Gambling Books

Money is probably the most important unit in everyone's existence. That is why losing money is not so pleasant experience at all. Gambling is one of those vices which once you have started, it is hard to give up. Furthermore, it is not only the gambler who suffers, but also the people surrounding him. It is apparent that people start gambling in order to win money. But why are they not able to stop? What are the consequences that happen inside their souls during the process of addiction? Such questions cannot be answered on the spur of the moment. That is why, my strong interest towards gambling urged me to do a research on the subject thus penetrating into punters' way of thinking. Fortunately, I found a book entitled "Quit Compulsive Gambling" written by Gordon Moody, who turned out to be steeped in the atmosphere of gambling and its impact ( actually, he is the founder of the national organization for compulsive gamblers called Gamblers Anonymous, which will be presented later in my review).In the book, the author uncovers the disorders that permeate into those who gamble excessively and, at the same time, discloses the impact this terrible "shortcoming" has on their lives and those of their families. Moody also emphasizes the unpleasant fact that nowadays such disorders have made their ways to the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society, whereas in the past it largely existed in mature men. Most of all, it is a book made to provide light in the end of the tunnel for those afflicted by obsessive gambling and to awake those who wish to help them. Throughout the whole book, the author resorts to his personal experience. The beginning shows the audience how to recognize whether there is a gambler in your house. Moody says that almost always punters withdraw into themselves. They change their personality and develop a secret life- "many wives suspect that there is another woman" (16). From there on, problems arise. Thus gamblers' environmental estrangement becomes evident. It is because he has chosen new goals and to achieve them he has to follow new paths. Doing this "he has `put on', like a coat, a different `person" (25). The author's manner of expression is faultless. The gambler is gnawed by his own deeds. He is not able to admit his guilt in front of his relatives. He is obsessed by the idea to win back his money. That is why he lies them. In fact, he steals from himself. Actually, the compulsive gambler becomes compulsive liar and compulsive robber. However, every initiative has its end. Mr Moody explains to the reader that pathological gamblers eventually look for help when they reach the bottom: " They suffer an acute crisis- personal rather than financial- which shocks them out of their obsession and forces them to face the truth about themselves" (37). The author again resorts to his own experience. He remembers a man who was on the threshold of committing suicide because of gambling. The person concerned had lost his wife because of his passion. Fortunately, Moody somewhat manages to make him participate in the Gamblers Anonymous meetings. To be honest, at this moment the author introduces very skilfully his own organization GA and its kindred one Gam-Anon because from then on the book is entirely subordinate to the acts of the two cultural and educational activities. The first one has to do with gamblers themselves while the second takes care of gamblers' relatives. The most important thing Moody explains about GA gatherings is that after assiduously attending them, gamblers are refreshed and rejuvenated. They are "new people in a new world. They even look different. Overweight people become slimmer, and overthin people put on weight. Their eyes clear and their expression change" (51). The most important cause for this change in gamblers' lives, the author points out, is related to the fact that all participants in the meetings are from one and the same breed. They are compulsive gamblers. They listen carefully to each other. They are like brothers and sisters. Most of all, gamblers are more apt to reveal their secrets to strangers than to those they know. Everyone benefits from listening to the statements of each other. They are accepted and welcomed not as being gamblers but because of being gamblers. In other words, people enter GA not to lose the ordinary sum of money again, but to win a portion of self-esteem thus urging them to quit gambling. Eventually, Moody proudly promulgates the secret in the meetings of GA: " . . . nothing is condemned and nothing is condoned" ( 56). In other words, members support each other. They resemble one entity which faces the difficulties and try to solve them. " The way to the police station can be a step on the way to recovery and if he goes, Gamblers Anonymous will go with him" (75). This is the proof Moody gives for stressing on the support GA renders to its members. However, the process of recovery is not only connected to abstaining from gambling, but also to regaining the trust of your relatives. To recover trust above all means to heal a wound and it does not happen quickly. It is extremely difficult for both sides. The gambler is impatient, irritable and bad-tempered. It is normal- to change your life is traumatic. On the other hand, the relatives are determined to notice that there is some kind of turnover and to stop interpreting everything through their fears. The path is ominous but glorious. After reading Moody's book, the gambler will find out that it is worth to make an attempt. Another issue that the author raises in his book is that in recent years a considerable number of children start gambling. This time Moody refuses to cite examples from his experience as a founder of GA , but he admits that there really was a small flood of young people participating in the meetings. However, the author discusses mainly the way in which relationships within the family are accepted by a child gambler. The symptoms which tell him on, Moody underscores, are in most cases related t losing weight and changing behavior. " The child's parents notice changes . . . but often put them to adolescence"(110). They cannot believe that their child is involved in such an initiative as gambling. They see that something is going wrong but they have no idea what it might be. Very often parents fear that drugs are the main cause for the child's deterioration. I myself had an unpleasant experience some years ago when I was keen on playing the poker machines. I spent all day in the club. I was lured when during my first play I won a considerable amount of money. However, everything went there where it had come from. One day my mother saw me enter the poker club again and I was severely punished. I was given money only to eat and this made me stop. I thank God that such moment happened too early in my life because otherwise, if I had undertaken it during the years of puberty I think I would have never given it up. Overall, Gordon Moody, through the course of his book, makes the reader feel like compulsive gambler. The author gives a lot of examples, for example the one with the man on the brink of committing suicide. Then expresses the circumstances that have led the victim to begin with the activity called gambling. And eventually, with great honor tells the audience that he somewhat saved a lot of lives by succeeding to cure many people obsessed by compulsive gambling. Having in mind all this said above, you can hardly doubt Moody's credibility. Everything is based upon his personal experience. He is not able to create the huge variety of situations in the book on his own. He finds addicts, he suffers with them, he helps them he lives with their shortcoming and finally it all works. Most of all, this book, as a whole, is not only addressed to compulsive gamblers, but also to every human being who is caught up with the vicissitudes of fortune. People should never surrender, there is always a way of exiting difficult situations. In conclusion, Gordon Moody's book "Quit Compulsive Gambling" views all aspects of compulsive gambling- how to recognize the behaviour of the gambler, what happens when the gambler is broke, how to make people understand that problem gambling is tantamount to an illness. Furthermore, it advises addicts on the obnoxious and perilous consequences this phenomenon can bring to the life of every family.

