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Responsible Gambling

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Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling information | What is Problem Gambling
What is Compulsive Gambling | How can I gamble safely?
Terms relating to problem gambling
Specific gambling problem terms
Gamblers Anonymous offers 20 questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem

Responsible Gambling Information
Gambling is great fun and good entertainment. The majority of people can enjoy the casino games without them having a bad effect on their lives. But there are other people who become compulsive gamblers. Here are some rules we advise you stick to in order to maintain responsible gambling and ensure an enjoyable time at any web - based Casino: Before you start to gamble decide how much money you can afford to lose.

The next questions will help you determine whether to gamble or not. If the answer to one or more of them is positive you should avoid gambling.

Are you trying to recover from previous gambling losses

Does the gambling interfere with your work or other responsibilities.

Are under any kind of drug (i.e. alcohol)

Are you recovering from any addictive disorders or dependencies

Are you under the legal gambling age

If it's difficult for you to leave a casino game even if you decided you wish to, you should be aware that you are probably a problem or compulsive gambler. Gamblers Anonymous is a qualified organization that can help you. We encourage you to gamble responsibly and enjoy yourself with excellent online casinos!

What is Problem Gambling?
Most people can gamble while enjoying themselves, having good time, and then go on with their regular day to day life without it having a negative effect on it. However, a considerable number of people who gamble find themselves getting involved beyond their ability to control their betting. These are problem gamblers.

Although it is convenient to think so there is no such thing as a "classic" problem gambler. With the arrival of legal casino and racetrack gaming in Iowa, it became clear that problem gambling touches both men and women of all ages and socio-economic conditions. Wealth, social position or education, make no difference. Nor does race. Unfortunately, there are even under-age, teenage gamblers that have a problem.

The problem gambler will spend more money than they originally had planned over and over again. The resources of money may vary from bankcards, ATM cards, until credit lines to pull out more money to gamble after their money is gone. They may ask friends for money. The typical gambler might spend a couple hours a week at the casino apposed to a problem gambler that might be there every night, or for 6-8 hours at a time on their free days. The problem gambler will repeatedly go back to play after loosing to try and "win back" the money they lost. This is called "chasing." Problem gamblers perception of gambling is that it is either a way to get rich or a possibility to relieve financial burdens.

A problem gambler will hardly ever be able to walk away with a win in his pockets; he will usually give most of it back. The cold - mind decision needed to walk away when winning is almost impossible for a problem gambler, since his bets are seldom biased on skill.

Problem gamblers frequently gamble alone. They would rather not have their friends or family see the extent of their gambling.

Problem gamblers will often take money needed for bills or house payments and gamble with it. They usually lose, and then begin the hysterical search to find or win back the money so that they can cover the debts that have started to accumulate.

Problem gamblers slip many times into a state of denial - not seeing the depths to which their gambling has brought them. Not only do they begin to lie to others, but they also are lying to themselves. As problem gambling gradually builds up, it becomes an actual disease called "Compulsive Gambling." At this point, like the alcoholic or drug addict, the gambler is dangerously out of control. The compulsive gambler may have debts of more than $40,000 to $80,000 just from their gambling. Some have debts of over a million dollars. However, the dollar amount is not as important as how it relates to their socio-economic status. For a family making only $25,000 a year, a gambling debt of $5,000 in credit cards can be catastrophic! He or she may begin lying, cheating or stealing to feed their gambling addiction. On the frantic search for a way out their deceitfulness may be as simple as writing bad checks or as severe as major deceit, such as insurance fraud or armed robbery.

Compulsive Gamblers have even been known to murder to get the money they need for their gambling. Though there may be a tendency to think so Compulsive Gambling does not take a long time to develop. Especially with the lifting of betting limits in Iowa and the introduction of video poker and keno machines, a person can go from being a normal, recreational gambler to a compulsive gambler in just a few months - while not even realizing that that is what's happening!

What is Compulsive Gambling?
Like alcoholism, this is a chronic syndrome once you have it, you can't ever lose it.
It is a progressive disease - left alone, it will only get worse, even if the person stops gambling for a period of time. Compulsive Gambling is what is called a full-person disease - if affects all aspects of the gambler's life - his health, emotions, way of thinking in addition to affecting his family and friends. Of course it goes without saying that it hurts them financially If left untreated, compulsive gambling is a fatal disease that can lead to early death, either from suicide, stress-related health concerns (high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.), accidents, or even violence. However, with all the above said the important thing is that a treatable disease and many recovering gamblers live full and productive lives - if they get the help they need!

