A Brief History
Established in 2016 as a leading source for all things related to gaming, Casino Guardian strives to be at the forefront where responsible gambling is concerned. That is why it presents to readers an infographic that tackles the subject of problem gambling, and more particularly, the symptoms of gambling addiction.
Digging Deeper
Gambling addiction, also referred to as compulsive gambling or pathological gambling, is a serious impulse-control disorder that has severe negative effects on the affected and their loved ones. People from all walks of life can develop this condition, regardless of whether they wager on sports and casino games or play the lottery.
Those who suffer from this disorder find it impossible to control the urge to gamble, even when their actions disrupt their lives and the lives of those around them. With that said, there are certain risk factors associated with compulsive gambling, including disorders like manic depression, substance abuse, genetic predisposition, and even the use of specific medication.
Problem gambling is not an easy addiction to overcome but still, there are plenty of things the affected can do to regain control over their lives. The first step is to recognise and acknowledge the problem.
CasinoGuardian’s infographic features ten common symptoms of compulsive gambling, including continual stake increase, chasing losses, hiding one’s problem from family and friends, decreased workplace efficiency, and borrowing/stealing money to gamble, among others.
To clearly demonstrate how gambling can escalate from a fun form of diversion to an unhealthy compulsion, CasinoGuardian has structured the infographic about the first signs of gambling addiction in ascending order. The less serious signs (if one may call them so) are listed first before they proceed with the more dire consequences a compulsive gambler is faced with.
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you consider gambling addiction an illness? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Courtwright, David T. The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press, 2019.
The featured image in this article, the shadow of a man gambling online, is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.