Harvard Professor Suggests Online Gambling Less Addictive Than Land-based Gambling
Dr. Howard Shaffer, The Director of the Division of Addictions at Harvard Medical School, recently conducted a study that looked at the gambling habits of players who place wagers online, instead of at land-based casinos. He noticed that since the introduction online gambling more than a decade ago, even though many more people in the US place wagers on casino games than before, the number of problem gamblers in the country has really not increased.
In studying internet gambling patterns, Dr. Shaffer has concluded that players who gamble online do so in a “very moderate and mild way”. He seems to suggest that most problem gamblers are those who frequent land-based casinos, while players who use internet casinos to gamble are more in control of their habits.
Needless to say, Dr. Shaffer does not support the current prohibition on online gambling in the US. He feels the laws are unenforceable, and will eventually be overturned. He also supports the right of players to decide how and when they play.
While there is still a ban in effect in the US that tries to prevent players from gambling online, enforcement is weak, and there are plenty of ways around the system. Many offshore internet casinos accept US players, and since these sites are hosted in other countries, players from the US can use them safely. Look here for some great offshore internet casinos that offer real-money online blackjack games!
