Causes of Gambling Addiction
There is no single clear explanation as to what causes compulsive gambling disorder.
It all depends on psychological factors that are different for every person affected by excessive gambling. Although greed can cause compulsive gambling, the following reasons are more common:
Financial hurdles
People who experience financial difficulties will struggle to comprehend the importance of responsible gambling in online casinos. Those who struggle to make ends meet with their existing income levels can sometimes view casino bets as a lifeline that can bring them a lot of money. Typically, you only expect to bet a small amount of money, hoping it will triple in an instant, freeing you of financial difficulties.
However, if you have not reached your target, your expectations and hopes to win will be increasing day by day, and you will invest more and more money. All of a sudden, you are trapped in a vicious circle that makes it difficult to get out of, and overcoming your financial problems becomes even harder. Such thinking certainly does not indicate responsible gambling.
Escape from reality
People who have a stressful life and a lot of responsibilities tend to look for possible opportunities to get rid of stress and depression. Such people tend to lose a sense of time trying to escape everyday duties.
Symptoms of Compulsive Gambling Disorder
- New credit cards and outstanding bills;
- You are secretive about your gambling because you are afraid of what others will think and say about you;
- Disputes over money in the family;
- Your work life and professional achievements deteriorate;
- The idea that you could spend a day without gambling makes you depressed;
- You catch yourself contemplating theft to get money for gambling;
- You neglect your hobbies;
- You believe that the next gambling session will be different and will solve all your money problems.
What Are the Solutions?
A responsible casino operator will always offer a player tools for responsible gambling. Our experts have evaluated casinos that offer responsible gambling tools, please see a summary of the most common ones below:
- Put a limit to your spending in your player’s account and never play more than you can afford to lose.
- Turn on the “reality check” function that casinos offer. “Reality check” is a pop-up notification that prompts you to stop playing.
- “Self-exclusion” – you can deactivate your casino account for a week/month/3 months/6 months/year.
- Find support on responsible gambling websites.
Prevention
Take a self-assessment to determine if you have an addiction to gambling.
Support for gambling problems:
- Anonymous gamblers (“Anonīmie spēlmaņi”)
- Freedom of play (“Spēles brīvība”)
- Safe game (“Droša spēle”)
Sources
The article comes from a number of reliable and high-quality sources of information. This article uses the following sources of information:
The article complies with the editorial principles of Casino-latvija.com. In case of inaccuracies and uncertainties, please contact the editorial using the following contact form.
FAQ
What should I do if I feel like I or my family/friends have problems with gambling addiction?
Seek help. There are different organisations that will help you deal with gambling addiction. Gambling should only be seen as a fun pastime, and not as the main source of profit. You can also ask an online casino to exclude you for a certain period of time. It is your consumer right.
I am afraid that I will be condemned by my relatives if I tell them about my addiction. What should I do?
You do not have to worry about this because you can get help completely anonymously and not be afraid of condemnation by your family and friends.
Can I keep track of how much time I spend playing online and how much money I spend?
Many sites let you track time and money spent in order to enable you to adequately assess the situation.
How to avoid the trap of addiction?
Limit the time you spend playing casino games. Plan your budget carefully and do not spend more than you can afford to lose. Gambling cannot consume your whole life, you have to consider other hobbies and have a healthy balance. Gambling is not your main purpose of life, do not think of it as the main source of profit.
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