Problem Gambling Symptoms

According to the DSM-IV, the manual used by doctors and mental health professionals to ascertain diagnoses, pathological gambling is considered its own diagnosis only when it occurs independently of other impulse, mood, or thought disorders. In order to be diagnosed, an individual must have at least five of the following symptoms:

• Preoccupation. The gambler is obsessed with thoughts about gambling, having fantasies about it or recalling past experiences.
• Tolerance. The gambler requires larger or more frequent bets to experience the same “rush”.
• Withdrawal. The gambler feels restless or irritable with any attempts to stop or reduce gambling.
• Escape. The person gambles to improve mood or escape problems.
• Chasing. The gambler tries to win back gambling losses with more gambling.
• Lying. The gambler tries to hide the extent of his or her gambling by lying to family, friends, or therapists.
• Loss of control. The gambler has unsuccessfully attempted to reduce gambling.
• Illegal acts. The gambler has broken the law in order to obtain gambling money or recover gambling losses. The law-breaking may include acts of theft, fraud, embezzlement, or forgery.
• Risked significant relationship. The person gambles despite risking or losing a relationship, job, or other significant opportunity.
• Bailout. The gambler turns to family, friends, or another third party for financial assistance as a result of gambling.

(American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Wikipedia, 2012)

Compulsive Gambling Questionnaire

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return “ASAP” and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom or loneliness?
16. Have you ever committed an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
18. Do arguments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self-destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

(Gambling Addictions, 2009)

If an honest (not-in-denial) assessment by the person turns up an affirmative answer to at least seven of the questions, the person may need to seek treatment for pathological gambling.

Problem Gambling – Myths & Facts

Myth: “True problem gamblers gamble every day.”

Fact: It’s not the precise frequency of the gambling that determines the addiction; some pathological gamblers may only hit the tables once a month. Rather, it is the consequences – emotional, financial, and relational – which indicate an addiction.

Myth: “Gambling is only an issue when the money is all gone.”

Fact: The amount of money a gambler wins or loses does not determine the addiction. Usually gamblers incur enough debt that the financial consequences begin to impact on their lives, but this is not always the case. Some gamblers may win big, and then lose it all the next week.

Myth: “One can’t become addicted to something like gambling.”

Fact: The “rush” that gamblers get – that sense of euphoria that impels the gambler to keep going with it – involves the same changes in brain chemistry that alcoholics and drug addicts experience. That is, it takes more and more of the behaviour to produce the same “high”, thus creating the cravings and accompanying withdrawal symptoms if there is no access to gambling.

More gambling behaviour, however, requires more money to fuel it, necessitating the increasingly larger risks taken (including illegal acts) to produce the funds to continue. When the compulsion to continue becomes overwhelming, the person is addicted, even though they may strenuously deny that they have a problem.

Myth: “Pathological gambling is really just a financial issue.”

Fact: The problem is the obsession. Compulsive gambling is an emotional problem with financial consequences. Even if someone pays off the gambler’s debts, he or she will still be a person with an uncontrolled compulsion.

Myth: “Only irresponsible people have a problem with gambling.”

Fact: There is a widespread misconception that people suffering from addictions are weak-willed, lazy, or “ne’er do well” types. The truth is that anyone can become addicted to gambling. Once the compulsion to gamble takes over, however, many are the people who engage in irresponsible or illegal behaviours in order to support the obsession.

Myth: “All gamblers are criminals.”

Fact: Some gamblers do resort to criminal means, such as robbery, to support their habit, but that is not always the case. It is often because gambler feels a loss of control that he or she is driven to engage in such behaviours.

Myth: “A person with a gambling problem will bet on anything.”

Fact: Gamblers usually have their preferred form of wagering. Someone who loves pokies, for example, may not go anywhere near the racetrack.

Myth: “As long as the gambler can afford it, gambling is not really a problem.”

Fact: Gambling interferes with all aspects of the person’s life, not just the financial slice. Just because the person still has money to burn does not mean that their gambling is not causing problems with relationships, work, or self-esteem. It is the behaviour of gambling that is the main problem, not the financial consequences.

Myth: “To help a problem gambler break the addiction we would have to pay off all their debts.”

Fact: NO! Bailing the gambler out might just be enabling their behaviour to continue. Of course, gamblers need to address the issue of debt and prioritise sorting out their finances, but the most important task is to end the obsession that is compelling the person to gamble; breaking the addiction is about getting the person help.

Myth: “We would easily be able to recognise it if a person were engaged in problem gambling.”

Fact: The heroin addict may have needle marks. The alcoholic may leave empty bottles lying around, or have alcoholic breath. There are few readily observable symptoms of compulsive gambling, especially if the person is doing online gambling, which is easy to hide.

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
• American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Quick reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR.
• Gambling addictions. (2009). Recognising gambling addiction. Gambling addictions: CRC Health Group.
• Problem Gambling: Signs, Myths and Facts. (2012). Australian Institute of Professional Counselling

How To Avoid Gambling Addiction

What you should do:

• The more you know about problem gambling, the faster you’d notice any potentially worrying signs in your own gambling habits;
• Always aim at setting a gambling budget per session or period of time and try to stick to it;
• Try quitting your gambling once in a while for a certain period of time to test yourself;
• Using the Responsible Gambling tools offered by online casinos is a great idea even if your gambling is under full control;
• If you ever feel your gambling is getting out of control, a/ immediately seek for professional help or counselling; b/ install some app/s that could prevent you from logging to gambling websites (e.g. Gamblock); c/ unsubscribe from any website and/or social media channel associated with gambling.

What you should’t do:

• Never play if you are under severe depression, stress or intoxication;
• Never chase your gambling losses or you’ll end up losing even more;
• Always remember that gambling cannot be a steady source of income;
• Do not borrow money to fund your gambling;
• Make sure that gambling is not affecting your personal, social or professional life;
• Always keep in mind that the house edge is against you, hence, it’s far more likely to lose rather than to win;
• Do not believe any gambling superstitions, “proven winning strategies” or myths.

Online Casino Responsible Gambling Tools

Self-Exclusion: You can set a self-exclusion limit for a definite or an indefinite period of time. The restriction takes effect instantly. During the set period you will not be able to log into your account.

Cooling-Off: You can set a cooling-off limit for a certain period of time. The restriction takes effect instantly. You won’t be able to make deposits and play during the specified period, also you will be excluded from all advertising offers. After the set period expires, you’ll receive a notification email saying your account is active again.

Session Limit: You can limit the amount of time spent gambling. The restriction takes effect instantly. If you hit the limit, you will be automatically logged out of your account.

Wager Limit: Your account can be set with wager limits. This setting controls the amount of money you can wager per day, week or month.

Loss Limit: Your account can be set with loss limits. This setting limits the amount you can lose per day, week or month.

Deposit Limit: Your account can be set with deposit limits.This setting limits the amount you can deposit per day, week or month.

Reality Check: An hourly notification in-game to remind you of how much you have spent at the casino. It’ll help you to get an overview of your gambling and perhaps consider pausing play for a while. You can get the notification every 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes.