Problem Gambling and How to Avoid It: Do You Believe That Crap?

Ludomania may sound ludicrous to so many people, especially online gamblers… well, that’s until it happens to you or someone you know… or even worse, someone you love! Allegedly…

So what is problem gambling (or compulsive gambling) and why is it such a terrible thing? Is it even a recognized medical condition? Would you call the irresistible urge (or propensity) to try a few daily spins at your favorite online video slots a disease or disorder? Wait… is the specialization in gambling treatment even a real profession? How and when should an individual be considered to be a pathological gambler? Are there pills for gambling addiction? And WTF is healthy gambling? Can somebody pat my red face with a cold wet towel please…?

Okay, what do you call a guy (or lady — hats off…) who enjoys their daily “dose” of online casino slots… albeit going a little overboard from time to time…? Are they gambling addicts (with possible need for clinical intervention)… or just people who persistently stick to a grand master plan that has not paid out yet..?! Think about it for a second…

Interlude: We all want to be rich by all means necessary, right…? Okay, as long as we’re not breaking any laws while doing it… right? We are also told that diligence leads to success in the long-run… right? So, why call the avid gambler an addict?

FYI: What we (allegedly) call gambling addiction can mean different things to different people. It’s all about perception… In my opinion, and I could be wrong, these are just guys who are a bit overzealous about turning their (Mega Fortune) dreams into reality… the best way they know how… by courting lady luck and taking a little risk. To me… gambling is just like buying stocks… there’s a wise investment made, there’re potential gains, there’re prospective losses, and success is mostly pegged on luck. What’s your take on this?

Shouldn’t overly enthusiastic stock market investors also be treated for “compulsive investing disorder”?

Now, let’s get to the reality side of things…

The year is 1976 and “The Commission on the National Policy Toward Gambling (in Washington, the US) publishes a report citing that, and quote, “Gambling is inevitable. No matter what is said or done by advocates or opponents in all its various forms…” Emphasis on “INEVITABLE”…

The commission’s main task was to analyze the socioeconomics of gambling and its specific impacts on the community, businesses, families, the general national economy, and most importantly, the individual! The primary focus was on the excess and inappropriate pursuit of (legal) gambling as a leisure activity, and how this “undesirable” quest for great (instant) wealth imposes different hidden costs to individuals as well as their friends and families, and the community at large. One of the hidden costs included what they referred to as “the emotional cost of addictive behavior to the pathological gambler”.

The most remarkable observation (or allegation) made by most problem gambling researchers is that the societies suffering high rates of unemployment and economic hardship among other social problems were more likely to report more cases of gambling addiction since a majority of this population views gambling as a way out of their (financial) predicament… allegedly…

However, according a report released by the NRC in 1999, it is a fact that policymakers and citizens (of such communities) cannot determine the net impact of “abusive gambling” with absolute surety since the parameters surrounding this controversial subject matter can’t be quantified accurately due to the quality of research carried out to determine PG (problem gambling) occurrence or prevalence, and of course, the associated impact. As a matter of fact, the NRC (National Research Council) was of the opinion that further research into this issue was still (very much) required because the methods of research employed to investigate problem gambling invalidated the results due to their inadequacy in quantifying actual dollar costs of social benefits or losses associated with pathological gambling. Clinical aspects of problem gambling are also a blur!

The NRC asserted that most conclusions made during PG (problem gambling) analysis used haphazard estimations where relevant data was missing. In simple English… much of it was pure guess work! One of the identified quagmires related to problematic gambling behavior was the issue of co-morbidity or the co-occurrence of other disorders (such as alcoholism) in people considered to suffer compulsive gambling. Again, making all the results inconclusive…

Facts on Gambling and Gambling Addiction

Gambling is basically risking/staking valuables or money on events that have uncertain results with the hope of winning material goods or more money. Gambling activities are primarily based on 5 key elements; scrutiny, a wager, a prize, some bit of superstition, and luck.

According to Wikipedia, the APA’s (American Psychiatric Association) classification and diagnostic tool which was updated and published by the (publicly criticized) DSM-5 (5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in May of 2003, problem gambling is defined as the urge to keep on gambling regardless of the wish to desist or foreseeable harmful consequences. This (supposed) pathological gambling problem is commonly associated with unquantifiable family and social costs. Nevertheless, studies carried out on this subject report that the prevalence of problem gambling throughout the world is approximately ≤1%. In the US alone, problem gamblers accounted for about 0.6% of the gambling population. A 2009 cohort study carried out by New Zealand Health Survey through the Ministry of Health reported that only 0.4% of New Zealand’s gambling population was (hypothetically) suffering from problem gambling. Australia’s problem gambling population accounted for about 0.5% of the actively gambling population. Statistically, or logically if you like, this means that compulsive gambling disorder is either negligible or virtually non-existent! In other words, problem gambling could very easily be a fabrication designed to swindle money from the unsuspecting gambling population of “non-patients”… the biggest lie ever concocted by the medical world. A scientific fraud akin to second-hand smoking or global warming…!

FYI: Before the 2013 DSM-5 update of problem gambling classification, the American Psychiatric Association initially categorized problem gambling not as an addiction, but rather as an “impulse control disorder”. This is to say that the APA likened problem gambling to impetuous behavior such as being a shopaholic or a kleptomaniac and not substance abuse. Problem gambling is therefore the inability to limit time or money spent on gambling… translation… the helplessness to control the strong urge compelling you to (tirelessly) seek instant riches! You can call it a strong go-getter-attitude that may (or may not) lead to adverse (financial or emotional) repercussions… not some sort of disease…

Now, let’s agree to disagree…

Problem Gambling Diagnosis: What Are the Odds of Being Labeled a Compulsive or Problematic Gambler?

