The lottery can be a game of fun and is loved by people all over India, and it should remain a hobby that does not bring negative consequences. Those appear when there is a lottery addiction problem, which can be worked on and even prevented, as we explain further in this article.
Remember that you can still play the lottery and not get addicted, including if you play every day. Keep playing responsibly and acknowledging real chances of winning while never putting the lottery as a major thing in your life.
- Gambling addiction overall can possibly cost the Indian economy about ₹775 billion every year.
- Almost half of the adult male population of Goa (45.4%) in a sample of 658 interviewed people gambled in the past year. Most of them (67.8%) played the lottery more often.
- Also in Goa, 73.6% of gamblers engaged in at least two forms of gambling, which suggests escalation.
- In Tamil Nadu, gambling was more prevalent in rural residents and people with work-related problems, suggesting that they are more prone to lottery problems.
- In Delhi, about 2.4% of the population confirmed to gamble, with the lottery being the most popular pick (82%).
- According to a study in Maharashtra, general gambling addiction has a higher prevalence in young males within the lower levels of formal education.
- Although treatment is a must, about 74% of psychiatrists in India admitted they had no experience or were not trained to manage gambling addiction in any form.
- The well-prepared institutions specialized in addiction are often private and paid.
How to Gamble in the Lottery and Not Get Addicted?
- Never play the lottery with money that you could need later.
- Stop playing if the lottery is taking too much room in your daily thoughts.
- Play it for fun and accept that earnings could be just a positive consequence.
- Do not base your plans and financial needs on possible lottery prizes.
- Always let your beloved and close ones know when and how much you are playing.
How Do I Play the Lottery Without Getting Addicted: a Testimonial
Risk Factors for Lottery Addiction Problems
Just as important as following the tips to play the lottery for fun and not get addicted is to know the risk factors. Risk factors are like gasoline that can rapidly stir the fire of addiction if the person is not careful. These are important risk factors to pay attention to:
- Loneliness and absence of a social life.
- Friends to at least one person addicted to the lottery.
- Forms of mental illnesses, like depression.
- Addicted gamblers or lottery players in your family.
- Living a stressful routine.
- Absence of motivation for other things in life.
- Past or current experiences of addiction to other things.
All those risk factors can not necessarily lead to a lottery problem. We included them according to our research from the relevant rehab programs listed down below. Knowing someone who has at least one of those risk factors who plays the lottery constantly is a reason to pay attention to their behavior and communicate with a professional.
Signs and Symptoms of Lottery Addiction
If you or someone you know might be developing a lottery addiction, the earlier stages are crucial to have a much easier process of overcoming it. While an open conversation or consulting with a specialist is the easiest way of finding a problem, keeping this list of signs and symptoms in mind can be of great help:
- Always thinking or talking about the lottery.
- Hope of winning the lottery becomes an obsession.
- Shortage of money but still playing the lottery.
- Tried to not play the lottery and failed.
- Asking for money to play the lottery.
- Identification of a possible lottery problem by friends or family.
- Skipping appointments or changing the routine due to the lottery.
All those signs identify that the person is not taking the lottery as a simple hobby with a small chance of winning but rather an important aspect of life.
Identify the 3 Stages of an Addiction Problem
More than looking for signs and symptoms, identifying the three stages of a lottery addiction problem can literally save a life. It can be yours or of someone you know, but the earlier a possible addiction is identified, the easier it can be to revert the consequences.
- Exaggerated Optimism – Instead of the general optimism regarding a possible prize and life change, the person seems overstimulated and almost if completely certain of winning. The problem is that an unbalanced certainty of a guarantee that does not exist can lead to severe frustration and putting more money or effort than they should.
- Cycle of Frustration – Playing the lottery becomes a must in this stage, and it is possible that the person might have problems stopping already. Each try that does not convert into a prize leads to frustration, and then a more aggressive attempt. It is much more noticeable than the first stage, and that is when intervention should apply immediately.
- Addiction – The lottery problem is now an addiction, and the person is completely consumed by it. Consequences in financial, marital, and social life start to appear, and it is almost impossible for that person to overcome the addiction alone. Support and specialized assistance are a must to help them overcome the problem and possibly never gamble again.
Real Cases of Lottery Addiction in India
We believe that the best way to acknowledge the consequences and results of a lottery addiction is to know real cases. Our research found some real-life addiction stories of Indians who did not play the lottery just for fun.
- Mohammed Yakub: Mohammed was already losing the hang of his need to play the lottery when he sold his motorcycle to buy more tickets. His wife’s rings, including the wedding ring and earrings, were next. Taking his kids out of private schools, as well as doing anything he could to get more money for tickets, were the next red alerts. His wife, Noor Jehan, revealed how his lottery addiction ruined their family.
- Sadam Kumar: Selling a small restaurant for the equivalent of 11 years of wages for an average Indian family to gamble everything away in lottery tickets was the sign that Sadam had an underlying lottery addiction but found out too late.
- Lottery addiction led an unidentified 33-year-old cab driver to assault elderly women to find items to sell and get money for his lottery tickets. The man from Nirmal Nagar was accused of chain snatching to finance his addiction to online lotteries.
- Arun Kumar: After becoming addicted to trying to win money in the lottery, Arun finished his own life and killed his family. A tragedy acted as his last resort to end his lottery addiction. Without proper help and assistance, he decided to put an end to it in the worst possible way.
