Family Law and Gambling: A Cause and a Catalyst

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in DuPage County divorce lawyer

Gambling in Illinois, and indeed across the country, has never been a bigger problem than it is today. In addition to the harm it can do to any marriage and family in different ways, gambling can also be a cyclical path to self destruction. In fact, studies by the SMR Research Corporation have actually named gambling as the number one source of bankruptcies in America.

From strictly a marital perspective, the effects gambling can have on finances can cause an incredible amount of conflict. Compulsive gamblers will do things such as hide money from their spouse, take large cash advances or loans (both legal and illegal), or in the worst cases cause a bankruptcy. Financial issues are already one of the largest contributors to divorces in America, and adding a gambling addiction can make things much worse.

Around six million adults and over half a million teenagers meet the criteria for a gambling problem.

One major problem is the accessibility of gambling in the increasingly connected digital age. It no longer takes a trip to the casino, or even the local convenience store for lottery tickets, to engage in gambling. If you have Internet access, you have the ability to gamble money away from your work or school desk.

The following list of statistics related to gambling may help to shed light on the issue, and how it is becoming more prevalent:

• Fifteen percent of all Americans gamble at least once per week;

• Roughly 40 percent of all compulsive gamblers started doing so before age 17;

• While around 6 percent of U.S. college students already suffer from a gambling problem, children and teens run a risk two to three times higher than adults;

• About 76 percent of compulsive gamblers are likely to have a psychological illness as well; and

• Georgia State University estimates that near 75 percent of those incarcerated have an issue with gambling.

Gambling addiction, and addiction in general, can tear  families apart. Sometimes the intervention of an Illinois family law attorney is necessary to resolve these matters, especially when attempts to help the spouse in need have failed. If you are having a family crisis in the Aurora, Illinois area, the Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C. can assist you. Contact Matthew M. Williams, an experienced Aurora family law attorney, today.