Problem Gambling and Gambling Addiction

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of GamblersProblem and Addictive GamblingSigns of a Gambling ProblemCauses and Risk FactorsTreatments

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Types of Gamblers

Problem and Addictive Gambling

Signs of a Gambling Problem

Causes and Risk Factors

Treatments

At a Glance

What Is Addiction?

There are three common types of gamblers:

It’s important to know that problem gamblers often believe themselves to be (or pretend to be) social or professional gamblers.

Professional gamblers are the rarest form of gambler and depend on games of skills rather than luck to make money. They have full control over the time, money, and energy they spend on gambling.

Social gamblers consider gambling to be a valid form of recreational activity and maintain full control over the time, money, and energy they expend on gambling. They consider the cost of gambling to be payment for entertainment.

What Is Problem Gambling and Gambling Addiction?

Problem gambling involves the continued involvement in gambling activities, despite negative consequences. Gamblers can have a problem without being totally out of control.Problem gamblingis any gambling behavior that disrupts your life.

If you’re preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, or gambling despite serious consequences, you have a gambling problem.

Gambling addiction is an impulse-control disorder in which sufferers cannot control the impulse to gamble despite the fact that it is causing problems in their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

All gambling addicts are problem gamblers, although not all problem gamblers have a gambling addiction.

While there are no obvious symptoms or physical signs of gambling addiction as there are in other types of addictions such asdrugand alcohol, there are some red flags that signal a problem:

What Causes Gambling Problems?

Often, many things contribute to a gambling addiction, including biological, genetic and environmental factor.

Addicted gamblers may notice they feel desperate for money, get a thrill or high from gambling, seek the social status of a successful gambler, and have other mood and behavior disorders that contribute to or result from their gambling addiction.

Some factors that can increase the risk of developing a gambling problem include:

Social influences also play a part, so having friends who gamble can make it more likely that a person will experience problem gambling behavior.

Treatment for Problem Gambling

Like other addictions, breaking the cycle of gambling addiction can be very difficult. Feeling like you may be able to win back the money you’ve lost may fuel the problem. While quitting gambling is not easy, it can be done. There are three main methods of helping patients overcome gambling addiction. They include:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, includingcognitive-behavioral therapy, focuses on teaching skills to change the thoughts and behaviors that lead to gambling. Research suggests that CBT can be an effective treatment.

Medications

Medications such as antidepressants and mood stabilizers may be helpful for patients who have other psychiatric disorders that accompany their gambling problems, likedepression,obsessive-compulsive disorder, orADHD.

In addition, certain medications known as narcotic antagonists that have been found useful in treating substance abuse may also be helpful in treating some patients with gambling addiction.

Support Groups

Self-help groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous, can be an extremely helpful part of treatment as well as prevent relapse.

Takeaways

Not all forms of gambling are problems or represent an addiction. Social and professional gamblers may gamble for fun or profit, but they are able to control their behavior and are not preoccupied with gambling. Gambling problems, on the other hand, involve being unable to control thoughts or behaviors related to gambling and continuing to gamble despite the negative consequences.

If you or someone you love has a problem with gambling, it is important to talk to a licensed mental health professional. They can recommend effective treatments that can help you manage your behavior. You may also find it helpful to talk to a financial counselor for guidance about how to deal with the financial repercussions of your gambling.

How to Overcome an Addiction

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cowlishaw S, Merkouris S, Chapman A, Radermacher H.Pathological and problem gambling in substance use treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Subst Abuse Treat. 2014;46(2):98-105. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2013.08.019Ioannidis K, Hook R, Wickham K, Grant JE, Chamberlain SR.Impulsivity in gambling disorder and problem gambling: a meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019;44(8):1354-1361. doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0393-9Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Gambling Problems: An Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers.Yau YH, Potenza MN.Gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions: Recognition and treatment.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):134-146. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000051Rash C, Weinstock J, Van Patten R.A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders.SAR. 2016;7:3–13. doi:10.2147/SAR.S83460Russell AMT, Langham E, Hing N.Social influences normalize gambling-related harm among higher risk gamblers.J Behav Addict. 2018;7(4):1100-1111. doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.139Menchon JM, Mestre-Bach G, Steward T, Fernández-Aranda F, Jiménez-Murcia S.An overview of gambling disorder: from treatment approaches to risk factors.F1000Res. 2018;7:434. doi:10.12688/f1000research.12784.1Lupi M, Martinotti G, Acciavatti T, et al.Pharmacological treatments in gambling disorder: A qualitative review.Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:537306. doi:10.1155/2014/537306Schuler A, Ferentzy P, Turner NE, et al.Gamblers Anonymous as a recovery pathway: A scoping review.J Gambl Stud. 2016;32(4):1261-1278. doi:10.1007/s10899-016-9596-8

