Compulsive gambler sues casino

[FredLC]

Compulsive gamblers aren't physically addicted to gambling.. the comparison to crack fails, in that respect.

Casinos provide a service.. if you want to abuse that service.. your fault. If I spent all my money on junk food because I have an eating disorder, should I be able to sue the convenience store for taking advantage of me?

Casinos are in business of taking advantage of people, anyway. That's what their business model is based on!

Well, medicine recognizes both physical and psychological addiction.

Regards .

 

[Arwon]

Why does that mean we should encourage "tax on the stupid" schemes, though?

Anyone operating a casino knows there's "X" amount of problem gamblers in the population. They consciously set out to exploit and manipulate them, and use psychology and acturial techiques in fairly sophisticated ways. Regardless of the individual morality of that cohort of "X" gambling addicts, there's still the question of the responsibility, limits and behaviour of purveyors of gambling. This is a policy issue and a consumer rights issue, not a morality one.

Should casinos be able to create gambling machines were you just swipe your credit card directly into the machine? Why not? It's their own responsibility if they do it, the casinos are just trying to make an honest buck!

Rubbish.

Also, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't demean and trivialise genuine mental illness like that. The fact that you "can't stop eating" potato chips, or whatever your vice is, is hardly the same thing as genuine clinical compulsive addictions.

 

[warpus]

Well, medicine recognizes both physical and psychological addiction.

Regards .

I am aware of that and I don't really want to downplay psychological addiction at all.. it's just nowhere near as difficult to overcome as physical addiction.

Psychologically addicted to gambling? What, you have no free will? Stop going to casinos..

Why does that mean we should encourage "tax on the stupid" schemes, though?

The companies that profit from it encourage it.. And our governments themselves promote Lotto 649, do they not? I dunno.. I'm not really sure how I feel about the encouragement of such things..

Anyone operating a casino knows there's "X" amount of problem gamblers in the population. They consciously set out to exploit and manipulate them. Regardless of the individual morality of that cohort of "X" gambling addicts, there's still the question of the responsibility, limits and behaviour of purveyors of gambling. This is a policy issue, not a morality one.

You could successfully argue that McDonald's does the same thing to people who are obsessed with junk food.

We're all adults here (hypothetically speaking, assume we're all legally allowed to gamble), let's take some responsibility for our actions.

Should casinos be able to create gambling machines were you just swipe your credit card directly into the machine? Why not? It's their own responsibility if they do it, the casinos are just trying to make an honest buck!

Rubbish.

Why, are people mindless drones?

If you're stupid enough to max out your credit card on a machine like that, it's your own damn fault. What.. don't you understand how a credit card works, or something? Do you think it's free money?

Also, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't demean and trivialise genuine mental illness like that. The fact that you "can't stop eating" potato chips, or whatever your vice is, is hardly the same thing as genuine clinical compulsive addictions.

If you truly have a biological chemical imbalance that causes you to go to casinos and lose thousands of dollars.. then I truly do feel sorry for you (not you specifically, speaking generally here). In that case you should go to rehab of some sort.. or at least put yourself in a situation in which you would be unable to gamble.. much like a heroin addict would check into a rehab and go cold turkey..

If you end up in a casino anyway, tough luck. Maybe you'll learn your lesson next time.

 

[FredLC]

I am aware of that and I don't really want to downplay psychological addiction at all.. it's just nowhere near as difficult to overcome as physical addiction.

Is it? I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but I have no reason to assume that.

I will call my cousin, though; he is a psychiatrist. Perhaps he can shed some light on this topic.

Later I'll post what he said.

Regards .

 

[warpus]

Is it? I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but I have no reason to assume that.

I will call my cousin, though; he is a psychiatrist. Perhaps he can shed some light on this topic.

Later I'll post what he said.

Regards .

Either way, does it matter?

I'm physically addicted to caffeine - can I sue Starbucks if I spend all my income on coffee? Surely it is none of their concern..

Even though I am addicted, I do have (the illusion of) free will, and so I go through my life, being addicted to various things, keeping my addictions in check..

 

[I'm Cleo!]

warpus,

I'm no psychologist, so I don't really know, but I'm inclined to suggest that if you can so casually dismiss your addictions by noting that you "go through [your] life, being addicted to various things, keeping [your] addictions in check . . ."

then maybe you're not an addict. I know it might mean that the difference between you and real, suffering addicts isn't simply that you have more moral fiber, or that you're stronger -- believe me, I can see how it would feel good to think that -- but maybe it's just that they're sick people. A little empathy would be nice.

Cleo

 

[FredLC]

Warpus

Well, look at my posts, you'll see I was against the woman winning this case.

Nonetheless, I'll say that it does matter, not in the results on specific cases, but in policy making. If there were a history of caffeine addiction leading people to utter ruin, perhaps access to caffeine should be restricted (not forbidden, I don't believe that is the solution, just like me being in favor of decriminalization of drugs does not mean it should be available as easily as water).

Point being, while I don't believe in forbidding gambling, perhaps it should be more closely regulated and watched over since as it is, people are being lead to ruin by their addictions.

As others have put rather well, the fact that I believe in personal responsibility does not mean that I don't believe also in prevention.

Regards .

 

[Arwon]

You could successfully argue that McDonald's does the same thing to people who are obsessed with junk food.