Works Cited Moody, Gordon. Quit Compulsive Gambling: the action plan for gamblers and their families. Great Britan. Thorsons Publishing Group, 1990 ISBN 0-7225-1601-0 $ 7.95

This book is very complete and accurate. It details the Cabazon tribes trasition from a dirt poor, loosely organized group into an organized, successful and brilliant tribe. You may have heard rumors, this books sorts it all out. Whether you are a tribe member or associate of the tribe, you will stand with pride after reading this book.

Dwayne Kling spent a decade and a half reserching this Terrific, and oh-so thorough book. His dedication to accuracy is evident on every page. Buy it for the history, and you will be knocked-out by the photos! The city of Reno and its claim to fame as a gambling mecca never looked better.

I liked the first two Dr. Risk books very much and kept waiting ... and waiting ... for another. Then I decided to do a search and, shazam, found The Risk of Fortune. Lucky me. Good for Bob Berger for having sufficient faith in both his character and his writing talent to go the print-on-demand route.

Publishing has become a crazy business and too often authors rise or fall on computer numbers. In recent years any number of good writers have gone the way of the dodo bird because of those computer numbers. And that's a pity, because someone as good as Bob Berger deserves to be read.

Risk of Fortune deals with the pithy issue of Indian-owned gambling establishments. In this outing, the Bearforest Casino stands in for the thinly disguised Foxwoods in Connecticut. And James Denny's dad has a bit of a gambling addiction, which brings James --aka Dr. Risk -- to the rescue. In an effort to regain a big chunk of his parents' pension funds, which Dad has blackjacked away, Dr. Risk signs on with the casino to determine the who and why of the recent murders of two Pelard natives. In a tribe with only 350 members, two violent deaths represent a significant reduction in their number.

Dealing with the much-discussed issue of the morality of native-owned gambling establishments, of gambling addiction (and its effects on the family), Berger writes with gentle good humor; spare prose and a scary cast of villains (bikers, white supremacists) along with a fine feel for pacing add up to a very entertaining narrative.
Highly recommended.

Professor Pavalko has written an excellent overview for those who know gambling and for those who want to learn about this hidden addiction. From looking at the historic roots to the future, he is able to take a complex issue and put it into an extremely readable format. I had a hard time puting it down before I finished.

Unlike many books in the gambling genre Roulette For the CasualGambler gives solid, hands on kind of advice without the promise of large $$$$ returns.A pleasant surprise in the book were the pages about slots, sports betting, bingo and lotteries. Plus insights on how to approach the casino scene in general.More experienced roulette players will find as I did the roulette charts in the back of the book a great tool for researching roulette based on actual results. (It saved me a lot of time)

This is the book Casino floor people read. Good information on gaming. Is not a how to beat the casino type book.

There are tons of books about virtual worlds, especially about second life. All of the ones I have seen (before this one) were more or less instructionbooks for people who don't have a mind of their own to click around in a virtual environment and collect some basic information, or artefacts of self celebration of residing avatars.
This one is nothing like that. Guest focusses on his personal research and experience in these environments, for the biggest part in secondlife.com . He gives us an interesting and sometimes even touching account of the fact, that these worlds are populated by real humans and not by game characters. Even for me as a long year (but not veteran) player of this environment, the book had an enormous amount of new and fascinating facts on the history of SL, that usually would not get published, since Guest partly approached it from the underground and not from the shiny surface.
I regrett I never met him there...

This is a great book for anyone who would like to capture the spirit of the carnival sideshow, grind show, oddity attraction, etc. There is a ton of great historical information with loads of photos. If you've ever enjoyed a giant animal show - or more - at your local carnival, get this book and see how many traveling wonders were once out there - and still are, here and there. If you're already a collector, this is a must-have book. You'll get great pictures you've not seen before AND learn a lot - I did.

I am recommending this book to all my friends and family. Very easy reading and great tips that have helped me in my decision making. Definitely worth the money. Thank you Oliver!