I was on my way into the Chumash Casino earlier this month for a poker tournament when I encountered a couple leaving the casino. They were both hotter than a two-dollar pistol.

I worked at the casino for more than two years, and have been playing poker there since the mid-1990s, so I/ve seen more than a few scuffles in the parking lot or parking garage.

I never stopped to ask them what they were fighting about, because it seems fairly obvious 7 a less-than-successful outcome in their "gaming" experience. Don/t you admire the industry for turning "gambling" into "gaming"?

This past Saturday morning, an older guy was trailing a woman out of the casino, saying:

"What are you so upset about, it was only ,10 …"

Probably just one of a long string of ,10s that had disappeared into a glittering machine or at a felt-topped table.

In the debate over the tribe/s expansion plans, not much has been said about gambling addiction. The ads say you can "Ride to Riches" on one of the casino/s ubiquitous shuttles, but not one word about what happens when you lose all your money.

I/ve lost count of the number of times players have sidled up and whispered a request for a "little loan" so they could get home. For the most part, poker players are different from the zombies who sit in front of slot machines. They play against each other and not the house. There are decisions to be made in poker, as in bridge or gin rummy.

But you can lose your shirt playing poker, and over the years I/ve seen a few who/ve flamed out, lost all the money they could get their hands on, then tried to borrow more to stay in the game. "Getting even" is one of the cruelest jokes in gambling.

Science now indicates gambling is an addiction not unlike cocaine or heroin. It is estimated that 1.6 percent of Americans have a full-on gambling addiction, while more than 2 percent have what is classified as a serious problem. Officials at the California Council on Problem Gambling estimate more than a million Californians are considered to be problem gamblers.

A "problem gambler" is a person who can/t seem to stop themselves. They are five times as likely as the average person to file bankruptcy. They are nearly four times as likely to attempt suicide. They are more likely to lie about and deny their problem, and they usually don/t realize how far down they/ve gone until they/ve lost everything.

Research presented at the American Academy of Neurology indicates that gambling addicts have a problem with "executive function," which is the brain circuitry that is the foundation for self-control.

Researchers at UCLA/s Gambling Studies Program refer to gambling addiction as a "brain disease," but aren/t sure of the cause, and don/t know if there is a cure, at least from a physical standpoint.

Sadly, it is a disease that affects family and friends. I/ve seen the anecdotal evidence dozens of times in the Chumash Casino parking lot. A friend once referred to it as "the rape of the underclass."

Gambling is legal, and a lot of people have fun doing it.

But if you find yourself thinking up schemes to get enough money to gamble, or lying to your family and friends about where the money/s going, or seem compelled to go up in the limits, even though you/re losing at the lower limits, or putting your personal relationships or property in jeopardy because you have to place a bet, you need to step off the train for a moment.

Gaming is supposed to be fun. Gambling can be something else.

As the casino business expands, we/re going to have to think about ways to deal with the addicts. As it is now, there/s not a lot of help for them 7 only the free shuttles that take them on a "Ride to Riches."

John Lankford is editorial page editor of the Times. Call him at 347-4594, or send e-mail to: jlankford@santamariatimes.com.

Aug. 14, 2005