Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful
negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many
professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term
experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem
gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or
others, rather than by the gambler's behavior. Severe problem gambling may
be diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets certain
criteria.
Pathological gambling
Extreme cases of problem gambling may cross over into the realm of mental
disorders. Pathological gambling was recognized as a psychiatric disorder in
the DSM-III, but the criteria were significantly reworked based on
large-scale studies and statistical methods for the DSM-IV. As defined by
American Psychiatric Association, pathological gambling is an impulse
control disorder that is a chronic and progressive mental illness.
Pathological gambling is now defined as persistent and recurrent maladaptive
gambling behavior meeting at least five of the following criteria, as long
as these behaviors are not better explained by a manic episode:
Preoccupation. The subject has frequent thoughts about gambling experiences,
whether past, future, or fantasy.
Tolerance. As with drug tolerance, the subject requires larger or more
frequent wagers to experience the same "rush".
Withdrawal. Restlessness or irritability associated with attempts to cease
or reduce gambling.
Escape. The subject gambles to improve mood or escape problems.
Chasing. The subject tries to win back gambling losses with more gambling.
Lying. The subject tries to hide the extent of his or her gambling by lying
to family, friends, or therapists.
Loss of control. The subject has unsuccessfully attempted to reduce
gambling.
Illegal acts. The subject has broken the law in order to obtain gambling
money or recover gambling losses.
Risked significant relationship. The subject gambles despite risking or
losing a relationship, job, or other significant opportunity.
Bailout. The subject turns to family, friends, or another third party for
financial assistance as a result of gambling.
Biological Bases. The subject has a lack of norepinephrine.
As with many disorders, the DSM-IV definition of pathological gambling is
widely accepted and used as a basis for research and clinical practice
internationally.
The most common instrument used to screen for "probable pathological
gambling" behavior is the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) developed by
Lesieur and Blume (1987) at the South Oaks Hospital in New York. This screen
is undoubtedly the most cited instrument in psychological research
literature.
Effects of Different Types of Gambling
Some forms of gambling are allegedly less harmful. According to William R.
Eadington, University of Nevada, in an article entitled "What happens to the
best laid plans: global lessons on legalization and liberation of gaming
laws", ranked from least dangerous to most dangerous are:-
Lotteries (traditional), bingo - soft gambling
Destination resort casinos
Urban or suburban casinos
Convenient Gambling: gaming devices in bars, slot machines
Ultra-Convenient Gambling: interactive television, mobile phone or internet
gambling
Incidence
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, incidence of problem
gambling is 2-3% and pathological gambling is 1% in the United States,
though this may vary by country. By contrast, 86% of Americans have gambled
in their lives and 60% gamble in a given year.
Available research seems to indicate that problem gambling is an internal
tendency, and that problem gamblers will tend to risk money on whatever game
is available, rather than a particular game being available inducing problem
gambling in otherwise "normal" individuals. However, research also indicates
that problem gamblers tend to risk money on fast-paced games. Thus a problem
gambler is much more likely to lose a lot of money on poker or slot
machines, where rounds end quickly and there is a constant temptation to
play again or increase bets, as opposed to a state lottery where the gambler
must wait until the next drawing to see results.
Dopamine agonists, in particular pramipexole (Mirapex), have been shown to
cause compulsive gambling.
Treatment
There is evidence that the SSRI paroxetine is efficent in the treatment of
pathological gambling.
Online Gambling is becoming an increasingly popular form of gambling, and there are now an estimated 1,700 gambling websites on the Internet. As well as the Internet, you can now gamble through interactive television and a mobile phone.
The convience of gambling at home, the ease of setting up an gambling account and the variety of forms of gambling - from traditional betting, to casino gambling, bingo and lotteries - makes online gambling very appealing.
However, whilst many people gamble online without any problems GamCare has started to see an increase in the amount of people contacting our helpline and counselling services who are losing control of their gambling online.
There are some factors of online gambling that could certainly increase the risk of developing a gambling problem. These are:
>The ability to gamble 24 hours a day in your own home
>The incresed risk of exposure and access by children
>The absorption of computers, leading people to lose track of time whilst gambling
>The decrease in the perception of the value of cash - i.e. players are forgetting that they are spending money
Online Tips
If you are currently gambling online or want to in the future, and are wary of the need to keep control of your gambling, the tips below should help.
>Keep track of the time that you are playing for.
>Only spend what you can afford to lose, keep track of your spend whilst playing and remember that the numbers on the screen are REAL MONEY
>Avoid chasing your losses
>If you're a parent keep your password safe, and if you wish, use software to block access to gambling sites from minors
>Look for sites with options where you can set your own spend and session limits, which should help you to control your gambling
>If you are having a problem then you can request to be self-excluded from the site. There is also software that blocks access to all online gambling sites. See www.gamblock.com for more details.