What is Gambling?

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Gambling involves wagering something of value on a random event with the intent to win another item of value. It includes games of chance such as casino gambling, sports betting and lotteries. In addition to these common forms of gambling, the term may also be used to describe activities such as online poker or DIY investing. A person is considered to be a problem gambler when their involvement with gambling causes adverse personal, family or social consequences.

Although many people enjoy gambling for social or financial reasons, a small number become severely involved with it. This behaviour is characterized by compulsive urges to engage in gambling and an inability to control those impulses, despite serious negative personal, family and financial consequences. A psychiatric diagnosis of pathological gambling (PG) is currently available for those who experience this kind of gambling disorder.

Unlike some other substance abuse disorders, which have well-established criteria for diagnosis, the symptoms of PG remain somewhat unclear. The criteria in the DSM-IV-TR include: (1) a preoccupation with gambling and an inability to control it; (2) an anticipation phase before making a bet that is accompanied by subjective excitement and physiological arousal; (3) loss chasing, which is the tendency to continue to gamble in order to try to recoup lost funds; and (4) lying to family members, therapists, employers or others about the extent of one’s gambling involvement (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

There are several different theories as to why some people develop an addictive gambling disorder. These include genetic factors, a lack of reward-processing capacity in the brain, boredom susceptibility, impulsivity, a poor understanding of probability and a need to escape from stress.