HOPE FOR THE HOME: Gambling can spell destruction for marriages

Wife: “I never thought in a million years that my husband would become addicted to gambling. What started as occasionally buying a lottery ticket has now escalated to online gambling using his smartphone app, to placing live in-play bets during a sports game, to routine trips to the casinos not far away. We are about to lose our home. I fear for the future of our children. Without question gambling has destroyed our marriage and shattered the dreams we once shared. Is there anything that can still be done before the papers are signed and the door closes for good?”

Jerry: Reading your letter offers a vivid picture of the anguish and suffering caused by gambling addiction. Your question also shows that a beam of hope remains that something can still be done to save your marriage, your family, and possibly your husband’s life. Help does exist, and a qualified therapist can assist him in taking that first step toward recovery. Like a person drowning who is thrown a lifebuoy, your husband must choose whether to reach for the help being offered.

Becky: It is not only the gambler who loses, so many others find themselves in that vortex created by the addiction. Children, as you mentioned, lose when necessities such as food, clothes, or even medicine cannot be purchased due to money being lost in a casino, online games, and lottery tickets. or sports betting. All too often this recreational compulsion leads to divorce, bankruptcy, homelessness and more.

Speaking of children, the gambling industry is working hard to bring children into this dark addictive world. Many video games contain what are called loot boxes. Loot boxes are digital grab bags that players must spend real or in-game currency on to enhance the player’s participation. This can lead to spending behavior similar to gambling which promises more and more but delivers less and less. The addictive effect is strongly linked to what is called problem gambling in teenagers.

Jerry: As Becky indicated, not only does addictive gambling effect families, but it also impacts local businesses when employees steal from them to support their addiction. Communities lose when their taxes are increased to pay for additional social services and public resources after casinos are built. Numerous studies indicate that major crimes go up dramatically where casinos are built while other studies do not agree. It is interesting to note that local and state governments are seduced by the gambling industry. They in turn try to con the public into believing spending your hard-earned money on lottery tickets helps insure your children of a better education. Once established in a location the gambling syndicate metastasizes throughout the community. Its tentacles can reach any home, and its prognosis is most often terminal.

Thank you for being open about this devasting addiction. If you need help in finding a qualified therapist who is skilled in addictive gambling behavior, contact us at our address below and we will be happy to assist. Please rest assured that He who once said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, Hebrews 13:5, keeps that promise today.

Jerry and his wife Becky are on American Family Radio weekdays at 4:20 PM (CT) and on Sundays at 5:35 PM (CT). You can subscribe to their podcast at Apple Podcast, Spotify, or directly at HopoefortheHome.org/podcast. Check out their resources for the family at HopefortheHome.org. Becky’s latest book, “The Bright Side of Blue” and Dr. Drace’s, “44 Ways to Strengthen Your Marriage” offer biblical principles and timely advice for dealing with the challenges and trials of life. You may order these and other resources by contacting them at: hopeforthehome@juno.com, or directly at: jdeainc@juno.com.