How Can I Gamble Safely?
Gambling is a perfectly legal form of entertainment, and it can be a lot of fun as long as it is responsible gambling. The Gambling Treatment Program certainly takes no position for or against gambling. However, like any activity restricted to adults, it is not without risk.

Additionally, there are many recovering people who may not realize that gambling can be just as addictive as alcohol or drugs. If you are a recovering alcoholic or addict OR if you come from a family with addiction issues (ACOA), there is a significantly higher possibility that you might get "hooked" more easily by gambling. Be extra careful if these issues apply to you.

The following, are simple guidelines you can follow to keep your gambling safe and enjoyable:

1. Before getting to the casino or racetrack determine what you can afford to lose (your "disposable" income) and take ONLY that amount with you.

2. Determine in advance how long you are going to spend gambling and stick to that time frame. If you plan on two hours, then leave after those two hours are up - even if you are "ahead."

3. Acknowledge the fact - in advance - that you are almost certainly not going to be a big winner. Just think of your gambling expenses as an evening's entertainment, like the money you would spend going to a show or sitting at a restaurant.

4. Use the "Buddy System." Go with friends and make it a fun social occasion. That way, you can each keep an eye on the other in case either of you get carried away.

5. If you lose all your money, forget about trying to "get it back" or "get revenge" on the casino.

Last and very important!

Under NO circumstances, take your checkbook, your ATM card or your bankcard with you into the casino or track. The temptation is too to use them is too great, and the fees and finance charges from them are extreme! If you follow these guidelines, you should have no problems with your gambling entertainment

Terms Relating to Problem Gambling:
This glossary is intended as a guide to help you through the literature relating to problem and pathological gambling. Several sources were used in the compilation of this glossary; most notable are The International Dictionary of Psychology (second edition) by Stuart Sutherland (Crossroad Publishing, 1996) and The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (second edition) by Arthur Reber (Penguin Books, 1995). However, you should note that within the scientific and treatment communities there is often no consensus on the exact meanings of some of these terms.

Specific gambling problem terms:
Compulsive gambling: The term used by the public (as apposed to the therapeutic community who prefer - pathological gambling) to describe a person with gambling disorder.

Controlled gambling: A theory of treatment for pathological gambling in which the patient is permitted to gamble on a limited basis. Controlled gambling currently has few adherents in North America but is somewhat more popular overseas. See also abstinence.

Cumulative Clinical Signs Method (CCSM): A device for the evaluation of gambling problems developed by Robert Cullerton. The CCSM has been used very uncommonly for estimating the extent of problem gambling.

Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity (DIGS): A structured interview build from 20 questions used to find out if the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling are met. It was devised by Dr. Ken Winters, Dr. Sheila Specker, and Dr. Randy Stinchfield in 1997 and to date has been used for clinical evaluation rather than prevalence estimates.

Disordered gambling: A term coined by Howard Shaffer, Matthew Hall, and Joni Vander Bilt in 1997 to encompass the range of pathological, problem and excessive gambling. In their lexicon, level 1 of disordered gambling includes those with no gambling problems; level 2 includes people with gambling problems who do not meet the criteria for pathological gambling, while level 3 includes pathological gamblers.

Gamblers Anonymous (GA): An international network of groups for people attempting to recover from pathological gambling. Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. Local chapters provide fellowship in which people share their experiences, support, and hopes in order to stop gambling.

Gam-Anon: A fellowship for the families of pathological gamblers with chapters throughout North America.

Gamblers Anonymous 20 Questions (GA-20): A list of 20 questions devised by Gamblers Anonymous to help individuals decide if they have a gambling problem. According to GA, most people with gambling problems will answer "yes" to at least seven of the 20 questions. The questions have not been scientifically validated.

Massachusetts Gambling Screen (MAGS): An instrument for the assessment of pathological or problem gambling based on the DSM-IV criteria.

NORC DSM Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS): A structured interview used to determine the occurrence of problem gambling in a population. The NODS consists of 17 questions designed to reflect the DSM-IV criteria and was devised by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) for the 1999 National Survey of Gambling Behavior. The NODS classifies respondents as non-gamblers, low-risk (gamblers with no adverse effects), at-risk (gamblers meeting one or two of the DSM criteria), problem (gamblers meeting three or four criteria), and pathological (gamblers meeting five or more criteria.)

