How To Tell If Someone Is Gambling

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If you’re wondering if you’re under investigation, here’s what you should know. Usually, the police will call or visit and ask you questions because people do make statements and incriminate themselves or even provide a confession. That is the easiest way for the police to close a case. They will call you or show up at your home and ask to speak to you, or ask you to come in for an interview with a detective and that is how you will find out that you are a suspect in whatever crime they are investigating. In some undercover cases they are working you may not know ahead of time; everything will be done via surveillance and your indictment may be a secret until you get arrested or find out there is a warrant out for your arrest. Those cases are rare most of the time you will know because the police will ask you about it.

  1. How Can You Find Out If Someone Is Gambling
  2. How To Tell If Someone Is Gambling Illegal
  3. How To Tell If Someone Is Binge Drinking

Because gambling addiction is often associated with depression, watch out for signs that you are, or your loved one is, suffering from this debilitating disorder. Lethargy, fatigue, change in appetite and unhappiness are several symptoms out of many that someone is suffering from depression. One of the first signs to look for when you think someone has a gambling addiction is what they do on a daily basis. Someone who has this type of addiction may exhibit it in a variety of different ways. One person might be an online casino addict and spend the majority of their time on gambling websites.

Am I Obligated To Meet With The Police And Answer Their Questions?

You are never obligated to meet with police, you always have the right to remain silent, so you should always speak to a lawyer first. It is never a good idea to speak to the police without getting some sort of legal advice or having an attorney with you. While the idea of being nice and meeting up with them sounds good and shows you want to cooperate and to be helpful be the good guy, speaking to the police usually will make your case more difficult for your attorney. Since you are not obligated to meet with the police, always speak with a lawyer first.

Are Police Allowed To Lie To A Suspect During Investigation Or Questioning?

The Ohio Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court have both said that police are allowed to lie, and they will as part of their investigation technique. They will tell you that they know more than they do, or they will tell you that your buddy is in the next room selling you out so you may as well talk, or they will tell you they can get you a deal, or things will go better for you if you just talk now. Typically none of those things are true. They can tell you whatever they want to try to get a confession out of you or to get you to incriminate yourself.

On the flip side, you cannot lie to them. If you lie to police, that can bring more serious consequences. You have the right to remain silent and it is what you should do. If you do choose to speak and you lie to the police, you could be facing additional criminal charges.

What Are the Differences Between Misdemeanor and Felony Charges?

In simple terms, misdemeanors are less serious crimes, while felonies are the more serious. The stiffest penalties for misdemeanors are for a first degree misdemeanor, which is up to six months in jail. Felonies can lead to prison time, which is somewhat different from jail. The minimum prison sentence for the lowest level felony is six months, but penalties for serious felonies can be as much as life in prison.

Being charged with a felony does not mean you will get prison time. You can receive smaller amounts of jail time or probation or something else. However, felony charges are the level at which prison time starts to become a possibility.

How Long Do Criminal Cases Typically Take To Resolve?

The length of time it takes varies by case. You do have the right to a speedy trial under both Ohio law and the US constitution, which means the state must put you on trial within a certain period of time and not just keep you in jail awaiting trial for years. Sometimes, there are news stories in which that happens for whatever reason, but it is not supposed to. You can waive that time limit to give yourself more time to investigate the case and work out a resolution. For felony cases, unless you waive that limit, your trial must occur within two hundred and seventy days from the date of your arrest.

That can be pushed back by a defense motion or if it is waived, which can make it go longer. A typical criminal case can take anywhere from a few months to a year.

For more information on finding out if you’re under investigation, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling (440) 409-7898 today.

How Can You Find Out If Someone Is Gambling

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People have been gambling for thousands of years and in almost every human culture. They engage in gambling behaviours for different reasons: to socialize, have fun, win money, help charities, cope with life pressures or even escape their lives for a moment with the dreams of something better, among other reasons. Like food, sex, and other feel-good things in life, gambling can be a source of pleasure and enjoyment for many people in our society. But if gambling becomes a focus in life, wellbeing may be seriously impacted.

