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Nevertheless, we want to stress that gambling is allowed only for users of 18 years of age and older and that real money online and offline gambling games should be played only for entertainment and leisure. It should also be done responsibly, as excessive gambling can be addictive.
If you think that gaming is becoming a problem for you or your loved one, please take note of the resources available to help you better understand the problem and potentially receive help.
Problem Gambling Recognition and Prevention
Irregardless of whether you play regularly or rarely for leisure, a disorder that might lead to problem gambling can still manifest itself.
Various organizations have offered up criteria on recognizing and diagnosing gambling disorders. The following criteria are those used by the American Psychiatric Association, and are present in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (better known as DSM-5):
- The individual needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to feel the desired excitement from playing.
- Attempts to cut down or stop playing cause restlessness or irritability.
- They have repeatedly failed in efforts to control or stop their gaming.
- They are often preoccupied with gambling.
- Gambling is used as a way of dealing with feelings of distress.
- They chase their losses, betting more in order to try and recover money that has been lost.
- They lie to loved ones in order to conceal how much they gamble.
- Their betting activities have either jeopardized or caused the loss of a major relationship, job, or educational opportunity.
- They have relied on others to provide them money in order to cover their financial obligations after losing money through gaming.
- Simply exhibiting one or two of these behaviors on occasion may not be enough to suggest a serious issue, but if several of these apply to you, then you may have a problem. A disorder is considered mild if at least four of these criteria are met; six criteria make for a moderate disorder, while eight or more indicate a severe issue.
If you are unsure if such a diagnosis applies to you, there are resources you can use to help you determine this. Remember that there are various methods for self-assessment, for example, the one provided by the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling here.
Getting Help
If you believe that either you or someone close to you has a gambling problem, it is important to understand that this is a disease that can be treated like any other. Most jurisdictions that offer legal gaming have put systems into place that provide resources to help those in need.
Gamblers Anonymous and Bettors Anonymous are two popular and free organizations that offer meeting for those that seek help all over the world, while Gam-Anon provides the support for family members of a person with a gambling issue.
It could also be helpful to seek out a clinician who specializes in dealing with problem gambling.
If you’re unsure whether you have an addiction or not, you may have reached the point where you cannot properly assess your ability to control your gaming experiences. Even if you are not 100% sure, you should still consider adding yourself to self-exclusion lists of online or physical gambling establishments that could prevent you from playing in an irrational state of mind. Inclusion in such lists that can legally prevent you from entering or logging into a casino, let alone bet money.