chronic disorder that creates an overwhelming impulse, but it is diagnosable and treatable.
The center is a state affiliate of the National Council on Program Gambling, a group that promotes the research and treatment of gambling addictions.
Carey said he plays craps, blackjack or poker at the casinos, because they have the best odds.
"There's certainly more appearance of skill involved than slots or the lottery," he said.
But when the fun ends, he said it's quitting time.
"It's difficult to have fun if you're losing money," Carey said.
Gambler's Anonymous has a list of 20 questions to determine a gambling problem, including:
Do you ever lose time at work due to gambling?
Do you ever gamble to pay debts or otherwise solve financial problems?
It is an anonymous nonprofit organization for recovering compulsive gamblers.
Carey said though he gambles at casinos, he does not have a problem.
"I don't go very often," he said. "When I do, I don't spend very much. It's important to set limits. I would never want to be down more than $100 to $150. Then I'd think about leaving."
