Responsible Gambling

Responsible gaming is a concept in the land-based and online casino communities that promotes fairness in the industry and tools to help gamblers maintain good habits. A gambling operator who promotes responsible gambling is one who maintains a fair gaming environment, as well as access to self-exclusion lists and panic button technology.

Beyond that, regional organizations and industry groups promote responsible gaming initiatives. For instance, the American Gaming Association organizes Responsible Gaming Education Week each week.

Regulated Gambling

In US states with regulated gambling, state laws encourage casinos and gaming operators to institute responsible gaming measures. Thus, many US states have their own responsible gaming initiatives. These include state-level self-exclusion lists, legal gambling ages, reliable payment options, and other preventive measures like bet limits.

Due to successive studies over the years, researchers and pathologists have sketched a picture of the Compulsive Gambler Personality. While anyone can become a problem gambler — billionaires have lost everything due to gambling addiction — certain factors heighten the risk of pathological or problem gambling.

• Pathological Gambling Prevalence: Pathological gamblers are described as people who cannot control the urge to gamble and face significant consequences for their inability to control their gambling. According to Calado and Griffiths, pathological gambling rates range between 0.1% and 6%, depending on the nation and demographic.
• Problem Gambling: Problem gamblers are considered less serious or “subclinical” gamblers who control gambling compulsion most of the time, but are at risk of becoming pathological gamblers. The same researchers suggest that this group comprises two to three times more gamblers than those considered pathological.
• At-Risk Groups: Some people have elevated risks of becoming gambling addicts. Across regions and cultures, males, young adults, low-income people, and non-married people have the highest risk of becoming compulsive gamblers. Other factors which heighten the risk of problem gambling is unemployed status, lack of formal education, and high-deprivation neighborhoods. Indigenous groups and some ethnic minority groups also face higher prevalence rates.
• Mental Health Disorders: Studies in 2005 and 2016 showed that both pathological gambling and problem gambling have a high comorbidity rate with other mental health disorders. This is particularly true of substance abuse disorders. Finally, gambling addiction disorder overlaps with a range of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders.
• High Relapse Rates: Having a history of gambling addiction also leads to a heightened risk of compulsive gambling. Among the population of current problem gamblers, between one-half to two-thirds became problem gamblers in the last calendar year. Of these “new” problem gamblers, somewhere between one-third and two-thirds were gambling addicts in the past.
• Mental Disorder: Gaming Disorder is an Official Mental Illness. At the 72nd World Health Assembly that took place on May 25, 2019, the World Health Organization officially declared gaming disorder an illness. Scientists and therapists in most countries worldwide consider gaming disorder a medical condition.

As a percentage, the population of the United States falls into the middle ground among gambling addiction rates. The land-based USA gambling industry is massive, including hundreds of commercial casinos, hundreds of tribal casinos, and 45 US states with lottery gambling. Researchers believe that 2.6% of the US population — or roughly 10 million Americans — deal with some level of problem gambling in a year.

Online Gambling and Technology

Online gambling has increased year-on-year for the last two-plus decades. These days, mobile gambling has overtaken online gambling as Americans’ favorite way to gamble online. While desktop devices (PCs and laptops) comprise 40% of online gambling, a variety of smartphones and tablet computers make up the remaining 60%.

• Geographic Factors in Gambling Addiction: Studies have shown that gambling addiction is most prominent in Nevada. Given its connection to Las Vegas and Reno. This might suggest that proximity to gambling is a risk factor. On the other hand, it might suggest that gambling venues draw a higher number of gambling addicts.
• Demographic Factors in Gambling Addiction: Multiple studies have shown that men are more prone to gambling addiction than women. The increased accessibility due to technology — mobile gambling and online gambling — and cultural shifts could change this dynamic over time.

Gambling addiction has no single cause. Certain traits act as risk factors for compulsive gambling, much like there are risk factors for other types of addiction. Through successive studies over the past decades, researchers have isolated the following problem gambling risk factors.