We're all adults here (hypothetically speaking, assume we're all legally allowed to gamble), let's take some responsibility for our actions.

You're right actually. There's some evidence that salt is addictive and creates a compulsion in some people to eat there. Whether or not they're knowingly pushing that, without informing people will be a matter for science and the courts just as it was with nicotine.

I'd also point out that "take some responsibility" does not mean total and sole responsibility. It's a sliding scale, not the all or nothing proposition you're making it out to be. I just don't see what's so fundamentally wrong with limiting the most damaging things casinos or slot machine owners do and legally holding them to those limits.

If nothing else it'd clarify the situation for future lawsuits.

And as for this bit, I think it illustrates how much you're talking straight past me here and refusing to see that there's more to this than just judging the individual morality of victims of problem gambling:

Why, are people mindless drones?

If you're stupid enough to max out your credit card on a machine like that, it's your own damn fault. What.. don't you understand how a credit card works, or something? Do you think it's free money?

That's not the point. I'm trying to get you to recognise that there are limits to personal resonsibility versus what companies are knowingly allowed to get away with. That's what the courts are there to balance out.

I asked you, quite simply, if such a machine should be legal, not if you thought the people who would be hurt by it were upstanding citizens of fine comportment, moral fibre and dignified restraint.

 

[skadistic]

Should casinos be able to create gambling machines were you just swipe your credit card directly into the machine?

Yes they should for people like me and what I will hazard to guess is the majority of gamblers. People who aren't irresponsible. In fact they have them at the race course for betting the horses already. So some casinos already have them.

 

[Arwon]

You would, however, acknowledge that it's more dangerous than the use of real coinage because it takes away that physical feeling of losing money.

And you would also acknowledge then, that it's a more risky and potentially exploitative thing than a slot machine that only uses real coins.

And then you would acknowledge that on a sliding scale between personal responsibility and protection from exploitation, such credit card machines are further towards the "protection from exploitation" end than slot machines or, say, hamburgers.

Which is my point. This is a sliding scale thing, not two dichotomous positions.

 

[skadistic]

You would, however, acknowledge that it's more dangerous than the use of real coinage because it takes away that physical feeling of losing money.No I wouldn't. Up until about 6 years ago I was cash only now I'm plastic only. There hasn't been any noticeable difference in my spending.

And you would also acknowledge then, that it's a more risky and potentially exploitative thing than a slot machine that only uses real coins.No I wouldn't.

And then you would acknowledge that on a sliding scale between personal responsibility and protection from exploitation, such credit card machines are further towards the "protection from exploitation" end than slot machines or, say, hamburgers.No I wouldn't.

Which is my point. This is a sliding scale thing, not two dichotomous positions.

No there isn't. If some one can't control them selves they no one to blame but them selves.

 

[Swedishguy]

She lost a million... and she wants 20? Gamblers want it all, don't they?

 

[GenMarshall]

The Casino is not to blame. It's the individual's lack of self control and no insentive to call a gabling addiction hotline.

 

[Sims2789]

She knows better, which is why this case will get thrown out before reaching trial. There's no need to make it harder to sue companies for negligence and fraud under the guise of tort reform because of this person's stupid suit.

 

[StarWorms]

Her fault. If I go on a spending spree and then lose all the products I bought, should I be allowed to sue the stores to get my money back? Of course I shouldn't - it was my fault for losing them. Same goes for her.

People just want to blame someone else for their problems.

 

[Birdjaguar]

You can ban casinos, but you cannot ban gambling. People will find a way to gamble. If your goal is to save people from themselves then the first thing you should ban is alcohol. Drinking causes far more problems than gambling, and given what we know about banning alcohol, it is not easily done.

In NM only tribes can have casinos and they are not permitted, by law, to give away free food or alcohol or hotel rooms gamblers.

 

[holy king]

warpus,

But isn't that part of "having an addictive personality"? That it's hard to stay away from addictive things?

Hey, it's one thing to say that people should take responsibility for their lives. It's another to condone other people taking advantage of others' addictions. I'm not saying this woman's suit should win, I'm only saying that it's responsible for the casinos not to prey on addicts.

Cleo

no it's not... you stay away from something completely you cant get addicted. and you can stay away as an addictive personality. believe me, i am one.

You can ban casinos, but you cannot ban gambling. People will find a way to gamble. If your goal is to save people from themselves then the first thing you should ban is alcohol. Drinking causes far more problems than gambling, and given what we know about banning alcohol, it is not easily done.

you can ban alcohol, but you cannot ban drinking...

 

[GenMarshall]

I'm not saying this woman's suit should win, I'm only saying that it's responsible for the casinos not to prey on addicts.

Umm, the casino that I work for trains their employees in regards to problem gambling. Heck they even provide sources about problem and gambling addiction.

 

[Ramius75]

Gambling is a service, its an addiction because the gambler enjoys the thrill losing and making money on the gambling tables... losing money is only a byproduct of the process. The individual gambler pays money to enjoy the facilities, atmosphere and opportunity to enjoy the process.

Are the casinos misleading the gamblers by guarantee winning ??? or they guarantee satisfaction of services ?

 

[Perfection]

Does this mean I can sue Jenna Jameson for being too sexy?