Do I Have a Gambling Problem?

Approximately 1 percent of the population has a gambling addiction. Most people can gamble for fun and stop when they want to, but people living with a gambling addiction may find it impossible to stop gambling, even after they’ve run out of money.

When most people think of addiction, they think of drugs and alcohol, but certain behaviors can be just as addictive as substances. An addiction to a behavior, like gambling, is referred to as a process addiction. People with addictions to gambling often continue to gamble despite experiencing negative consequences financially, professionally, or personally.

Some common signs of gambling addiction include:

• Placing larger, riskier bets
• Ruminating on past wins
• Using gambling as a distraction from other problems
• Hiding gambling behavior
• Social isolation
• Feeling guilty after gambling
• Failure to stop or reduce gambling
• Experiencing powerful urges to gamble

Problem Gambling Self-Assessment

If you recognize symptoms of gambling addiction in yourself, take this gambling self-assessment to learn how to tell if you have a gambling problem. This quiz is a self-guided assessment that has been created from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which is the standard criteria for diagnosing mental health and substance use disorders. While not a formal clinical diagnosis, the results of this quiz can help you better understand how your gambling habits affect your life.

The quiz contains 12 questions related to gambling addiction.

Please answer “yes” or “no.” In the past six months, have you: