When gambling becomes a problem

Gambling is more accessible than ever. Sports betting, online gambling, casinos, lotteries, fantasy sports, and other forms of wagering are now available to many people with the tap of a phone or the click of a button.

For some people, gambling remains an occasional form of entertainment. For others, it can become difficult to control. What may start as a recreational activity can begin to affect finances, relationships, work, school, mental health, and overall well-being.

It can be difficult to know when recreational gambling has become a problem for you or someone you love, which is why it’s important to understand and know the signs of a gambling disorder and where to seek support to overcome it.

What is gambling disorder?

Gambling disorder, sometimes referred to as gambling addiction or problem gambling, is a recognized mental health condition involving a persistent pattern of gambling that becomes difficult to control and continues despite negative consequences.

Not everyone who gambles will develop a gambling disorder. Similarly, you don’t need to lose everything or reach a financial crisis to have a gambling problem. What most matters when considering a gambling disorder is the impact gambling has on your life and a pattern of behavior that becomes difficult to control and causes meaningful distress or impairment.

When does gambling become a problem?

Gambling may become problematic when it starts to interfere with important areas of life or when a person continues gambling despite recognizing that it is causing harm.

For example, someone may:

• Spend more money or time gambling than they intended
• Keep gambling after experiencing significant losses
• Try to cut back or stop but find they cannot
• Become preoccupied with gambling or planning their next bet
• Gamble to escape stress, anxiety, boredom, depression, or other difficult emotions
• Hide gambling from family members, friends, or coworkers
• Borrow money or rely on others to address gambling-related financial problems
• Continue gambling despite problems with relationships, work, school, or finances

A person may also find themselves chasing losses, meaning they continue to gamble or find themselves placing larger bets to win back money they have already lost.

Recognizing the signs of problem gambling

It is not always easy to recognize when recreational gambling has become a problem, especially when someone hides or is denial about how often they gamble or how much they’ve lost.

However, common signs of gambling disorder include:

• Preoccupation with gambling: Frequently thinking about gambling, previous bets, or opportunities to gamble
• Increasing bets: Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money to experience the same excitement
• Difficulty stopping: Repeatedly trying and failing to cut back or stop gambling
• Restlessness or irritability: Feeling uncomfortable, restless, or irritable when attempting to reduce gambling
• Chasing losses: Gambling again after losing money to recover previous losses
• Gambling to cope: Turning to gambling when experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, or other difficult emotions
• Hiding gambling: Lying to family members, friends, or others about the extent of gambling
• Relationship or work problems: Gambling begins to interfere with relationships, employment, education, or other responsibilities
• Financial problems: Accumulating debt, borrowing money, or relying on others because of gambling
• Continuing despite consequences: Recognizing that gambling is causing problems but continuing to gamble anyway

Experiencing one or more of these signs does not necessarily mean someone has gambling disorder. However, they may be reasons to take a closer look at gambling habits and consider talking with a behavioral health professional.

Gambling disorder and mental health

Gambling problems rarely occur in isolation.

Research has found associations between gambling disorder and other behavioral health concerns, including depression and substance use disorders. This is one reason it can be important to consider a person’s overall mental health when addressing problematic gambling.

For some people, gambling may become a way to cope with difficult emotions or life circumstances. Someone experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, or another mental health concern may turn to gambling as a temporary distraction or source of excitement. Over time, gambling can become an unhealthy coping strategy that creates additional problems.

The relationship can also work in the other direction: financial stress, relationship conflict, shame, and other consequences associated with gambling can contribute to emotional distress.

A comprehensive behavioral health assessment can help identify whether gambling is occurring alongside other mental health or substance use concerns and determine what types of support may be appropriate.

Why quitting gambling can be complicated

Unlike substances such as alcohol or drugs, gambling is an activity that most people do not need to eliminate from their lives entirely. Taking risks is also a normal part of everyday life, which can make recovery from gambling addiction uniquely challenging.

Rosecrance experts explain that the tricky part of process addiction is that you can’t just quit. You can abstain from going to the casino or buying scratch tickets and pull tabs, but gambling is the ability to take a risk for a low payoff. You cannot give up taking risks in life.

Recovery, therefore, is about more than simply avoiding casinos or deleting a sports betting app. Treatment can help individuals understand what drives their gambling, develop healthier coping strategies and make changes that reduce the risk of returning to harmful patterns.

Gambling treatment at Rosecrance

Reaching out for professional support can be an important first step toward understanding gambling behaviors, developing healthier coping strategies, and building skills to support lasting recovery.

Treatment can help individuals identify the factors that contribute to problematic gambling and learn practical strategies for managing urges, emotions, stress, and other challenges. Support can also be valuable for family members and loved ones who are affected by someone else’s gambling.

Rosecrance Therapies offers a virtual therapy group for individuals seeking support for gambling-related concerns. The program provides a supportive environment to better understand gambling behaviors, develop healthier coping strategies, strengthen recovery skills, and connect with others who understand the challenges of gambling addiction.

Call 312.239.5200 to ask about availability or schedule an assessment.

In addition to virtual services, gambling addiction treatment is available through individual, in-person therapy in Sioux City, Iowa.

Last reviewed: August 2026