How is a sports betting addiction detected? What kind of behaviors does a person with a sports betting addiction have? Discover the signs and how to stop it.
There are more and more people who are fond of sports betting. So much so that the cases of sports betting addiction They are increasingly common. When a person embarks on this world, he believes that he is in control and that he can make a living from it. The reality is that in many cases it is an addiction like gambling addiction.
Many people embark on the world of sports bets for the simple fact of having fun with your friends. There are those who keep it as something punctual and with a minimum acceptable expense, but, sometimes, it becomes a loop in which you no longer know if you are playing to have fun, to win or to try to recover everything you are losing. And the harsh reality is that, most of the time, what is achieved is to increase the economic drain. Because, when you are losing money, the objective is no longer to entertain yourself, but to repair the damage. And at this point, it no longer matters whether you can afford it or not. If you have money or you should ask for it. You get clouded. You get desperate. You deceive yourself and other people. And you suffer.
This type of game can be more dangerous than others, since you can have a greater sense of control than, for example, with slot machines or casino games (I control this sport, I know which are the best teams, etc.) . Furthermore, socially, betting is already very normalized. If we add to this the advertising in the media (including offers in which they “give” you significant amounts of money for signing up), the ease of accessing the pages through telephones or computers, the proliferation of physical offices of betting and even the installation of machines in bars, the risk of sports betting addiction increases.
In any case, if at any time you have the feeling of not being able to escape the loop of sports betting, it is essential to ask for help, either from your environment, from professionals, or both options. Trying to solve it on your own, continuing with the bets looking for the winner to cover all the holes, asking for loans that cannot be paid later, etc… will only increase the problem, generate more anxiety and, ultimately, make recovery difficult. or lengthen the process.
Signs of sports betting addiction
The existence of at least five (or more) of the following items indicates the existence of a maladaptive or pathological gambling problem:
Concern about gambling: People who suffer from sports betting addiction They tend to be very concerned about reliving past gaming experiences, acquiring more information about teams and results, or thinking about ways to get money to play with.
Need to play with increasing amounts of money: To achieve the desired degree of arousal, people who are under a sports betting addiction they require larger amounts of money each time they resort to these vices.
Feeling of failure: Repeated failure of efforts to control, interrupt or stop play. Although people who are under the effects of sports betting addiction They know or suspect that they have a problem, they feel like they are failing every time they try to get out of their influence.
Nerves around betting: Restlessness or irritability when trying to interrupt or stop the game. People who are hooked on sports betting They usually suffer from a lot of nerves around this game.
Play is a way to escape from problems: The game and the sports bets It is used as a strategy to escape from problems or to relieve dysphoria (e.g., feelings of hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, depression).
Relationship problems: Due to the sports betting addiction, family members, friends, therapists or others are deceived to hide the degree of involvement with the game. In this way, this type of behavior ends up taking its toll on the relationships of the person who suffers from it.
Illegal acts can be committed: Illegal acts are committed, such as forgery, fraud, theft or breach of trust, to finance gambling. The reason for this is basically to try to get money to continue with the sports bets
If you think that someone around you or you yourself identify with these behaviors, you may be in a situation of addiction to sports betting. In these cases, it is important to detect this type of problem in time and go to a professional psychologist. Your mental health is at stake.
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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team at PsychologyFor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to evidence-based research. The content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice.