The Consequences of Being Addicted to the Lottery
Like any addiction, the consequences of lottery addiction can have different levels depending on the context. For example, someone who has a lot of money or who is addicted but does not purchase a lot of tickets may not even feel the consequences of addiction. Those exceptional cases are not positive. They are just in a comfortable position that could change at any point.
In all other cases, the consequences can affect someone’s financial health, which may also impact the lives of other people, like their families. Also, other aspects can trouble their social life, leading to arguments and disagreements with spouses, children, parents, and friends. When someone is addicted to the lottery, it tends to affect their closest relations.
As the object of addiction tends to become their main interest, that person can become irresponsible with other important things in life. Therefore, it is expected to cause a loss of performance in the job, interest in talking to other people, or even doing chores and routine things.
A lottery addiction is a serious problem that affects the addicted person, those around it, and, ultimately, even a nation’s economy.
5 Most Common Myths About Lottery Addiction
How to Treat a Lottery Addiction Problem?
When someone discovers or realizes there is a lottery addiction problem with them or someone close, that is not the end of the world. There is treatment, just like with any form of addiction, and whoever that person is can also return to a normal life again.
Is It Possible to Overcome Lottery Addiction?
Lottery addiction can be overcome, and it takes the intent of doing so and the support of people who can help in moments of difficulty. The process demands the help of someone who is specialized, which can be achieved via psychological and/or psychiatric help, as well as through communities and programs directed to general or lottery addiction.
These are some common options to treat a lottery problem:
- Rehabilitation – If there is a rehab program next to the addicted person, it usually involves all the other spheres in the process, which would be ideal.
- Support Group – Support groups count not only with someone to help the lottery addict but also with other people in the same process. Seeing and understanding the situation of other people who are also going through the same can be beneficial.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This psychological treatment uses specific mind processes to overcome the obsession with the lottery and replace it with healthier thoughts until the addiction is no longer a common presence.
- Medication – Through ways that a doctor could explain better, certain types of prescribed medication can work towards eliminating the craving for the lottery. They are part of the process and will not do the treatment alone, especially because they should not be used for a long time.
Tips to Avoid Cravings After Treatment
During and after the treatment, it is possible that cravings occur. Those moments in which only playing the lottery seem to make sense, and that can be overcome as well. We have collected some tips from specialists to assist people in that difficult situation:
- Focus on what else makes you happy and write it down in a diary at least twice a day. Remind yourself that all those things in the list matter more than the lottery.
- Identify triggers for those cravings and eliminate them from your life.
- Determine a destination to all the money that comes to you and stick to it.
- Remember the difficulties that the addiction brought to your life.
- Find new hobbies that you love and learn to dedicate time to them in your week.
- Seek other interests that keep you busy on days or hours that you would normally dedicate to the lottery.
- Plan your days and week ahead so that you are always busy – socializing with other people and having fun also counts as being busy.
- Practice meditation and mindfulness.
- Find at least one form of exercise that you enjoy and add to your routine.
- Live one day at a time, avoiding thinking about possible future problems.
- Remember that the lottery is a game with a high chance of loss if you have the feeling that you can certainly win next time.
- Delete and remove yourself from any accounts, content, or feed related to gambling in any of its forms, not only the lottery.
All those layers are supposed to be applied together as much as possible, creating a barrier against lottery cravings.
How to Help Someone Addicted to Lottery Gambling?
If you or someone you know need help to overcome lottery addiction, the first step is to contact a program or helpline. It is great that you feel that you have the tools and motivation to change things, but always count on specialists to support that process:
| Program | Telephone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Samaritans Mumbai – Emotional Support Helpline | 84229 84528 | https://www.samaritansmumbai.org/ |
| Jeevan Aastha – Mental Counseling Help | 1800 233 3330 | https://www.jeevanaastha.com/ |
| Hope Trust – Addiction Rehab | 87925 03745 | https://hopetrustindia.com/ |
| Abhasa – Rehab Center in India | 86220 66666 | https://abhasa.in/ |
| Alpha Healing Center | 90041 91108 | https://alphahealingcenter.in/gambling-addiction/ |
| Hope Care India | 93111 12377 | https://hopecareindia.com/substance-addiction/gambling-addiction-treatment/ |
References
- Washington Post – Archive of real stories of Indian lottery addicts.
- National Library of Medicine – The prevalence, patterns, and correlates of gambling behaviours in men: An exploratory study from Goa, India.
- National Council on Problem Gambling – Guide on the definition of problem gambling.
- Times of India – A real story of lottery addiction in India.
- On Manorama – A tragedy involving lottery addiction in Tamil Nadu.
FAQ
Yes, all forms of addiction can be considered mental illnesses, and it is not different when it comes to the lottery. It can happen to anyone, and it is definitely treatable.
Yes, but to different degrees based on someone’s risk factors and what led to it in the first place.
Yes, and it is highly recommended that people close to someone addicted to the lottery help them overcome it.
Yes, an addiction is always bad because there is no positive side to not being able to control an urge, even if you purchase a lottery ticket.
Mostly, the presence of risk factors makes someone convert what should be a hobby to something with more importance than their responsibilities in life.
Yes, and they can even be more prone to addiction, which is why we should keep our children away from all forms of gambling until they are adults.
