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Sticking to a healthy regimen is no easy task for an athlete. There are quite a few risks that threaten to end your career if you are not strong enough. Gambling is one such risk. Studies have shown that almost 70 percent of male student-athletes and nearly 50 percent of female student-athletes went on gambling at least once during their athletic careers.
In general, athletes have the same motives and triggers for gambling as anyone else. They face the same consequences too. Many sporting associations, such as the NCAA, have prohibited athletes from gambling, but as we all know, prohibition is not always effective. As noted above, a lot of athletes still manage to gamble once in a while. There are cases when athletes can keep things under control with time limits and money limits. But there are cases when it spirals out of control, and that is when things start to go south.
What Makes Athletes Gamble?
There are a number of factors at play here. Some athletes consider it a kind of competition that they need to win, just like a sporting event. Others have unrealistic expectations about hitting the jackpot. No matter how often they lose, they still think the next try will be the lucky one. Some athletes also feel excessive levels of energy, and gambling is a way to release it. Let’s take a closer look at these factors.
● Competition
All athletes are competitive, and understandably so. You can’t win anything unless you have a competitive spirit. Those who give in to the temptation of gambling treat it as a competitive exercise too.
Whether it is a chance-based or skill-based type of gambling, some athletes perceive it as a competition against their own fate. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for those who might develop a long-term addiction. Many would go through the
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● Unrealistic expectations
This happens to both athletes and non-athletes. For some unknown reason, some gamblers have a tendency to set unrealistic expectations. ‘Today is going to be my day,’ you must have heard this unsubstantiated statement before. In addition, one win is often presumed to pave the way for many others, which does not make any logical sense. Still, when addicted, gamblers would keep flocking to casinos.
● Energy levels
Some athletes feel an unusual flow of energy, and they think gambling is the best way to expend it. It gives them a rush, and they enjoy the suspense of continued gambling. Clearly, there are many other ways to expend your energy, and the earlier an athlete gets it, the better.
Warning Signs
Some athletes might manage to keep their gambling habits under control by setting clear and specific time and money limits. But others keep gambling on and on. And then, something's got to give. When things get out of control, they can find themselves in a deep hole with no escape.
That’s why it is so important to watch out for the warning signs. If you can monitor them carefully, you might save yourself a lot of trouble. Below are some of the key ones to watch:
- Athletes become defensive: when someone starts talking to them about the risks and dangers of continued gambling, they swiftly become defensive, if not aggressive. They start defending their bad habits.
- Unhappy when not gambling: when they don’t gamble, they feel like there is nothing else they can do to keep themselves entertained. Gambling gradually becomes the only pastime that keeps them happy. That is when gambling affects their mood and their choices about what they do in their free time.
- Borrowing money: when athletes start borrowing money to gamble, it is perhaps no longer a sign but an established problem. That means they are already in deep trouble, and they need support from their loved ones to save them from utter degradation.
- Trying to recover losses: more often than not, a gambler would go back to the casino to gamble more, hoping to recover losses. This habit makes them lose more, which is a dangerous development in their behavior that should be avoided at all costs.
- Messed-up regimen: gambling takes a toll on their training and workouts. Athletes start missing training sessions, or they train with little enthusiasm and concentration.
What Can Be Done About It?
When gambling starts to grow into an addiction, athletes might be unable to deal with it independently. They need support from their team, friends, and family to come to grips with where they are headed. The first step is to help them realize they have an issue. Since they will be in denial mode initially, one would need to be really persistent.
Then they need to understand that they can’t go it alone. Most likely, they need help to overcome the problem. There is a range of options for substituting gambling with something else. With enough love and support, anyone can deal with the problem successfully.
Final Thoughts
For some, gambling looks like an innocuous activity that cannot be harmful. It’s just a game for fun. While this might be true of those who can control their gambling habits, it can lead to devastating effects when gambling turns into an addiction.
Both athletes and their loved ones should watch the warning signs carefully to identify any emerging issues. It is always a better idea to nip it in the bud rather than let things build up. The earlier you take action, the more likely you will avoid addiction.
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Elaine Bailey is an experienced writer, student coach, and former athlete. She knows a thing or two about what it takes to maintain a healthy regimen as an athlete. She is also aware of all the risks that threaten to end an athlete’s career early. Elaine’s posts and blogs are particularly popular among younger athletes and college students.
