- Social distancing should not lead to social isolation, so talk to your friends and peers and discuss your gambling problem with them. Having support can make a big difference.
This one is particularly important, as for the past year many people have stayed isolated and, while some may prefer it and even see it as a benefit, for many people, it's been stress they were not prepared for.
It's a common belief, that gambling is triggered by greed and too much excitement over such games, but the reality is that a large portion of gamblers is doing it out of boredom, loneliness, and a sense of isolation. Gambling serves them as entertainment and a distraction from the problems and such people are more likely to become addicted, due to this consolation they seek in gambling.
Even years ago it's been common knowledge, there's an interesting
study, which was conducted back in 1998 when people used to gamble with EGM, that shows that among problem gamblers are more likely to experience boredom and loneliness as compared to non-gamblers or non-problematic gamblers.
I'm sorry but I don't think it's specific to gambling, many other activities could be done alone without friends, like video gaming, reading, watching TV, cooking, running, etc so I think it's big bullshit to say that "a large portion of gamblers is doing it out of boredom, loneliness, and a sense of isolation". I don't think this portion is larger than in other lonely activities, it's just some anti-gambling propaganda, gamblers mostly gamble to try to earn big money, that's it.
I can see your point, but I suspect that you are not seeing mine. Of course not everyone when bored will engage with gambling right away. There are many other activities, as you've listed them, to engage with out of boredom. No way I was trying to spread "some anti-gambling propaganda", oh no. I myself am promoting a gambling site after all. I would rather agree with you that gamblers mostly gamble to try to earn big money, but that part which is left, although a minority, is a huge one, it's millions of people, tens of millions probably. For those people the coronavirus pandemic has made things worse, the risks of becoming gambling addicts have increased for them.