All About Gambling Addiction: Should You Be Worried?

Jun 22, 2020 Comments: 0

For most people, the occasional game of chance is fun and harmless. The combination of risk and anticipated reward is sure to infuse you with a small rush of excitement, even when the odds are against you. Whether it’s playing poker with friends or betting on horse racing, many of us enjoy gambling as a social activity.

Like many other experiences – shopping, eating sugary foods, drinking alcohol, and so on – too much is too much. Excessive gambling can quickly transform from entertainment to dependence.

Gambling addiction – a spectrum of dependencies also known as pathological gambling, a gambling disorder, problem gambling, or compulsive gambling – is one of the world’s most common impulse-control disorders. Unlike casual gamblers, compulsive gamblers can’t control the urge to gamble, even if the negative consequences for them and their loved ones are apparent. Gambling addicts can’t stop playing even when the odds are against them. They can’t stop playing even when they absolutely can’t afford to lose.

Gambling addiction statistics from a recent YouGov survey commissioned by GambleAware found that 2.7% of adults living in the UK, or almost 1.4 million people, are problem gamblers. As soon as the results were published, experts advised caution, insisting that the true addiction rate is much lower. One of the industry’s most renowned regulators, the British Gambling Commission, cites a health survey showing a gambling addiction rate of 0.7%.

Types of Gambling Addiction

Gambling goes beyond cards, slot machines, and sports betting – buying a lottery ticket or making a bet with a friend also count. Gambling addictions are as varied as the games of chance gamblers love.

While many people enjoy the occasional game of chance without a risk of becoming addicted, others quickly surrender to the dangers of gambling and become compulsive players without even realising it.

Have you ever felt you’re in such dire financial straits that you have no choice but to risk what little you have in a last-ditch attempt to win a large sum of money? That’s how problem gamblers feel. Although compulsive gamblers often promise themselves and others that they will stop playing as soon as they break even, this getaway plan almost never works. More often, it leads to a vicious circle in which gamblers can’t help but wager even after a big win. The pattern repeats until the addict can’t break the habit without professional help.

Another type of compulsive gambling occurs when a player makes risky bets just for the adrenaline rush or emotional high. The resulting addiction is just the same.

According to gambling addiction stories, people from all walks of life can become victims of compulsive gambling. Movie stars like Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon; record-breaking athletes like Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and Tiger Woods; and many other celebrity gamblers have dealt with this disorder.

We’ve established that any type of gambling can become problematic. However, certain forms of gambling have distinctive characteristics that can intensify the addiction and its consequences. For instance, recent studies reveal that fast game play is a significant risk factor. Games that come with a short time between placing a bet and learning the result – such as slot machines – present a higher risk for addictive players.

Causes of Gambling Addiction

A long list of factors contribute to compulsive gambling as an impulse control disorder. Problem gambling can be triggered by the drive to experience high levels of excitement, desperation for money, the entertaining but also intoxicating casino atmosphere, and the tempting social status of a successful gambler. No matter how it starts, once a betting or casino addiction develops, it is difficult or impossible to recover without the services of a professional.

Someone with a severe gambling problem may feel desperate to earn back what’s been lost. Once a person finally wins, and even if it’s a huge win, it’s almost never enough to cover the losses. And if it is, the temptation to place just one more bet, and one more after that, is irresistible. Problem gamblers rarely break even.

How Gambling Affects Your Body

From a medical point of view, wagering stimulates the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol. Experts associate problem gambling with a dopamine release of up to 10 times the normal amount. Continuous exposure to high levels of dopamine can cause the body to develop tolerance and inhibit natural production of the hormone. That’s why, if you are addicted to gambling, your body needs more and more of the stimulating activity to get to the same level of excitement. Problem gamblers can’t help placing higher bets and pursuing riskier ventures. It’s the only way to recapture the pleasure they once experienced.

Recent studies have shown that compulsive gamblers and drug users share certain genetic predispositions related to reward-seeking and impulsivity. No matter how determined they may be to quit, members of both groups deal with withdrawal symptoms when trying to step away, whether they’re fighting drug addiction or betting addiction.

Signs of Gambling Addiction

Often referred to as a hidden illness, a gambling disorder lacks the obvious symptoms associated with drug or alcohol addiction. While compulsive gamblers often minimise or completely deny the problem – even to themselves – there are a few symptoms that indicate something is wrong. The most distinctive sign of a gambling problem is the feeling that you can’t stop. If you are always tempted to place just one more bet or you get anxious when thinking about quitting, it’s likely that you are addicted to gambling.

Here are some of the most common symptoms that indicate a gambling disorder:

Having an obsessive preoccupation with gambling
Risking increasing amounts of money just to get the same thrill
Unsuccessfully attempting to control, cut back, or stop gambling
Have an unsettled feeling when unable to gamble
Gambling to relieve feelings of helplessness or to escape problems
Attempting to get out of gambling debt by placing another bet
Jeopardising important relationships or losing career opportunities
Resorting to theft or fraud to get gambling money
Feeling the need to be secretive about gambling
Having family and friends worried about you
Gambling even when you can’t afford to lose

The main difference between casual players and problem gamblers is the level of control they have over the activity. Unlike those who enjoy sports betting or poker nights with friends from time to time, gambling addicts are unable to set a limit or walk away even when they are losing. In other words, what defines a gambling disorder is that problem players become so absorbed in gambling activities that they pursue them compulsively and neglect or deny the negative consequences.

FAQ

Why is gambling addictive?

From a scientific point of view, gambling issues can dramatically affect the way our brain sends chemical messages. Placing a bet stimulates the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol. Problem gamblers experience dopamine releases of up to 10 times the normal amount as their bodies develop tolerance to natural dopamine levels. The gambling addict’s brain becomes conditioned to want more and more stimulation each time before triggering a rewarding pleasurable feeling. Experts believe that most compulsive gamblers have psychological or genetic predispositions that make them prone to addiction.

How can you tell if someone has a gambling problem?

Are you worried that someone close to you has a gambling problem, but you don’t know what to look for? While gambling behaviour is often very well hidden, learning about gambling addiction symptoms can help you decide whether you should take action to help a friend or family member. Be on the lookout for changes in the gambler’s finances, mood swings, and the way they spend their time.

In addition to money missing from bank accounts, financial warning signs include taking out loans, failing to pay bills, keeping food cupboards bare, and selling valuables and other household items.

Behavioural signs include low performance at work, being withdrawn from social events, seeming upset for no reason, feeling depressed or frustrated, and trying to control or manipulate others.

In addition to spending more and more time gambling, a problem gambler may also be secretive about frequent absences, take a lot of sick days or time off, and run late even for important commitments.

Is gambling a mental illness?

When discussing the effects of gambling in the context of mental health, it’s important to understand the difference between sensible players and problem gamblers. People gamble for a variety of reasons – such as the adrenaline high, the competitive element, the potential financial reward, or an escape from stress and other worries. All of us have different genetic and psychological predispositions for developing addictions. While playing casino games or betting moderately is not a problem for most people, excessive gambling can eventually turn into a disorder and can be harmful to mental health.

How can I stop a gambling addiction?

More than 2% of the world’s population either have gambling problems or have experienced hardships associated with this type of addiction. If you are looking for advice on how to avoid gambling, we suggest you start with learning about the disorder to understand it better. Given that a single approach won’t work for everyone, experts suggest a combined approach to help you or someone you care about avoid or recover from an addiction. In addition to learning about the problem, you could also join a support group, avoid temptation, think about the consequences, find alternatives to gambling, and seek professional help.