gambling is one of the most common addictions in the western world. But what exactly do we know about pathological gambling, and are we prepared for this growing form of psychological disorder?

Gambling or addiction: a form of addiction without drugs

Neither gambling nor its associated problems are new in our society. Gambling for pleasure, leisure or gainful objectives has been present since our earliest trials. As old as gambling is pathological gambling ; the latter is understood as the loss of control over games of chance in which bets are made, such as slot machines, bingos, casinos or coupons, sports betting and private games.

Fernandez-Montalvo and López-Goñi (2012) describe the pathological player as emotionally dependent on the game, with loss of control and its corresponding negative effect on their daily lives. This dependence may be generated by the false expectation of winning to recover what has been lost; cognitive distortion or erroneous thinking that maintains the spiral of the game . Lies and concealment of play is another major observable feature of this disorder.

Since gambling is a normalized social behavior, in the pathological or gambler ludopath increases both in frequency of episodes (usually daily) and fortune gambled (mainly economic); involved in games of chance, destroying his family and work life . In fact, the word gambling comes from the Latin ludus, ‘juego’, and from the Greek patheia, ‘ailment’ or ‘condition’; that is, “pathological gambling” (Capetillo-Ventura, Jalil-Pérez, 2014).

Pathological gambling is a relatively common disorder, as it is estimated that approximately 5% of adults will experience gambling problems (A.P.A, 1980). Epidemiological data indicate that four out of five adults (78.4%) have gambled at least once in their lives. 27.1% have gambled more than 100 times; and 10.1% more than 1000 (Kesseler et al., 2008). Pathological gambling has been studied mainly in men, since approximately two thirds of people with this disorder are men (A.P.A., 2002). However, it was not until 1980 that pathological gambling was recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Society (A.P.A.), in the DSM-III (Potenza, 2008; Albiach, 2006; Fernandez-Montalvo and López-Goñi, 2012). Thus, it is a relatively new disorder in the field of research compared to substance use disorders (Carragher & McWilliams, 2010). In addition to its recognition, it may be one of the most studied disorders in recent decades (Fernandez-Montalvo & López-Goñi, 2012).

Slot machine: the game that has ruined the most lives

The slot machines , is par excellence the most played game of chance in Spain. This is due, according to Fernández-Montalvo and Echeburúa (1997) to:

  1. The wide diffusion of slot machines
  2. The possibility of betting little money and winning a lot in proportion to the bet.
  3. The short interval between the bet and the result.
  4. Manipulating the machine personally by generating a false sense of control .
  5. The striking elements of noise and light that generate psychophysiological alteration .

The course of gambling tends to become chronic and , so it is difficult for it to remit, that is, for the person to stop playing, if not with psychological intervention (Fernández-Montalvo and López-Goñi, 2012). As in other addiction disorders without substance (food, internet, work), the person has the false belief of controlling his problem, and being able to stop without help.

Gambling: a look into the future

It is possible that the growing interest in this problem is due to an increase in the number of gambling addicts; the seriousness of the problems derived from gambling; and its expansion to new technologies through the Internet, thus generating greater accessibility . With respect to this last point, we should highlight the multiple online games that are emerging every day, both via PC (for example: through the famous flashy mini-games on Facebook) and via video console (new and yet incomplete games with dlc or downloadable content). We still don’t know to what extent the player’s investments in obtaining the ‘dlc or enhancements’ in these types of games will increase, but we do count on the fact that the gaming industries invest time in generating in their clients the need to pay to obtain these ‘enhancements’.

Nor should we forget the games called ‘ aza games r ‘ which are also available online. The novelty here is that these games are available to minors, unlike years ago when there was no such thing as a pay-as-you-go game and during the game more payouts (previously you paid for your entire game only once). Could this be a new precursor to gambling in the years to come? Young people who normalize the payout to play . Could it be that slot machine technology is improving extraordinarily and people are still joining in gambling? And could it be that people end up seeing it as ‘normal’ that other people play or invest a large part of their money in their games, as has been the case with excessive mobile phone use?

As we can see, it’s not just a question of money, but of time spent on this one. It’s a question of not doing your daily tasks, not taking care of your partner, friends, work or other fundamental aspects because you prioritize the game in your life.

The Department of Health indicates that 95% of adolescents over the age of 15 in the Valencian Community have a mobile phone with Internet, thus favouring the addictive behaviour associated with pathological gambling. Tomás (2014) explains: “there is a fact that we would like to denounce from the Valencian Institute of Gaming -the first one specialized in this subject- in Spain. We think it is very serious that minors are allowed to bet in bars where there are gambling machines. We know that the situation is happening and it cannot be allowed”. With more and more adolescents coming to treatment for gambling problems (Fernández-Montalvo and López-Goñi, 2012), this is reason enough to promote good use and control of new technologies as an effective intervention.

Testimony of a gambler

In a report made by EiTB , the valuable testimony of José Manuel, a Spaniard who suffered from gambling addiction, was provided. He explains how he experienced gambling in his own flesh and how he managed to get out of it. Here is the video.