Problem Gambling

• The person has made many attempts to stop, reduce and control their gambling activities. When they aren’t gambling, the person is unhappy and ill-tempered.
• A person with a gambling problem will lie to their family, doctors or anyone else to hide their gambling activities. Lying becomes a habit.
• Problem gamblers will borrow money from their friends and family and will lie about the extent of their financial problems. They will get second mortgages, loans, cash in life insurance, and anything else they can to get money to gamble.
• Problem gamblers will commit crimes like fraud, forgery, theft and embezzlement to get money to gamble. They lose the understanding of the value of money and see money as a tool to use to gamble more.
• They will ruin and lose important personal relationships, jobs, opportunities as a result of gambling. Problem gambling will sometimes cause them to consider or even attempt suicide.
• After they gamble problem gamblers will feel disgrace, guilt and remorse. They will be manipulative and tend to try to control the people around them. Problem gambling causes them to become depressed, sarcastic, angry, critical and easily irritated.
• Problem gambling causes them to lie about their activities. They will make excuses to avoid going home or to work. Many use gambling as a way to cope with the stresses of daily life.
• When there is a crisis, they will gamble and will gamble to reward their good fortune.
• Problem gamblers brag about their winnings and avoid discussing their losses.
• They have a poor sense of entitlement and think that the world owes them. They think they should be entitled to something for nothing.