Gambling Behavioral Addiction Expert Michael D. Osborne Explains the Mindset behind the Craiglist Killer

Los Angeles, CA, April 22, 2009 /PRAvenueNW/ --Michael D. Osborne, Executive Director of Harbour Pointe, a treatment center for compulsive gamblers, says that he would not be surprised if the start of Philip Markoff's destructive pattern stemmed from his gambling addiction.Michael Osborne

According to authorities, the Boston med student accused of being the “Craiglist Killer,” who murdered an attractive Manhattan masseuse, was driven by a gambling obsession. Currently held without bail in Boston on murder and kidnapping charges, police are saying that Phillip Markoff devised a brutal plan to finance casino trips by robbing escorts who might not report being attacked.

Friends of Philip Markoff say they are stunned over the details and accusations of the 22-year-old medical student, who is also engaged to be married in August. Gambling Behavior Expert, Michael D. Osborne, says, “I treat family members all the time who say, 'this couldn't be my loved one,' when in actuality their loved ones have created another world that no one knew existed."

Osborne goes on to say, "Gambling addiction is referred to as the hidden addiction. You cannot see it in their eyes or smell it on their breath. A gambler's drug of choice is money, and this addiction will make good people do bad things when they reach that hopeless and desperate phase of the gambling addiction cycle. A compulsive gambler has the inability to think ahead of the potential consequences.”

Sadly, Osborne thinks this may not be the last case we will see of a gambling addiction gone horrifically wrong. “Amidst an economic downturn, people will turn to gambling as a means to make some quick cash.” Osborne hopes that the Philip Markoff case will bring awareness to those that may not see their addiction as a problem before it's too late.

Michael D. Osborne is the Executive Director of Harbour Pointe, a residential treatment program that treats compulsive gambling. Harbour Pointe was founded 20 years ago, making the facility the oldest treatment center in the country solely dedicated to treating compulsive gambling. Osborne has appeared on HBO Real Sports and various other media outlets, and is available to speak as an expert on the Markoff case, compulsive gambling and the addiction signs to watch out for during the economic recession.

For more information about Michael D. Osborne and Harbour Pointe, please go to www.lostbet.com.