• Gender: Outside of one or two European countries, statistics show that men are more likely to develop gambling addiction than women. Explanations range from social norms about risk-taking to the presence of more testosterone in males.
• Age: People in the 18 to 25 age range are more prone to problem gambling. Scientific research shows the human brain is not fully developed until the age 25, so there are biological reasons for more compulsive behavior.
• Mental Disorders: Those suffering from mental disorders like OCD and ADHD are more prone to addictive behavior than those without such disorders. Those with bipolar disorder are more likely to gamble when in a manic phase.
• Existing Addictions: Those prone to alcohol addiction, drug addiction, and substance abuse are more likely to engage in compulsive gambling. Studies have shown that video game addiction and shopping addiction overlap with gambling addiction, too.
• Surrounding Influences: Setting has a role. As mentioned earlier, high-deprivation neighborhoods have more gambling addiction. Also, statistics show that the children and spouses of gambling addicts have a higher rate of becoming compulsive gamblers themselves.
• Personality Traits: People of a competitive, impulsive, or workaholic nature are more prone to gambling addiction. People who are more prone to risk-taking are more likely to show problem gambling behavior.

Most casual gamblers stop when losing. Many set limits on how much they’ll lose, either by having a set bankroll, a loss limit, or a win goal. People dealing with compulsive gambling cannot set limits. Over time, this pattern becomes increasingly destructive. Here are signs your loved one has a gambling problem.

• Preoccupation with Gambling: Constantly planning gambling activities or planning how to get money for gambling.
• Escapism Through Gambling: Escaping one’s problems through gambling activities. Their escape might be from anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness, or guilt.
• Gambling Escalation: Needing to gamble more money in order to get the same thrill.
• Chasing Losses: Trying to get back money lost through gambling activities. Going on tilt or chasing lost bets.
• Successive Attempts to Stop: Try to stop gambling or cut back on one’s gambling without success.
• Lying About Gambling Activities: Lying to family and loved ones about the extent of their gambling is a red flag.
• Restlessness Without Gambling: Irritability, restlessness, or angst when not gambling.
• Bailouts for Gambling Debts: Asking friends and loved ones for cash to bail them out of financial trouble due to gambling debts.

Whether you are a gambling addict or someone close to a compulsive gambler, the healing process requires a specific approach. Learn how others have gotten help for their gambling addiction.

How Gambling Addicts Get Better

• Overcome Denial: You might deny gambling addiction at first, but admitting it helps relieve the angst. If you confront a gambling addict, expect a denial at first.
• Acceptance: Acceptance opens the door for solutions. For those confronting a gambling addict, work to a breakthrough where the addict admits their addiction. Show patience and empathy.
• Ask for Help: Whether through a helpline, a hotline, or a therapist, a gambling addict should seek outside help.
• Take Action: Therapy and counseling help. If an addict doesn’t have the money for therapy, they should join Gamblers Anonymous or another therapy group.

How to Help a Gambling Addict

• Protect Yourself: Before you confront a gambling addict, make certain you are safe from bodily harm. Group interventions might help.
• Get Help & Support: Have a gambling addict speak with a helpline first. It might be easier to speak to a stranger. Once a breakthrough happens, widen the circle with support from other people close to the addict.
• Plan a Strategy: Plan a strategy to handle financial matters. Get a plan to have someone monitor the addict’s finances to assure they stick with the plan. Restrict cash flow and online payments. A financial strategy combats feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
• Prepare for Setbacks: Gambling addicts can be manipulative when their urge to gamble is thwarted. Some can become angry and violent. Don’t expect a straight line path to recovery.

Gambling Addiction Test

Gamblers Anonymous has a 20-question gambling addiction test. If someone you confront denies the problem, have them take the test to determine if they qualify. If the term Gamblers Anonymous sets them off, print off the questions to avoid triggering them.

While loved ones are an essential part of recovery, most gambling addicts need a certain level of professional treatment to get better. Now that it’s seen as a medical condition, treatment centers exist across America. These groups also can help.

• Gamblers Anonymous
• Gambling Addiction Hotline
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Some cities and states have their own dedicated gambling hotlines. Those who need additional help with their compulsive gambling should call the US hotline nearest you.

Gambling is entertainment. It is supposed to be fun, thrilling, and positive. People should not gamble for a paycheck. They should not gamble as an escape from life. People under 18 should not gamble. The essence of responsible gaming is that losses should be an entertainment cost — not a factor in your day-to-day life.

If you believe that you or a loved one engages in problem gambling, find help. Learn the risk factors and warning signs of gambling addiction, then take steps to find help and healing. Gambling should not be an obstacle to a better life.

The mission of Gamble Online is to help people find the best online gambling sites. Its goal is to help players gamble responsibly. If you have a problem, learn more at these gambling addiction resources.

• Gambling Therapy
• National Council on Problem Gambling