• Signs He Has A Gambling Problem Occurred
• Signs Of A Gambling Addiction
• Help With Gambling Problem

Gambling is a problem most people never expect to have. There’s nothing wrong with having a couple of beers and putting some change in the pokies but when gambling becomes excessive and the cash starts to run out, gambling can cause other serious problems like depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and homelessness. Problem gambling has a broad severity spectrum and its cause appears to be related to several factors. Below are some of the more common signs and symptoms of compulsive gambling: Gambling to calm nerves, forget worries, or reduce depression Losing interest in other things. Gambling problems share many similarities with other addictive disorders. However, there are no visible signs or physical changes that will indicate a gambling problem. Here are common behavioural, emotional, health and financial signs of problem gambling: Behavioural signs. The individual: Stops doing things he or she previously enjoyed. Common signs of addiction include, but are not limited to, the following: Feeling the need to be secretive about gambling; Having trouble controlling gambling habits; Gambling when you cannot afford to; Your friends and family express concern about your gambling; Of course, as with any other addiction, the hallmark sign of a gambling problem is. Betting on unusual games doesn’t necessarily mean your loved one has a problem, but it’s a good sign that something may be amiss. Emotional highs and lows Gambling addiction has the ability to produce something akin to bipolar disorder in people who are severely engaged.

You can’t stop

Compulsive gamblers struggle with both the time and money they’re spending. Gambling becomes part of their lives, and their find themselves constantly wagering. It is like smoking you want to stop doing that but you can’t because it becomes an addiction. They can’t stop doing that.

You gamble with money you can’t afford to lose
Problem gamblers use money for payments such as their children’s school, bills, etc. They spend their money and even lend it. The psychologist Stacy interviewed said one of his patients had borrowed money from sources so unsavory, he’d put his family’s safety at risk. They are not conscious that they can lose everything, and if they have a family and they lose everything they will get more stressed.

Your bets go beyond entertainment
Some people play for fun, spend a few dollars to have a good time. Gambling addicts Make bets for entertainment only, other people do it to distract themselves from their problems or other types of problems. They can have many problems, but going to bet is not going to get you out of your problems but you will feel more stressed over time.

You gamble with more and more money
Addictions start simply for once you are invited or a reason for those. Gambling addicts dont like to have limits, they need to bet more and more to experience the rush.

You put gambling before more important things
It is clear that an addiction is when you can not stop doing it, then when it is transformed into an addiction you may choose to go more to play than to be with your family, or put first to play that other things you should really Give more importance.

Gambling negatively affects your emotions
While gambling can be an exhilarating experience, addicts might experience emotions signaling a problem, including:

Frustration or irritation when you’ve tried to quit and failed

Feelings of remorse

A decrease in ambition

An urge to celebrate an unrelated event by gambling

Trull, J., & News, M. T. (2013, January 26). 8 signs you’re addicted to gambling. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/8-signs-youre-addicted-to-gambling-2013-1?IR=T

Cover photo reference: http://www.addictions.com/wp-content/uploads/gambling-problem-250×166.jpg

Regina Gomez

This is a question I admit I pondered recently as I found myself browsing betting websites searching for football matches from the Macao league. However, I take great care to monitor my wins and losses, try to only bet on value games, and make sure it doesn’t interfere with my life. Sadly, there are thousands of people in the UK alone who can’t say the same.

An article by The Guardian back in 2017 cited a report from the UK Gambling Commission which stated that there were at least 430,000 problem gamblers in Britain. Furthermore, it found up to two million people are at risk of gambling addiction. These are troubling figures, especially given how easy it is to bet online.

Then there is the small matter of betting adverts that appear everywhere. It is now impossible to watch a sporting event without seeing some fallen celebrity hawking the services of a major betting firm. Sports like horse racing and greyhound racing only exist in their present form because of gambling; but should betting firms be allowed to rub it in our faces?

We have already reached the tipping point in my opinion. Gambling is now ubiquitous; a far cry from a generation ago when people would clandestinely sidle into a bookmaking shop to place the odd bet. These days, any betting shop I peek my head into in the UK is filled with ‘down on their luck’ individuals, usually in their late teens to early twenties, who lose their money on those wretched Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).

