By Olivia Spadafora

(Canastota, NY – March 2014) Is it a coincidence that the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) declared March 2014 as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month? Probably not.

As we begin the month of March, the most exciting time of the year for college basketball, we begin to consider joining office pools and other forms of gambling to bet on the games in the NCAA tournament.

According to the NCAA, one in 10 Americans will fill out an NCAA tournament bracket this year, participating in the American gambling strategy known as Bracketology. According to the FBI, March Madness generates $2.5 billion in illegal wagers each year.

The L.A. Times reported that employers will pay out $175 million in wages to workers who are sneaking peeks at games online, checking scores, or managing office pool brackets during the first two days of the tournament.

Though March Madness is an exciting time of month, workplace gambling and “bracketology” can greatly reduce productivity and success in companies.

Keith Whyte of NCPG stated that gambling is occasional and fun for most adults, but for 6 to 8 million Americans it negatively affects finances, work, and family. Though March Madness may be fun for some adults to participate in as a social activity, others wager outrageous amounts of money at casinos and with bookkeepers to try and make money from the games. This can be detrimental to the financial stability of an individual.

Problem gambling may often times start from smaller, more indirect bets; such as filling out an NCAA bracket, winning on a scratch-off ticket, etc. While you consider joining an office pool that includes filling out a bracket, you may want to acknowledge that your chances of picking a perfect bracket are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to one.

By martha

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