Gambling Addiction: Causes And Symptoms Of Gambling Addiction
The gambling addiction It is one of the most common addictions in the Western world. But what exactly do we know about pathological gambling? Are we prevented from this growing form of psychological disorder?
Gambling addiction or gambling addiction: a form of addiction without drugs
Neither gambling nor its associated problems are something new in our society. Play for pleasure, leisure or financial objectives has been present since our most primitive trials. As old as the game is pathological gambling ; The latter is understood as the loss of control over games of chance in which bets are placed, such as slot machines, bingos, casinos or coupons, sports betting and private games.
Fernandez-Montalvo and López-Goñi (2012) describe the pathological gambler as emotionally dependent on the game, with loss of control and its corresponding negative impact on their daily life. This dependency may be generated by the false expectation of winning to recover what was lost; cognitive distortion or erroneous thinking that keeps the game spiral Lying and hiding the game is another great characteristic observable in this disorder.
Pathological gambling is a relatively common disorder, as it is approximately estimated that 5% of adults experience problems with gambling (APA, 1980). Epidemiological data indicate that four out of every five adults (78.4%) have gambled at least once in their lives. 27.1% have bet more than 100 times; and 10.1% more than 1000 (Kesseler et al., 2008). Pathological gambling has been studied primarily in men, since approximately two-thirds of people with this disorder are men (APA, 2002). However, until 1980, pathological gambling was not recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Society (APA), in the DSM-III (Potenza, 2008; Albiach, 2006; Fernandez-Montalvo and López-Goñi, 2012).
Therefore, it is a relatively new disorder in the field of research compared to substance use disorders (Carragher and McWilliams, 2010). In addition to its recognition, it may be one of the most studied disorders in recent decades (Fernandez-Montalvo and 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:
The Widespread of slot machines.
The possibility of bet little money and win a lot in proportion to the bet.
He short interval between the bet and the result.
Manipulate the machine personally, generating a false sense of control
The striking elements of noise and lights that generate psychophysiological alteration
The course of the Gambling addiction tends to become chronic , so it is difficult for it to remit, that is, for the person to stop playing, if it is not with psychological intervention (Fernández-Montalvo and López-Goñi, 2012). As in other non-substance addiction disorders (food, internet, work), the person has the false belief that they control their problem, and can stop without needing help.
It is possible that the growing interest in this problem is due to an increase in gambling people; the severity of the problems derived from gambling; and its expansion to new technologies through the Internet, thus generating a greater accessibility Regarding this last point, highlight the multiple online games that emerge every day, both via PC (for example: through Facebook’s famous flashy minigames) and via video game console (new but incomplete games with DLC or downloadable content). ). We still do not know to what extent the player’s investments will increase to obtain the ‘dlc or improvements’ in these types of games, but we do know that the gaming industries invest time in generating in their clients the need to pay to obtain those ‘ improvements’.
Nor should we forget the games called ‘gambling ‘ which are also available online. The novelty here is that these games are accessible to minors, unlike years ago, where this payment-game modality did not exist and during the game more payments (previously you paid for your entire game only once). Could this be a new cause of problem gambling in the coming years? young people who normalize pay to play Could slot machine technology improve dramatically and people continue to become addicted to gambling? And, could people end up seeing it as ‘normal’ for other people to gamble or invest a bulk of their finances in their games, just as is happening with the excessive use of mobile phones?
As we see, it is not only a matter of money, but of time invested in it. It is a matter of stopping doing your daily tasks, stopping taking care of your partner, friends, work or other fundamental aspects to prioritize gaming in your life.
The Department of Health indicates that 95% of adolescents over 15 years of age of the Valencian Community has a mobile phone with Internet, thus favoring the addictive behavior associated with gambling addiction. Tomás (2014) explains in this regard: «there is a fact that we would like to denounce from the Valencian Institute of Gambling Disease – the first specialized in the subject in Spain. We think it is very serious that minors are allowed to bet in bars where there are betting machines. “We know that the situation exists and cannot be tolerated.” With more and more adolescents seeking 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.
