Gambling addiction – do you have a gambling problem? check list

In short, a gambling addiction is if you are addicted to playing casinos or sports games etc. They can be online or offline games.

• Short definition of gambling addiction: Dependency on games.

If you want to know if you have a problem, read the following 20 questions, drafted by Online-gambling.co.uk via extensive research from books on the subject. If you answer yes to more than half the questions, you should take a break from gambling. You have, in other words, a gambling problem, and can be described as an addict.

1. Has gambling taken up time that would otherwise have been spent at e.g. work or school?
   
2. Have you ever played for money to finance unpaid debt or bills?
   
3. Does gambling sometimes make you indifferent to your family's needs?
   
4. Do you have problems sleeping because of gambling?
   
5. Have you ever committed or considered committing a criminal act in order to finance the cost of gambling?
   
6. Have you ever borrowed money to finance the cost of gambling?
   
7. Has gambling resulted in your home life becoming more conflictive?
   
8. Has gambling affected your reputation?
   
9. Do you feel guilty after gambling?
   
10. Has gambling led to you lowering your ambitions?
    
11. When you lose a game, do you then feel the need to continue with a new game to try to win the money back?
    
12. If you win a lot of money, have you in the hours and days that follow the win had a major need to gamble repeatedly?
    
13. Do you often gamble all your money?
    
14. Have you ever sold or pawned personal belongings to get money for gambling?
    
15. Do you feel reluctant to spend money on everyday costs such as food, clothes, water etc. because you think the money should be spent on gambling instead?
    
16. Do you often play for much longer than you had planned?
    
17. Have you ever spent time gambling to forget worries or problems?
    
18. Do frustrations, arguments or disappointments often lead you to gamble to forget?
    
19. Do you use gambling for money as a way to “reward” yourself?
    
20. Have you ever considered harming yourself or had suicidal thoughts after gambling?
    

The best way to tackle your gambling problem is to speak openly about it with friends and family. If this does not work, there are currently many rehabilitation courses you can join. These are courses that, just as courses for alcoholism, will teach you to live with your gambling problem.

There is help out there for you too.