Gambling Addiction

In the United States in 1999 the National Gambling Impact Study stated "the high-speed instant gratification of Internet games and the high level of privacy they offer may exacerbate problem and pathological gambling". A UK government-funded review of previous research noted a small scale patient survey leading to press reports claiming that 75% of people who gamble online are "problem" or "pathological" gamblers, compared to just 20% of people who visit legitimate land-based casinos.

A study by the UK Gambling Commission, the "British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007", found that approximately 0.6% of the adult population had problem gambling issues, the same percentage as in 1999. The highest prevalence of problem gambling was found among those who participated in spread betting (14.7%), fixed odds betting terminals (11.2%) and betting exchanges (9.8%). Additionally the report noted a 4% drop in overall gambling in the prior year, from a rate of 62% in 1999 to 58% in 2007. Significantly the 2007 prevalence survey combined with the 1999 prevalence survey suggest that despite the rapid growth of Internet gambling there has been no associated increase in the number of problem gamblers.


Treatment for problem gambling

Most treatment for problem gambling involves counselling, step-based programs, self-help, peer-support, or a combination of these.

Counseling
Gambling counselling is usually delivered by professional counsellors who are often either qualified psychologists or social workers. In many jurisdictions services are free or subsidised by government agencies. Telephone counselling services are also available in many countries. Examples of services include Gamcare (UK) and Gambler's Help (Australia).

Step-based programs
The most common step-based program for gambling issues is Gamblers Anonymous. Gambler's Anonymous uses a 12 step program adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and also places an emphasis on peer support. Other step-based programs (some commercially operated) that are both specific to gambling and generic to addiction have also be used to treat problem gamblers.

Peer-support
A growing method of treatment is peer support. With the advancement of online gambling, many gamblers experiencing issues use various online peer-support groups to aid their recovery. This protects their anonymity whilst allowing to attempt to self-recover often without having to disclose their issues to loved ones.

Self-help
Research into self-help for problem gamblers is showing promising results. David Hodgins research into the use of workbooks followed up with telephone support has shown benefits.