RECOGNISE PROBLEM GAMBLING

To examine your gambling habits and determine if they are out of control, there are a few questions you can ask yourself:

Frequency

• Have you tried unsuccessfully to reduce your gambling time or spending?
• Have you gambled again on another day to make up for losses?
• You feel a strong urge to play, even when you have resolved to stop.
• You spend a lot of time thinking about gaming or planning your next gaming opportunities.
• You look for ways to have more time and money to gamble, for example by lying or manipulating others.

Financial

• Do you have to continually raise your stakes to experience the same thrill?
• Have you borrowed money and not been able to pay it back because of gambling or got into debt in some other way?
• Have you sold something to get money for gambling or to pay off debts?
• Have you ever been tempted to gamble dishonestly to finance your gambling?
• You spend money on gambling that is actually meant for important expenses such as rent, bills or food.

Mental

• Are you using gambling to escape problems or other issues in your life?
• Do you experience mood swings, irritability or anxiety from gambling?
• You feel guilty or ashamed of your gambling behaviour.
• You experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness or irritability when you try not to gamble.
• You have repeatedly tried to stop or control your gambling without success.
• You continue to gamble even though you are aware of the negative consequences for your life and finances.
• You are often distracted or inattentive at work or school because you are thinking about gambling.
• You feel euphoric when gambling or experience a “rush” that makes you want to keep going.
• You have the feeling that gambling is the only thing that makes you happy or satisfied.

Social

• Do you often gamble alone and neglect work or other activities to do so?
• Do you break promises to family and friends to gamble?
• Do you feel isolated because of your gambling?
• Do you hide your gambling from important people in your life?
• Do you hide your losses from others?
• You have lost contact with friends or family members or your relationships have deteriorated because you gamble too much.

There are many ways to get help with problem gambling. Here we list organisations and services that meet these criteria. The services on offer often differ depending on the country of residence. But regardless of whether the organisation is active in your country, you can often use these tools from any country in the world without registering.

Gambleaware.org Problem Gambling Quiz (Gambleaware is a England registered charity)

GamblersAnonymous (A UK Charity)

Responsible Gambling Self-Assessment Quiz (Canada)

Gamecare Self Assement Tool 

Gordon Moody Self Assesment

If you are looking for your own organisation in your country, we advise you to simply search for “Problem Gambling” or “Problem Gambling Help” or “Problem Gambling Quiz” in your local search engine. In most cases, state or charitable gambling counselling services will appear immediately to help you on your way.