The line between social and pathological gambling is very fine and can be crossed almost without realizing it.
The game for pleasure, entertainment and as a means of socialization It is thousands of years old and the problem of gambling addiction is not something new.
Games of chance, socially accepted, always available and legalized involve taking economic risks s with possibilities of immediate gains and facilitate the appearance of problematic behaviors. We are talking about games where there is no objective relationship between the player’s skills, in the case of slot machines, and the result of the game, since this game is subject only to the laws of chance. In the last decade, cases of gambling addiction have increased with new forms of gambling and online betting that aggravate the consequences.
It must be clarified that not all people who play have a gambling problem. A social player is known as someone who plays for entertainment and leisure, but having control over their behavior and being able to abandon or stop playing whenever they wish. Pathological gambling is an impulse control disorder whose essential characteristic is maladaptive and persistent gambling behavior that alters the continuity of personal, family or professional life.
Ultimately the game is a quite paradoxical behavior, since it is well known that “the house always wins.” Why then are players still determined to lose their money?
These characteristics of games of chance promote a “illusion of control”: the belief that the player can influence an outcome that is actually defined by chance. Thoughts are generated with which it is believed that the probability of touching a prize or winning is increased, thus generating a false perception of reality. Both personal choice and being very close to winning cause players to play longer and place larger bets. Over time, these distorted perceptions of winning chances can precipitate what is called “chasing losses,” where players continue to play in an effort to recover what they have lost.
Phases of gambling addiction
In it pathological gambling Three phases are clearly defined:
1. Gain Phase
At the beginning the player goes through a period of luck where frequent episodes of profits occur. It produces greater excitement about the game, so the individual begins to bet more frequently.
2. Loss Phase
The overly optimistic attitude of the player leads him to increase the amount bet, producing heavy losses, difficult to tolerate, and that is when he begins to play with the purpose, not only of winning, but of recovering what he lost.
3. Despair Phase
The player generating a large debt He is eager to get the money back quickly and the uncontrollable desire to recover the positive sensations of the moments of profit appears.
Therapeutic treatment aims to achieve total abstinence from gambling and prevent possible relapses. He pathological gambling It has become an increasingly common problem but we also have effective treatment and prevention tools that help overcome the problem.
