Faq’s

The amount of money lost or won does not determine when gambling becomes problematic. While gambling can cause financial problems, it is not the only warning sign of a gambling problem. When gambling is interfering with an individual’s relationships, job, mental or physical health or any other area of life it is a problematic behavior.

Children and teens are at higher risk than adults for developing a gambling problem. Additionally, individuals who start gambling at a young age are also more likely to develop a gambling addiction later in life.

Since the cause of a gambling problem is a person’s inability to control their gambling, any type of gambling can become problematic. However, some types of gambling do have certain characteristics that may make gambling problems worse. While these factors are still poorly understood, anecdotal reports suggest that one risk factor may be a fast speed of play. In other words, the faster a wager reaches an outcome, the more likely players may be to develop problems with a particular game.

The frequency of a person’s gambling does not determine whether they have a gambling problem. Even if a person only gambles periodically, the emotional and financial consequences will still be evident in their personal and family life.

Generally, people with one addiction are more at risk to develop another. Some individuals who are impacted by problem gambling also have a problem with alcohol or drugs. However, this does not mean that if you have a gambling problem you are guaranteed to become addicted to other things. Some people with gambling problems never experience any other addiction because no other substance or activity gives them the same feeling that gambling does. There is also evidence of family patterns around dependency, as many people experiencing problems with gambling report that one or both parents had a drinking and/or gambling problem.

About 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lives, with 60% having gambled within the past year. Some form of legalized gambling is available in 48 states plus the District of Columbia. The two states without legalized gambling are Hawaii and Utah.

Problem gambling does not discriminate and can impact anyone who gambles regardless of economic, social, cultural or levels of education. Anyone who gambles can develop a gambling problem. Certain factors can increase your risk of developing a gambling addiction, genetics, environment, medical history and age may all play a role.

The casino or lottery provides the opportunity for a person to gamble, but it doesn’t cause problem gambling any more than a liquor store would create alcohol problems.

Everyone who provides gambling opportunities has a responsibility to develop policies and programs to address underage and problem gambling issues.

Although no substance is ingested, someone with a gambling problem gets the same effect from gambling as one might get from taking a drug or drinking alcohol. Just as a person builds tolerance to drugs or alcohol, a person with unhealthy gambling habits finds that it takes more and more of the gambling experience to achieve the same emotional effect as before. This creates an increased urge for the activity and makes it harder to resist.

2.5 million U.S. adults (1%) are estimated to meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in a given year. Another 5-8 million (2-3%) would be considered to have mild or moderate gambling problems; in other words, they do not meet the full diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder but meet one or more of the criteria and are experiencing problems due to their gambling behavior. Research also indicates that most adults who choose to gamble are able to do it responsibly.

NCPG estimates that the annual national social cost of problem gambling is $14 billion. These costs include gambling-related criminal justice and healthcare spending as well as job loss, bankruptcy, and other consequences. This estimate was based on the formula developed by research from the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission and updated to account for inflation and the current U.S. adult population as of December 2023.