Problem gambling, compulsive gambling and gambling addictions are terms used to describe urges felt by certain people, to gamble despite facing negative consequences as a result of gambling. However the term ‘compulsive gambler’ is deemed unsuitable by many professionals due to the fact that few problem gamblers show true compulsive tendencies. Likewise, the term ‘gambling addict’ isn’t recognised by the American Psychological Association as problem gambling is considered to be an impulse control disorder and therefore not an addiction.

Whatever you want to call it, to some people problem gambling can lead to years of misery and loss with people taking their own live or worse still, being killed in the most extreme cases of problem gambling. Some people go for years not wanting to acknowledge that they have a problem with gambling, much like many alcoholics do. The first step to recovery for any problem gambler is to identify and acknowledge that they have a problem. If somebody won’t admit to themselves that they have a problem they cannot be helped.

For the largest majority of people gambling is an exciting pastime which, win or lose, is an entertaining fun activity but for some people, win or lose, they want to play on. This desire is initially unexplainable to the gambler, who is often overtaken with a rush from adrenaline but over time, without proper help and guidance the problem gambler can be consumed by a need to chase the feeling of placing the bet.

Due to the ever-increasing accessibility of gambling via mobile phones and the internet there has been a rise in the number of cases of problem gambling across the world. The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 found that 0.6% of the UK population had a problem with gambling, however the largest majority of these were financial gamblers making fixed odds financial bets and spread bets. This doesn’t mean that the ‘man on the street’ is immune to problem gambling. The birth of the internet and the arrival of online casinos, poker sites, forex trading platforms, online spread betting companies, online bingo sites, online lotteries, online slots and just about every other form of online gambling site has meant that there is more opportunity to gamble than ever before and it is more accessible than ever before too. You can now play at an online casino throughout the day and night without stepping foot outside of your door.

If you suspect that you have a problem with excessive and uncontrolled gambling you should take a break immediately. Set a fixed amount of time in which you deliberately ban yourself from partaking in any form of gambling. If you succeed in this simple task you should have a renewed faith in your ability to control your gambling. Should you fail to adhere to your self-imposed ban then you must test yourself again. Take a break from all gambling for a couple of days and if you still find yourself unable to stop gambling you should speak to a professional guidance organisation such as Gamblers Anonymous.