Pathological gambling: This term is usually limited to cases where the gambling causes serious damage to a person's social, vocational, or financial life. A chronic inability to resist the impulse to gamble. Often referred to as compulsive gambling and less frequently as disordered gambling, it is considered by most to be an impulse control disorder. It is not identical to problem gambling.

Problem gambling: Gambling activity that causes difficulty for the individual but does not meet the standards for pathological gambling. Sometimes referred to as "at-risk," "in-transition" or "potential pathological" gambling, though it is not known at what rate problem gamblers become pathological gamblers. Referred to by Shaffer, Hall and Vander Bilt (1997) as level 2 of disordered gambling.

Professional gambling: One who gambles as a way to make part or all of their living. Often confused with pathological gamblers, professional gambling is characterized by limited risks, self - discipline, and restraint, items that don't exist in the pathological gambler. Professional gamblers prefer to bet on games with skill elements rather than games of chance, and wait to bet until the odds are more in their favor. Professional gamblers can, however, lose control and exhibit chasing behavior, at which time they become problem or pathological gamblers.

Recreational gambling/gambler: See social gambling.

Social gambler/gambling: Gamblers who exhibit few or none of the difficulties associated with problem or pathological gambling. Social gamblers will gamble for entertainment, typically will not risk more than they can afford, often gamble with friends, chase losses briefly, gamble for limited periods of time, and are not lost in thought about gambling.

South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): Henry Lesieur and Sheila Blume of the South Oaks Psychiatric Hospital, developed a series of questions used to determine the presence of a gambling problem. This questioner consists of 20 items. A score of five or higher it is considered evidence of pathological gambling. The South Oaks Gambling Screen has been the most widely used instrument in assessing the prevalence of pathological gambling among the general public, though it has not been specifically validated for that use.

SOGS-RA: A modified version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen used in assessing adolescents. Abstinence: It is thought by most professionals that in order for a pathological gambler to recover, he must completely give up all forms gambling. Abstinence is the goal of Gamblers Anonymous and most, though not all, treatment professionals. See also controlled gambling.

Other related terms:

Affective disorder: A category of disorders in which the individual experiences excessive depression or elation. Examples include depression and bipolar disorder (manic-depression). Affective disorders are often found among pathological gamblers.

Anti-social personality disorder (ASPD): This disorder is recognizable by extreme anti-social behavior, usually beginning in childhood and often accompanied by a lack of remorse and a disregard of punishment. Also referred to as sociopath personality and psychopathic personality.

Anxiety disorder: A category of disorders in which the individual experiences severe nervousness. Examples include phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by lack of impulse control, inability to concentrate and hyperactivity. Also called attention deficit disorder (ADD). The existence of ADHD in adults is a question still debated in the mental health field.

Aversion therapy: A behavior alteration technique. This method uses punishment when an undesirable behavior occurs. The punishment is thought to reduce and gradually eliminate that behavior.

Behavioral disinhibition: The inability or unwillingness to inhibit behavioral impulses.

Behavioral therapy: A therapeutic method that focuses on modifying or "unlearning" a maladaptive behavior without consideration of any underlying causes.

Benozodiazepines: A family of anti-anxiety drugs. Valium is a prominent example.

Bipolar disorder: An affective disorder in which both manic and depressive episodes occur. Bipolar disorders are sometimes diagnosed in pathological gamblers.

Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI): An assessment device sometimes used in gambling treatment. The BSI is not concerned with gambling per se.

California Personality Inventory (CPI): An assessment device sometimes used in gambling treatment. The CPI is not directly concerned with gambling.

Chronic: Long-lasting.

Cognitive behavioral therapy: An approach to treatment that extends behavioral therapy to the modification of cognitive processes such as self-image and fantasy.

Cognitive disorders: Faulty thinking, as when gamblers "know" their luck is about to change.

Cognitive therapy: A treatment method focusing on changing an individual's inaccurate beliefs. Cognitive therapy for a gambler might involve challenging the patient's perceived odds of winning or ability to control the outcome.

Co morbidity: The presence of multiple disorders in one individual. Pathological gambling has high rates of co morbidity with disorders such as alcoholism and depression.

Compulsion: An irresistible urge to do something against one's better judgment. Compulsive behaviors are often repetitive in nature, and the person recognizes that the compulsion is irrational. Whether or not problem gambling is considered a compulsion is a topic of debate within the mental health profession; the prevailing opinion is that it is not.

