Behind the Headlines: Jewish Involvement in Gambling

About 25 percent of some 3 to 4 million compulsive gamblers in the United States are Jewish, an overrepresentation for a relatively small community, said Robert Custer, chief of the treatment services division of the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service at the Veterans Administration Central Office in Washington.

“Many Jews fit the profile of the compulsive gambler,” said Custer, who is also a medical advisor to the National Council on Compulsive Gambling. “They’re ambitious, competitive, of superior intelligence, hard driving, energetic and action oriented.”

Of the 900 compulsive gamblers Custer has treated, the average have completed 2 years of education beyond high school, and are most often attorneys, accountants, bankers and stock brokers, popular occupations among the Jewish community.

Custer, a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry, discussed the characteristics and possible treatment associated with compulsive, or the clinical term, pathological gambling, at the three day national conference on Addictions in the Jewish Community, sponsored by the Council of Jewish Federations and the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York.

GAMBLER’S WORLD DESCRIBED

The compulsive gambler often describes the effects of gambling as similar to a combination of stimulatant-tranquilizer analgesic. While gambling, the person may create a fantasy world where he feels influential and respected.

The four most common types of gambling are horse racing, sports betting, casino games and stock options or futures. Women who constitute 20 percent of the gamblers, are frequently attracted to games involving less money. They often participate in church or synagogue bingo matches, Las Vegas night activities at local organizations, and the lottery.

“No huge amounts of money are involved but it is absorbing of their time and energy, ” said Dr. Sheila Blume, medical director for the Alcoholism and compulsive gambling programs at South Oaks Hospital on Long Island, in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Many of Blume’s patients have also been Jewish. “We get the impression that it’s a considerable problem in the Jewish community,” she said.

LINK BETWEEN JEWISH GAMBLING, HISTORY

There is a link between the current Jewish gambling problem and Jewish history and tradition, according to Louis Linn, M.D., clinical professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a consultant in psychiatry to Mount Sinai Medical Center.

In the study “Jews and Pathological Gambling,” published in the book ” Addictions in the Jewish Community, ” Linn attempts to illustrate how the Jewish religion and history have combined to possibly make Jews more susceptible to compulsive gambling.

“If one considers the Jewish historical experience, replete with danger, uncertainty, ambiguity, repeated uprootings and exile … and the need to start over again … in foreign lands and among unfriendly strangers, one begins to understand why the capacity to erotize anxiety has had survival value for the Jews, ” Linn said.

The gambles of day-to-day life and the need for recreation and excitement in the ghettos has, according to Linn, caused Jews to be prone to compulsive gambling. Playing with the Chanukah draidel, betting games using nuts on Rosh Hashanah, and those who celebrate Purim, the Feast of Lots, by gambling have all exposed the Jews to the thrill of taking risks.

There is also a tendency to “Jewish optimism,” according to Linn, which stems from the feeling of being the “chosen people.” This correlates with the inclination of the compulsive gambler to be superstitious, a kink of personal religion which makes him believe he is lucky.

Characteristics of compulsive gamblers in general, the median age of whom is now 32, is “beginner’s luck.” In the early phase, the gambler wins big, and according to Custer, toward the end of the winning streak, the gains often approach the person’s annual salary. “This acts as a reinforcer,” said Custer. “The gambler says ‘Where has this been all my life’?”

OTHER ASPECTS OF LIFE AFFECTED

But then the losing starts and the compulsive gambler begins neglecting every other aspect of his life including school or work, family, and religion. “Gambling consumes with a passion,” Custer said.

There is a period of heavy borrowing and an increase in the amount gambled. “The crisis point is the request for a bailout,” when money is given from parents, spouse or in-laws, said Blume. “This is the perfect time to get people treatment but the point is usually missed,” she continued.

Custer agreed that the bailout helps deny the problem and as gambling increases during this period, the responsibility for behavior decreases. Depressions and suicide attempts increase at this time, although the number of successful suicide incidents is not known. “We need ministers, priests and rabbis to know this exists,” said Custer, “and we need to identify the problem and know the treatment resources.”

The majority of the compulsive gamblers are handled by Gamblers Anonymous which insists on a cessation of gambling and full repayment of loans. GA is a voluntary fellowship of compulsive gamblers gathered to help themselves and each other. Membership is free for GA and many can recover fully with GA alone.

According to Custer, “Where we’re really lacking is good solid research.” There is no national program to combat compulsive gambling, but the federal government and seven or eight states do provide funds for treatment and study of the problem.

There is research at the National Institute of Mental Health to study the brain chemistry of compulsive gamblers and see if there is a deficiency in certain enzymes or biological substances. “We think this is a factor,” said Custer.

Recovery for compulsive gamblers is facilitated-by their personality strengths. “Gambler’s are wonderful people,” Blume said. “They’re bright, hard working and they care. Once they realize their problem, they put tremendous energy into recovery.”