Gambling problem “professionals” have implicated several psychosomatic mechanisms in the growth and continuation of compulsive gambling. They cite personality factors such as risk-seeking, impulsivity, narcissism, and sensation-seeking. All the qualities of a good investor if you ask me…

Secondly, problem gambling specialists also purport that problem gamblers may suffer from a few cognitive biases such as unrealistic optimism, the gambler’s fallacy, the illusion of control, and overconfidence. Experts in this field also believe that the criminal spin theory can be used to justify the behavioral spin process observed in problem gamblers. Lastly, there’s a general belief that problem gambling is a perfect example of negative reinforcement because some individuals may use compulsive gambling as an escape from their real life problems…

Tools (or instruments) to diagnose problem gambling have also invented and re-invented all over the world. Initially, the SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Screen) tool developed in New York City’s South Oaks Hospital in 1987 by Blume and Lesieur was the first diagnostic tool used to monitor for possible signs of uncontrollable gambling. The SOGS is no longer in use because it was criticized for overestimating false positives.

Many other problem gambling diagnostic tools and checklists have been developed since the decline of the SOGS. It started with the APA’s DSM-5 which immediately replaced the SOGS (and currently implemented by NODS — National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen), then came CPGI (Canadian Problem Gambling Inventory), trust the Canadians to keep proper count of who’s gambling more than who…! And then, of course, there’s the newer 15-item harm-based VGS (Victorian Gambling Screen) tool that problem gambling experts swear can provide valid and reliable results… including studies focusing on the adolescent population… allegedly!

Food for thought:

Here is an advisory statement made in the DSM-5 regarding the relevance of this diagnosis tool.

“…inclusion here, for clinical and research purposes, of a diagnostic category such as Pathological Gambling or Pedophilia does not imply that the condition meets legal or other non-medical criteria for what constitutes mental disease, mental disorder, or mental disability. Translation… everything you’ve been told about problem gambling is just fabricated crap!

And then the statement continues…

“The clinical and scientific considerations involved in categorization of these conditions as mental disorders may not be wholly relevant to legal judgments, for example, that take into account such issues as individual responsibility, disability determination, and competency”.

- Extract borrowed from “Guidelines for Treating Gambling-Related Problems An Evidence-Based Treatment Guide for Clinicians”, Korn and Shaffer, 2004. Developed by the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Practice

The self-assessment questions that appear repeatedly in most of these diagnostic tools/checklists include:

1. Have you tried to stop gambling without success?
2. Are you staying awake at night thinking about gambling?
3. Are you spending too much money on gambling to leave other bills unpaid?
4. Are you perpetually chasing losses?
5. Does gambling make you feel suicidal or depressed?
6. Do you argue with family or friends about your gambling behavior?
7. Are you always tempted to increase your wager for more excitement?
8. Have you committed any crime to fund (facilitate) your gambling habit?
9. Are you deep in debt because of gambling?
10. Is your gambling habit an escape from underlying personal problems?

To answer all the “professional” questions above…

1. No and Yes. No, I’ve not tried to quit gambling because I’m still optimistic for the big one! And yes, I’ve tried to stop gambling while going on with some of my daily activities without success… and that mostly because I’m having too much fun to stop… it has absolutely nothing to do with gambling or problems… or both…
2. Yes. Not because I suffer from problem gambling, but because I need something soothing to put me to sleep. Some need warm milk, others take a hot cup of cocoa, hell, some even count sheep… thinking about all the Jackpots I could try the next day always puts to sleep with a smile. This doesn’t make me a problem gambler, now does it?
3. If anyone is spending more than they can afford (including on gambling) then that basically means they lack a grasp on priorities! Nothing about gambling there… The remedy for the individuals facing this predicament is to make more money! Enough for bills, vacations or entertainment, mortgage, and of course, gambling!
4. Of course yes! And I bet that one day you’ll read about me in the dailies (or the internet…). I’ll be a millionaire and all you’ll have is your fancy “clinical” words… Oh, and just so that you know… I chase small wins too… It’s all part of my grand master plan.
5. You talking about problem gambling makes me feel suicidal and terribly depressed!
6. Sometimes. We don’t always agree about everything you know…?
7. Sometimes. Depends on the streak though… if I’m losing then I sometimes feel like wagering more would get my money back… if I’m winning, then doubling the wager logically means I walk away with bigger wins, right? I mean, its common sense right there…
8. Nope. But I once tried to Googled for some cheats to try and beat my favorite online video slot… does that count as a crime?
9. No and Yes. No, because I have my priorities in check. Yes, because I’m indebted to my favorite online casino for providing me (and the crew) with the best casino experience ever!
10. No and Yes. No, because I’m not running from anything. And yes, because sometimes I need to escape from boredom or cash shortage…

Recommended Treatment for Problem Gambling… Allegedly

Please note that disordered gambling treatment is categorized according to specific populations. These include the youth, older adults, women, First Nations/Indians/Aboriginal people (which comes through to me as pretty racist…), ethno-cultural minorities, families, or PG patients with mental disorder co-morbidities. Individuals clinically diagnosed with problem gambling are supposedly treated using the following methods.

1. Step based therapy programs (e.g. clinical interventions to improve financial health and mental wellness)
2. Peer support through GA meetings (Gambling Anonymous)
3. Counseling sessions (including CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
4. Pharmacotherapy (medication)

Seriously…? Do we really need therapy programs and anonymous meetings or regular trips to a (paid) shrink to treat a non-existent disease? And oh, let’s not forget the anti-problem-gambling medication… like we need to pop depression pills to get over our alleged gambling problem…?!

Can you believe all that crap?

If problem gambling was an actual thing, then I bet I’d be better at it than you! Wanna bet?