What's Problem Gambling?

Games of chance are among the oldest forms of entertainment.
Recreational gamblers play for pleasure and do so from time to time, betting a controlled amount of money. They can stop gambling whenever they want.
For Professional Gamblers, gambling is a way of life, a professional activity betting their money deliberately on those games they feel they can control, based more on the calculations of probability than on passion or sudden impulse.
And there is another group of people, between 0.5% and 1.5% of the adult population for whom gambling becomes an obsession, a necessity. Those people are ‘Problem Gamblers’. They can’t stop gambling, even if they lose all their money and jobs and ruin their relationships with their families and friends. While most gambling does not hurt, problem gambling is a compulsive disorder that leads to addiction, like for alcohol or drugs.

Who's Affected?

Problem Gambling can affect almost everyone. It has an impact on people of any race, sex, age, religion and socio-economic group. The games that may cause a gambling problem are: Casino games, Horse Racing, Cards, Sports Betting, Internet Gambling, Lottery Games, Stocks and Commodities speculations, all hold the potential to cause severe problems.

Warning Signs

Below are the warning signs that indicate someone might have a Gambling Problem:

• Spending increased periods of time and amounts of money gambling
• After losing, having an urge to return as soon as possible to chase losses
• Feeling guilty or remorseful about gambling
• Being obsessed with the idea of gambling
• Increasing debts or selling assets to gamble
• Considering illegal means to finance gambling (Theft, fraud, etc)
• Neglecting work, family or friends
• Looking at gambling as a solution to financial problems
• Lying to cover up gambling and hiding the extent of gambling
• Being reluctant to spend gambling money on something else
• Gambling to escape from obligations or life’s daily pressures

Prevention

Below are some tips to avoid the risks:

• Gamble for the fun of it.
• Set yourself a loss limit and don’t exceed it.
• Don’t chase your losses. Leave. Walk away.
• Only gamble with money set aside for entertainment, never with money for everyday expenses.
• Set a time period and respect it.
• Never borrow money to gamble.
• Take frequent breaks and avoid the venue.
• Don’t gamble to escape problems or when highly stressed
• Balance gambling with other activities and keep up other interests and hobbies.

Help

Self Help: As a Problem Gambler, you may first try to engage in a SELF HELP PROGRAM before attending face-to-face counseling.
Here are some tips:

• Stop denying the problem exists, be honest, first with yourself then with others
• Find someone you trust to talk about your problem
• Manage your financial pressures and ask someone you trust to handle your money for an agreed period of time
• Keep a gambling diary that will help you identify patterns and trends in your gambling behavior. Make a list of circumstances and events that trigger your desire to gamble and then look for other ways to manage your feelings.
• Find leisure activities to replace gambling. Exercising is a good way to burn off stress. Learn relaxation techniques, like meditation or yoga.
• Spend extra time with your family and friends
• Reward yourself after a period free of gambling by spending some of the money you have saved on yourself.
• Try to avoid the venue to break the gambling habit.
• Remain positive even when it gets hard and don’t expect everything to improve in one day. It might be a long struggle to overcome a gambling dependency. Some gamblers find it impossible to go back without losing control while others at a later stage are able to return to controlled gambling.