DR. WALLACE: My friends and I bet with each other on sporting events such as the World Series, Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament, key boxing matches and other sporting events. We don't bet a lot of money on each event. If I had horrible luck and lost every bet, I would be out less than $500. However, it would be almost impossible to lose all my bets.

My parents allow me to bet, mainly because my dad is in our betting group. It's my mom who is upset at both of us. She thinks he's teaching me bad habits. Trust me when I tell you that I will never be addicted to gambling. All of these bets are nothing but innocent fun and recreation. Do you think what I'm doing (let my dad speak for himself) is wrong? - Nameless, Phoenix, Ariz.

NAMELESS: Mom is right to be concerned. Gambling addiction is a serious matter, capable of wrecking lives and throwing people into bankruptcy. And as public acceptance of this vice grows, the gambling has become increasingly mainstream, pervading our lives at every level - from bingo fund-raisers at churches and schools to state lotteries. There are now 43 states with this form of "alternative taxation."

Until recently, only the state of Nevada allowed gambling casinos. Now many states have them and those that don't are thinking about it, because it's so lucrative. Iowa and Illinois use the Mississippi River as a home for their floating casinos; and Indian reservations around the country have struck gold with gaming palaces. While traveling by cruise ship between Main and Nova Scotia, a passenger can kill some time by playing the slot machines, poker, or whatever game of chance he fancies.

According to a Mayo Clinic Health Letter, America's gambling habit has grown from $80 billion a year in 1986 to over $600 billion. And illegal gambling is flourishing alongside the legal version. There are more illegal bookies operating in the United States today than there are police officers to arrest them. If they were all arrested at once, our judicial system would collapse under the caseload!

Eight years ago, 3 million Americans identified as compulsive gamblers. Today, Gamblers Anonymous estimates the number to be 10 million. In the 1970s, most compulsive gamblers were between the ages of 30 and 55. Today the age range is 17 to 70.

Movies portray compulsive gamblers as either burned-out lowlifes or slick high rollers. "In real life, compulsive gamblers are regular people — judges, teachers, carpenters, teenagers, and grandmothers with many outstanding traits," says Dr. Valerie Lorenz, executive director of the Compulsive Gambling Center.

According to Dr. Lorenz, if you're a compulsive gambler, you're probably competitive, charming, and highly intelligent. You like sports. You're good at math. But you have one devastating characteristic - you enjoy the thrill of gambling.

While your sports betting may seem perfectly innocent, this is just how many addictive gamblers started out — by betting $5 on their favorite football team. You say you won't become an addict, but I say it's possible that you will.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.