After hours of staring at the slot machine hoping to win a few dollars, Scott Stevens constructed a plan to take his life in a short three hours. He was a loving husband, a father of three girls, a philanthropist, a hard-worker, and an addict. Scott Stevens attended the University of Rochester where he earned his master’s degree in business and finance. Living off of a six-figure salary, Stevens and his family enjoyed the finer things in life. They owned multiple cars and houses, vacationed to Mexico often, and donated to many organizations. One activity Stevens also enjoyed was gambling, especially at his local casinos where he would sit at the slot machines for hours. His addiction had been occurring for years when he realized he only had $13,400 left to his name. This was Stevens’s breaking point. He was unsure of how he would tell his wife or how he would continue to pay for his daughters’ educations. His solution was to kill himself. After writing a five-page letter to his wife and texting “I love you” to his three daughters, Scott Stevens took his life at the age of fifty-two because of an addiction to gambling. According to the World Health Organization, five percent of all suicides are related to compulsive gambling. Another study states that sixty-six percent of a group of gamblers had contemplated suicide. Because the readily available casinos and the strategically designed machines prey upon a gambler’s addiction, drastic health problems result, including depression and eventually suicide.

Casinos are composed of hundreds of machines specifically designed to put players in a trance; therefore, gamblers struggle to know when to stop playing.  Did Scott Stevens die because he was unable to control his addiction, or was Scott Stevens a victim of the strategically thought-out gambling system designed to prey on his weakness? The gambling industry focuses on finding the most efficient ways to make a profit. Slot machines are designed for a player to sit down, spend a few cents each round, lose, and try again. “The timing of spins – 15 or 16 per minute when a player is ‘in the zone’ – coincides with the rhythmic breathing of meditation or other relaxation techniques” (Gruetze). This allows dopamine to be released in a gambler’s brain, making them feel relaxed and the need to keep playing. Compulsive gamblers get addicted to a “high” they feel from the dopamine that they often have panic attacks, headaches, and anxiety when they are not gambling. The machines are designed to light-up and give audio-feedback even if a player did not win. Another reason why slot machines are more addictive than other games is because they are individual and continuous. In poker or roulette, gamblers are competing with each other, and the games are often timely. However, with slot machines, gamblers can go at their own pace and try to beat the machine (Gruetze). The gambling industry intentionally designs slot machines to put players in a zone, which is difficult to overcome. For this reason, many players are becoming compulsive addicts wanting to end their own life because of a machine that entrances them into playing endlessly.

Suicide is increasing among gambling addicts because readily available casinos allow addicts to entertain their addiction. The amount of compulsive gamblers and resulting suicides is increasing each year due to the hundreds of casinos being built in every city around the country. Casinos were originally illegal everywhere in the United States except Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was not until 1988 when Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that other cities were allowed to build casinos. The United States now has more than 1,500 casinos bringing in a total revenue of over forty-million dollars. Most Americans have switched from the traditional method of gambling: “The preferred mode of gambling these days is electronic gambling machines, of which there are now almost one million nationwide, offering variations on slots and video poker. Their prevalence has accelerated addiction and reaped a huge profit for casino operators” (Rosengren). Gamblers are becoming more prone to addiction because of the hundreds of slot machines in each casino. When casinos are popping up in neighborhoods in hundreds of cities, why wouldn’t a person stop by and see what the hype is about? The convenient casinos are dragging in more Americans to the addictive world of gambling. It is easy to become a compulsive gambler when one can walk around the corner and entertain their addiction. Playing every day can have dramatic results such as losing money, friends, and family (Rosengren). The loss of money, friends, and family can lead someone to depression and suicide. The gambling industry is growing at a fast pace along with the suicide rate among compulsive gamblers. 

While opponents will argue that casinos stimulate the local economies and provide a fun atmosphere, in fact, depression and suicide prove to be health concerns resulting from gambling. When people go to their neighborhood casinos, they are contributing to the local economy. Louisiana profits about four-million dollars a year from land-based casinos. The economy is benefitting not only from the money gamblers are losing but also from the money they are winning (Rosengren). A gambler that just won six million dollars is most likely going to be spending a great amount of money in the local area. Along with stimulation in the economy, another benefit people argue of gambling is the fun atmosphere casinos provide. Going to the casino is an activity many adults enjoy doing, and some say it would not be fair to take that away due to compulsive gamblers. Proponents for gambling say adults should be able to participate in an activity even though there is a risk for addiction (Dunstan). There are other activities adults can participate in that can boost the economy, such as attending sporting events and concerts and eating at local restaurants. These examples are also fun activities that adults can enjoy instead of going to the casino. The city manager of Central City regrets the legalization of gambling in his city: “I’d tell anyone who was thinking of opening their community to casino gambling to have his head examined” (Dunstan). The psychological effects of gambling is not worth the risk to some people. Although these arguments are valid, the risks of gambling, which are depression and suicide, have a greater severity than the benefits of gambling, a stimulation in the economy and a fun-filled atmosphere.

Suicide and depression occurs among gamblers who become addicted from the design of the machines and the readily available casinos. Manufacturers of gambling machines design them to put players in a trance which they are incapable of overcoming. These players become addicted to the game, often leading to depression and suicide. The local casinos allow for addicts to entertain their addiction by going to casinos multiple times a day because the casinos are around the corner. Supporters of gambling argue that the game stimulates the economy and provides for a fun Saturday night; however, there are other activities adults can do to boost the economy and have fun. In all, addiction is a very serious and common disease among gamblers. In all, five percent of all suicides are related to gambling. This is an alarming statistic that gamblers need to be aware of.