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cowlishaw S, Merkouris S, Chapman A, Radermacher H.Pathological and problem gambling in substance use treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Subst Abuse Treat. 2014;46(2):98-105. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2013.08.019Ioannidis K, Hook R, Wickham K, Grant JE, Chamberlain SR.Impulsivity in gambling disorder and problem gambling: a meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019;44(8):1354-1361. doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0393-9Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Gambling Problems: An Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers.Yau YH, Potenza MN.Gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions: Recognition and treatment.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):134-146. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000051Rash C, Weinstock J, Van Patten R.A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders.SAR. 2016;7:3–13. doi:10.2147/SAR.S83460Russell AMT, Langham E, Hing N.Social influences normalize gambling-related harm among higher risk gamblers.J Behav Addict. 2018;7(4):1100-1111. doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.139Menchon JM, Mestre-Bach G, Steward T, Fernández-Aranda F, Jiménez-Murcia S.An overview of gambling disorder: from treatment approaches to risk factors.F1000Res. 2018;7:434. doi:10.12688/f1000research.12784.1Lupi M, Martinotti G, Acciavatti T, et al.Pharmacological treatments in gambling disorder: A qualitative review.Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:537306. doi:10.1155/2014/537306Schuler A, Ferentzy P, Turner NE, et al.Gamblers Anonymous as a recovery pathway: A scoping review.J Gambl Stud. 2016;32(4):1261-1278. doi:10.1007/s10899-016-9596-8

Cowlishaw S, Merkouris S, Chapman A, Radermacher H.Pathological and problem gambling in substance use treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Subst Abuse Treat. 2014;46(2):98-105. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2013.08.019Ioannidis K, Hook R, Wickham K, Grant JE, Chamberlain SR.Impulsivity in gambling disorder and problem gambling: a meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019;44(8):1354-1361. doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0393-9Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Gambling Problems: An Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers.Yau YH, Potenza MN.Gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions: Recognition and treatment.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):134-146. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000051Rash C, Weinstock J, Van Patten R.A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders.SAR. 2016;7:3–13. doi:10.2147/SAR.S83460Russell AMT, Langham E, Hing N.Social influences normalize gambling-related harm among higher risk gamblers.J Behav Addict. 2018;7(4):1100-1111. doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.139Menchon JM, Mestre-Bach G, Steward T, Fernández-Aranda F, Jiménez-Murcia S.An overview of gambling disorder: from treatment approaches to risk factors.F1000Res. 2018;7:434. doi:10.12688/f1000research.12784.1Lupi M, Martinotti G, Acciavatti T, et al.Pharmacological treatments in gambling disorder: A qualitative review.Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:537306. doi:10.1155/2014/537306Schuler A, Ferentzy P, Turner NE, et al.Gamblers Anonymous as a recovery pathway: A scoping review.J Gambl Stud. 2016;32(4):1261-1278. doi:10.1007/s10899-016-9596-8

Ioannidis K, Hook R, Wickham K, Grant JE, Chamberlain SR.Impulsivity in gambling disorder and problem gambling: a meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019;44(8):1354-1361. doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0393-9

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Gambling Problems: An Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers.

Yau YH, Potenza MN.Gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions: Recognition and treatment.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):134-146. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000051

Rash C, Weinstock J, Van Patten R.A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders.SAR. 2016;7:3–13. doi:10.2147/SAR.S83460

Russell AMT, Langham E, Hing N.Social influences normalize gambling-related harm among higher risk gamblers.J Behav Addict. 2018;7(4):1100-1111. doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.139

Menchon JM, Mestre-Bach G, Steward T, Fernández-Aranda F, Jiménez-Murcia S.An overview of gambling disorder: from treatment approaches to risk factors.F1000Res. 2018;7:434. doi:10.12688/f1000research.12784.1

Lupi M, Martinotti G, Acciavatti T, et al.Pharmacological treatments in gambling disorder: A qualitative review.Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:537306. doi:10.1155/2014/537306

Schuler A, Ferentzy P, Turner NE, et al.Gamblers Anonymous as a recovery pathway: A scoping review.J Gambl Stud. 2016;32(4):1261-1278. doi:10.1007/s10899-016-9596-8

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At a Glance#

What Is Problem Gambling and Gambling Addiction?#

What Causes Gambling Problems?#

Treatment for Problem Gambling#

Psychotherapy#

Medications#

Support Groups#

Takeaways#