(This letter prints out to about three pages.)

Response to a letter about "Chips, Chatter and Friends"

Playing poker can cause problems. Playing too long, too late, or losing more than one can afford are among the hazards. There are players in treatment for a gambling problem because of their involvement in poker.

The game of poker is, perhaps, the most popular form of gambling in North America. Prior to the proliferation of legalized gambling, millions of people played weekly, with friends and relatives. Playing in a public poker room in a casino has replaced many of these home games.

Playing in a public poker room can lead to gambling problems. I interviewed one player in treatment and in GA (Gamblers Anonymous ­Ed.) who started as a low stakes recreational player in the casinos. His involvement increased, leading to playing at higher and higher stakes. He lost his business, his girlfriend, and wound up in treatment.

It is important to understand why some people do become problem gamblers. It is also important to understand why others can play safely. My article (http://www.camh.net/egambling/issue3/first_person/index.html) was about the pleasure that many people find in playing poker. I am sorry that my descriptions caused the reader's wife pain.

Barry Fritz
Quinnipiac University,
Hamden, Connecticut, USA

Received: December 8, 2001

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The Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues: eGambling
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