British Columbians seem more interested in gambling than ever. A 2014 study found increases in participation in nine out of 12 types of gambling, including playing the lottery, betting on sports, and internet gambling. Playing the lottery was the most popular form of gambling. Problem gambling, however, declined. Roughly 125,000 British Columbians were at moderate or high risk of gambling problems. That's 3.3% of the population, down from 4.6% in 2008.

When is gambling not just for 'fun' anymore?

But how do we know which behaviours spell 'fun' and which ones mean 'proceed with caution'? Research suggests that there are particular gambling-related experiences that suggest we're slipping over a boundary. These include:

How to tell if someone is a gambling addict
  • betting beyond our budget,

  • chasing losses (e.g., going back another day to win back money),

  • needing to spend more to get the same feeling of fun, and

  • borrowing money or selling things to get gambling money.

How To Tell If Someone Is Gambling Illegal

Studies suggest moderate-risk gamblers are much more likely to spend time at casinos, participate in private games, or play bingo than non-problem gamblers. Problem gamblers may be more likely to buy short term speculative stock or commodity shares and engage in internet gambling. They are also more likely to gamble large amounts in a single day and spend more (or less) in a year depending on how things are going in their lives. These gamblers may feel guilty or anxious about gambling, and may sense (or have been told by loved ones) that they have a problem.

Gambling can harm you and your family

Problem gambling is not just about losing money. Gambling problems can affect a person's whole life. Gambling is a problem when it:

  • Causes problems with your family or friends

  • Gets in the way of work, school or other activities

  • Harms your mental or physical health

  • Hurts you financially

  • Damages your reputation

Though a small percentage of people have difficulty controlling their gambling, there can be significant impacts on these players and their families. The 'rush' associated with gambling has been related to that associated with drugs. For people who have problems with gambling, it can take progressively greater risk-taking and increasing bets and potential wins to regain the high experienced early in their gambling history. Players may also bet to regain losses in the hope of 'winning big.' This can lead to a cycle of bet, lose, chase losses, win, gamble, lose, that is similar to dependence that happens to some people who use drugs. As a player becomes caught in this cycle and the need to gamble grows, they may spend money meant for rent, food, and bills. Players may also borrow money and put themselves and their families in debt. This can put an extreme strain on family relationships and even day to day survival. Problematic gambling has led to bankruptcy, divorce and health issues such as anxiety and depression and occasionally, suicide.

How To Tell If Someone Is Binge Drinking

How can I help someone who may have a gambling problem?

How can you tell if someone is addicted to gambling

People who develop problems with gambling, video gaming, or any other behaviour may be missing or unable to confront something important in their lives. They may need compassionate help in understanding how to address these issues. Though problem gambling is experienced by the individual, it can affect many, and is the result of a complex set of factors. The community culture and institutions we interact with, family and societal values, as well as the whole industry of gambling (the marketing of lotteries and casinos, their role in engaging consumers, etc.) influence our gambling behaviour. These factors interact to create the circumstances, choices and chances of our life, and contribute to whether we gamble or not and to what extent.

If you would like to learn more

  • Center for Addictions and Mental Health - What Is Problem Gambling

  • Center for Addictions and Mental Health - Problem gambling self-help tools

  • British Columbia Lottery Corporation – Gamesense

  • Choicesandchances.ca – an interactive website to learn about gambling

About the author

The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, formerly CARBC, is a member of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information. The institute is dedicated to the study of substance use in support of community-wide efforts aimed at providing all people with access to healthier lives, whether using substances or not. For more, visit www.cisur.ca.

Q&A is for readers who want to take charge of their well-being, support a friend or loved one, find good help, or just learn more about mental health and substance use. Here, the information and resource experts at HeretoHelp will answer the questions that we’re asked most often. We'll offer tips and information, and we'll connect you with help in BC, Canada. If you have a question you’d like to ask, email us at [email protected], tweet @heretohelpbc, or log in to HeretoHelp and post a comment on this page.