This quote encapsulates the philosophy underlying gambling activities. In one’s life, one way or another, everyone might encounter the opportunity to be involved in some sort of gambling

The fact that you might win something, even something small, gives you the pleasure and excitement, and the desire to get involved in it. Gambling is a social event and sometimes it is used for fund-raising, or as an amusement during social gatherings. Thus, it is promoted as an important leisure activity. Moreover, there is substantial community and industry infrastructure in place to support gambling, in all its levels and aspects.

The problem related to gambling starts when people get involved in these activities in a way, or to an extent, that affects their life and the people around them in a drastic way. In such cases, gambling is no longer considered a social activity, but evolves into problem gambling. If not treated properly this leads to pathological gambling.

Pathological gambling is a form of addiction; people become highly dependent on gambling and they can no longer do without it. Pathological gambling is characterised by uncontrollable gambling well beyond the point of a social or recreational activity, such that it has a major disruptive effect on the person’s life. Pathological gamblers may incur many problems, especially financial, and may even commit crimes to get money to finance their habit. Relationships and jobs may also be severely endangered.

People who gamble pathologically may engage in many different types of gambling activities. These may include lotto, card games, casinos and sports betting, amongst others. Some of these activities may also include illegal gambling. Nowadays, the majority of these activities are available online, the major difference being that the bettor uses a credit card instead of cash. Internet gambling, also called e-gaming, is becoming more popular and sometimes it is more dangerous than traditional gambling, because you can access it from the comfort of your own home. Pathological gambling usually develops slowly over time; people tend to begin with acceptable levels of social or recreational gambling and slowly move towards pathological gambling. There are situations where people gambled socially for years, and then started to gamble compulsively under the impact of life stressors, such as losses or retirement from work.

Causes

There are no known biological causes of pathological gambling. People who suffer from this addiction may have significant psychological problems. They may use gambling as an emotional escape from depression or some other form of personality disorders. Other pathological gamblers might be seeking the mood alteration associated with gambling – specifically the excitement and energy that they find in the activity, more than the money involved. In other words, the gambling is reinforced by an emotional high rather than by the money. This is only one example, but people who are trapped in this type of addiction have their own story and they must be treated based on the extent to which they are aware of their problem.

Who are the people who seek help?

Aġenzija Sedqa, through the work it carries out in this field, meets different persons who seek help because of gambling. These include gamblers who find themselves in gambling-related problems, or relatives who are affected by the gambler’s behaviour. Gamblers are more likely to seek help when the affected person’s significant others become concerned, rather than approach professional helping services on their own initiative. In fact, denial is common among these people.

Another common characteristic in these cases is the financial aspect. In order to sustain their gambling habit, gamblers often borrow money. Sometimes this is done through illegal debts – usury. In this situation, gamblers find themselves immersed in debts, cornered, and without any alternatives. There might also be cases where they contemplate suicide. The first step in such cases is to tackle the usury problem, and this is done through networking with Caritas, which offers a particular service related to usury. While the client is receiving the necessary assistance to deal with this problem, he/she also deals with the gambling habit. Here, the client is assessed and a care-plan is formulated in order to identify those issues which the client needs to stress upon.

There are different assessment tools but most of them are based on common characteristics present in the clients’ life. The professional handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, specifies certain criteria to follow with the person and therefore makes it possible to assess the degree of the problem. These are some of the questions/symptoms explored together with the client:

• Thinks about gambling all the time

• Uses larger and larger amounts of money when gambling

• Has tried to stop gambling but failed

• Uses gambling as a way to escape problems

• Lies about the extent of gambling

• Has tried to make money for gambling by engaging in illegal or immoral behaviour

• Has problems at work or home caused by the gambling

• Relies on other people to get him/her out of problems caused by gambling.

These are various aspects present in a gambler’s life, which come to the fore when one is trying to help gamblers professionally. Most gamblers feel compelled to lie to give the impression that they are not gambling.

As mentioned earlier, pathological gambling is a form of addiction and must be treated on different levels both practical and psychological. It is important to work with the whole system surrounding the client, especially the family and the work environment. The whole family suffers from this problem and all involved need support. When one is well motivated, the problem can be tackled step by step. Sometimes the effects of gambling might be very extreme – there were people who ended up homeless. Other addictive behaviour, such as alcoholism, might also be present.

Like other addictive behaviour, gambling has its own path to follow leading to recovery. In Malta, like other countries, there is legislation governing gambling, as well as the Lottery and Gambling Authority which regulates and promotes responsible gambling locally. However, this does not mean that this is sufficient to deal with the problem. This is only one face of the situation. Many people suffer every day because of this problem. Sometimes they keep it hidden, because they feel ashamed to disclose their problems/fears.

Help is available for those who are passing through this difficult experience, either because they gamble or because someone they are close to does. Aġenzija Sedqa offers support and you can be guided to deal with this problem in a more constructive way. This service can be reached by calling on 2388-5110 during office hours, or by calling Supportline 179. You can also visit our website: www.sedqa.gov.mt.

References

American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition, text revised. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Natonal Reserch Council (1999): Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review. Washington DC, National Academy Press.

Shaffer, J.H., Freed, C.R., & Healea D. (2002). Gambling disorders among homeless persons with substance use disorders seeking treatment at a community centre. Psychiatric Services, 53, 1112-1117.

The Australian Psychological Society (1997). Psychological aspects of gambling behaviour. The Australian Psychological Society Ltd.

Eric Vella is a Social Worker, Alcohol & Drugs Community Services, Aġenzija Sedqa