Do I Have a Problem?

Hopefully, most of the people who read this will never have an issue with gambling, but it sneaks up on you quickly. I would surmise that people with a risk-taking personality are more susceptible to the allure of gambling. Interestingly, studies have shown that the pleasure centres in the brain are even more active in the immediate aftermath of placing a bet than when you win!

It can happen to anyone. Tony O’Reilly was a postmaster in Wicklow, Ireland, and his first ever bet was a £1 wager which won at odds of over 40/1. He was in his mid-twenties and had shown no interest in betting before. However, he was enveloped in a terrible addiction that resulted in him stealing from work, losing €1.75 million, and spending time in jail; his marriage also fell apart.

Another ‘ordinary bloke’ named Jason Haddigan became hooked on FOBTs, but only after losing money betting on sports, and three separate prison stints. He came across FOBTs aged 30 and became addicted because the machine allowed you to place a bet every few seconds. He bet hundreds of pounds each time and lost at least £300,000 in total. His addiction also led to four failed relationships and a suicide attempt.

You’ll doubtless read information on problem gambling elsewhere but if you don’t here are a few warning signs.

1. You Will Bet on Anything

Signs He Has A Gambling Problem Occurred

I once heard a story about a footballer from the 1970s who would bet £50 on which raindrop would fall to the ground first! (That was a lot of money back then and still is to a lot of people today.) Addicts become obsessed with betting to the point where they begin wagering on whatever sport happens to be on at the time.

In Tony O’Reilly’s book, Tony 10, he provides an in-depth look at what he used to bet on. Aside from well-researched bets, he would bet €20,000 on random tennis matches in the small hours of the morning. If you eschew research and strategy just to have a dabble, you probably have an issue.

2. Gambling Consumes You

Addicts don’t care if a nuclear war has just started, they have to get their fix and to hell with everything else. If you start missing work, or social events because of your gambling obsession, it is safe to say you are in a hole.

One common thread in every story of betting addiction is the breakdown of human relationships. Tony drifted apart from his wife; Jason did the same with every woman he crossed paths with romantically.

3. Chasing Your Losses

This is arguably the trait that lands most problem gamblers in the mire. It is one thing placing a failed bet or hitting a losing streak; it is quite another to abandon your strategy and begin to chase losses. What usually happens is that the addict bets increasingly larger amounts to the point where they lose so much that financial ruin awaits.

Like Tony and Jason, they start stealing to feed their habit. They don’t care if the money comes from friends, family, co-workers, or the cash register of their employer. Addicts always claim they are seeking one more big win before quitting. In reality, this win hardly ever comes, and when it does, they just end up losing it all. Tony lost almost €500,000 in a weekend after winning it all just days previously for example.

Signs Of A Gambling Addiction

4. Lying

When you have a gambling addiction, you prefer if it remains in the shadows. As a result, you start lying to friends and family about the extent of your addiction, and you certainly downplay your losses. In Tony’s case, he was gambling while getting married in Cyprus, and lied to his new bride about it!

5. Gambling to Forget

Addicts tend to bet as a distraction. They may hate their job, be trapped in an unloving relationship, or simply living a life without joy. Regardless, they gamble to forget their worries and escape from reality.

Final Thoughts on Gambling Addiction

We no longer live in an age where a gambling addict will only be spotted in the vicinity of a betting shop. The ease of online gambling means it is incredibly easy to bet on anything you like; from sports to reality TV, there seems to be a market for everything.

You could be living a decent life when suddenly, the betting demon grabs hold of you. Unlike drug addiction, there is seldom any physical sign barring perhaps tiredness from sleepless nights. It doesn’t take long for the illness to take hold and completely ruin your life.

If you suspect that a friend or family member is exhibiting signs of gambling addiction, talk with them and offer to get them help before it is too late. Contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or check out the Gambler’s Anonymous website.

Help With Gambling Problem

Unfortunately, the betting industry is horrendously regulated, and bookies don’t worry too much about you. They’ll take your money all day long, but they won’t be there to help you climb back out should you find yourself at the bottom of a hole.