Depression: An affective disorder characterized by extreme and intense sadness, pessimism, sense of inadequacy, etc.

Desensitization: A therapeutic technique that exposes persons to stressful situations under relaxed conditions, over time reducing the stress associated with the situation. A gambler, for example, might be asked by a therapist to imagine walking by a casino without going in. Sometimes referred to as "imaginal desensitization" or "systematic desensitization."

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM): A manual produced by the American Psychiatric Association that catalogs mental disorders. The fourth edition (DSM-IV), published in 1994, characterizes pathological gambling as an impulse disorder and lists 10 characteristics of a pathological gambler. Five of the ten must be present for a diagnosis of pathological gambling to be made. In addition to its use in clinical assessments, the DSM-IV criteria have been used in studies to determine the prevalence of pathological gambling in the general population. The DSM-IV criteria are generally considered to be more conservative than those used in the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS).

DSM-IV: Literally, the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Dopamine: A neurotransmitter, or chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells. Dopamine appears to function as an inhibitor. It has been associated with schizophrenia, and there is some evidence linking dopamine levels with pathological gambling. (See also serotonin)

Dual diagnosis: See co morbidity.

Dysphoria: An unpleasant mood characterized by anxiety or restlessness, such as the shame and guilt often experienced by problem and pathological gamblers.

Dysthymia: Despondency or depression.

Dysthymia disorders: An affective disorder involving a prolonged depressed mood. A slight version of depression

Emotionality: Observable behaviors thought to be indicative of underlying emotions.

Epidemiology: The study of the phenomenon of a disease in a population.

Etiology: The study of the causes of disease.

Hippomanic: A serene form of bipolar disorder in which the person displays mildly yet persistent manic behaviors talking too much, spending money wildly, etc.

Imaginal desensitization: See desensitization.

Impulse control disorder: A class of disorders characterized by the inability to resist certain acts, usually with harmful consequences. Pathological gambling is considered in the DSM-IV as an impulse control disorder, as are kleptomania, pyromania, and other "addictive" behaviors.

Incidence: The rate of new cases of a disorder over a specified period of time. See also prevalence.

Locus of control: The perception of the factors responsible for the outcome of an event. An individual with an internal locus of control believes their actions caused the outcome. Conversely, an individual with an external locus of control believes the outcome was determined by outside forces.

Mania: A mood disorder characterized by pathological over-excitement.

Manic-depressive disorder: An affective disorder characterized by mania, depression, or, in the case of bipolar disorder, both.

Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI): A extensively used instrument for assessing personality, the MMPI is frequently used as part of the primary assessment of pathological gamblers.

Mood disorders: See affective disorders.

Neurotransmitter: A chemical substance that naturally occurs in the brain and is responsible for communication among nerve cells.

Nor epinephrine: A neurotransmitter within the central nervous system that is widely studied in both affective disorders and substance abuse.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: A type of anxiety disorder typified by persistent thoughts and ideas and repetitive behavior. Pathological gambling is not an obsessive-compulsive disorder though it is often confused with one (hence the professional dissatisfaction with the term compulsive gambling). "Obsessive-compulsive" is more properly applied to behaviors such as repetitive hand washing from which the person gets no pleasure.

Personality disorder: Generally, any disorder characterized by behavior that causes impaired social performance. The term, however, has been used to describe a very broad range of psychological disorders in both more general and more specific ways than the definition given above.

Pharmacotherapy: The use of medication to treat a disorder.

Prevalence: The proportion of a population having a condition at a given point in time or over a fixed period of time. See also incidence.

Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC): A list of criteria where a certain number must be met for a diagnosis to be made. For example, the DSM-IV enumerates 10 criteria for pathological gambling, five of which must be met before a diagnosis can be made.

Schizophrenia: A general term for a wide range of mental disorders characterized by a disassociation of sensory input, feelings and emotions on one hand and thoughts on the other. Symptoms can include hallucinations, hearing voices, a feeling that one's thoughts or actions are under someone else's control, and many others. Schizophrenia is found in pathological gamblers, though not as commonly as depression.

Schizoaffective disorder: A disorder with symptoms of both schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder.

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter within the central nervous system widely studied in affective disorders and substance abuse. (See also dopamine.) Spontaneous remission: The decrease or abatement of a disorder (such as pathological gambling) without support from a therapist, counselor, or medical practitioner.

Systematic desensitization: See desensitzation.

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