Gambling is a serious problem that can affect not only thousands but millions of Americans. Once you have developed the compulsion towards betting, then it can be something that is hard to get rid of. Unfortunately, it can affect different individuals from different demographic. In fact, a White House aide of Donald Trump was recently fired this week due to his gambling habit.
John McEntee was fired just this week mainly because he bet tens of thousands of dollars at one time. Though his compulsion isn’t actually illegal, it is a cause of concern for different reasons. One, White House personnel could be subject to blackmail according to info by the Washington Post. It is also possible that gamblers can face psychological, financial, emotional, and even legal troubles because of their addiction.
According to the director of Columbia University Gambling Disorder Clinic Mayumi Okuda Benavides, “gambling is classified as an addiction just like any other, like alcohol or drugs”. Benavides added that “it’s not a substance but a person’s life could be completely impaired by the obsession with gambling through thinking of ways to do it, complications it creates in relationships, depressive symptoms or even suicide”.
Spill into Professional Lives
It is true that there can be disruptions in someone’s professional life once he or she gets addicted to gambling. Benavides mentioned that “I’ve had patients who took breaks from work during the day to go buy a scratch-off lottery game or place a bet”. And the sad thing about today is that you have different means on how you can bet. You can easily bet online.
It is also true that some problem gamblers will exhibit anxious behavior at work especially when waiting for the results of the sporting events.
McEntee Refused to Comment
It isn’t clear if gambling can impact his career. McEntee declined to comment regarding his dismissal and hasn’t addressed any speculations regarding his gambling patterns. It is also not clear if there is an impact on the way he does his job.
McEntee was one of the first staffers to join Trump and his campaign team. He served as Trump’s body man during the election. McEntee was “very upset” when he learned that he was being terminated according to one person. He was escorted off the White House right after the termination. Also, McEntee reportedly claims that he did nothing improper.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders who work as White House press secretary declined to offer any statement saying that “we don’t comment on personnel issues”.
From Quarterback to White House
McEntee was a quarterback at the University of Connecticut before working as a production assistant at Fox News. He later joined Trump in his campaign in July 2015 after he wrote to the campaign’s website asking for a gig.
When no one responded, he offered to take the spot of responding to emails coming from the website according to Trump advisers. He was then hired as a trip director who was in charge of preparations for the campaign events. Right after Trump won the election, he became the president’s special assistant and personal aide.
John McEntee losing the position in White House is a way to speed up background investigations on staffers.
