Intuitively, casinos seem like unhealthy places, what with all of the drinking, smoking, and all-you-can-eat buffets. According to one British professor, problem gamblers have a host of health problems to worry about. From Medical News Today:
Gambling is bad for your health and the truly addicted can suffer depression, insomnia, intestinal disorders, migraine and other stress related problems, according to a new study.
For the one per cent of gamblers who are hooked on their vice, this is a significant public health problem that can even lead to suicide.
Among slot machine obsessed adolescents, the rate of problem gambling rises to two per cent, according to Mark Griffiths, a professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University, UK.
He says the imminent changes to gambling legislation in the UK should be accompanied by a realisation amongst health professionals that Britain’s 300,000 problem gamblers have health issues that need to be taken seriously.
Britain is currently debating reforming the gaming laws to allow “Las Vegas style” casinos, which explain all of the excitement about problem gambling there now. This article isn’t very specific about the study in question. I’d be interested in seeing the correlation between gambling and insomnia. I know that when I did surveillance watching a blackjack game consistently made me drowsy.