Question:

"How are children affected by pathological gambling?"

"Children may be affected in several ways. They may be physically and/or emotionally abandoned by their parents, who are unable to provide their children with needed attention and nurturing because of the time spent gambling. "Casino kids" have been left by themselves at the outer rim of casinos while their parents gamble, according to some casino security officers. In some extreme cases, children are left in the family car in the casino parking lot for hours at a time while their parents gamble inside. Less obviously, children may also spend several hours each week with babysitters while their parents gamble in casinos, bingo halls or card rooms. All of these scenarios may lead a child to feel physically and emotionally abandoned.
In addition, the dysfunction that pathological gambling creates in a home often includes spouse and child abuse. Children are abused verbally, mentally and physically by the gambler, and often even more so by the co-dependent spouse. This devastating abuse frequently goes unnoticed or is denied by others as the child suffers in silence.
Another way children are affected by pathological gambling is when they become pathological gamblers themselves. Today, teens are approximately three times more likely than adults to become problem and pathological gamblers. It is imperative that we educate young people about the dangers of pathological gambling and the importance of seeking help if gambling becomes a problem. "

Part of this for me is true. Only that abuse has not happened. I do remember a time when my father was supposed to drop me off somewhere and I needed money, 20 bucks max. He said he didn't have enough on him right now so he was going to go stop somwhere to get some more. Simplest and most logical way is to get some money from the bank, right? Well only this guy goes to the casino and says he was going to win some money so I could have more than a 20 in my hands. Ugh, I waited for him for at least an hour in the parking lot car. I remember staring at the security guard and waited to see if he was going to come over and ask me something. Thank God he didn't come over and ask why I was alone, isn't it illegal to leave your child in an abandoned car? What was I going to tell this security?

Anyway, he ended up wining some extra cash, and it bothered me because he just left me there. As always, he took it as a joke and laughed it off acting like nothing happened.