Addiction to sports betting: a new profile in compulsive gambling

In recent times we have found a change in the pattern in terms of addictions, being more and more frequent behavioral addictions, that is, those that are not based on the consumption of substances, but on behaviors.

Specific, With the irruption of new technologies and the fashion of sports betting, this type of gambling climbs steps in terms of frequency and severity in today's society. Let's see what sports betting addiction is like and what can be done against it.

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What is sports betting addiction?

The profile of the gambler has changed. Years ago we could associate it with the image of the person in the bar playing slot machines, Currently, although this profile and this addiction are still valid, we are facing a lower profile age. Generally, a young man who either plays from home, betting from a mobile application or with the computer, or goes to specific gambling halls to bet money.

We can observe how more and more rooms of this type proliferate and there is more advertising and more applications that predispose to online gambling, which does not facilitate the eradication of this pathology. All this adds up to

It is something quite normal, which is not seen as problematic until the person has already entered a spiral from which it is difficult to get out.

Sometimes this addiction is accompanied by other types of addictions, such as cannabis or alcohol, or by other types of problematic, such as a lack of social skills or low self-esteem, although it is true that this is not always the case and there are exceptions.

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Symptoms

According to the DSM, pathological gambling or compulsive gambling could be diagnosed in a patient who shows persistent maladaptive gambling behavior, as reflected by the presence of 4 or more of the following symptoms within a 12-month period, along with “persistent and recurring problematic gambling behavior”:

• The need to bet an increasing amount of money appears to be satiated.
• Nerves or irritability appear when trying to stop playing, or when this practice is interrupted.
• It is difficult for him to stop playing, and it takes several attempts in which he does not succeed.
• He spends a lot of time thinking about betting, whether it's reminiscing about plays, planning new ones, or fantasizing that he wins a large amount.
• There is a tendency to bet more when you are feeling down, either from being sad or anxious.
• After losing, you feel the urge to bet more to win back.
• He lies to others to hide his degree of involvement in gambling.
• He compromises friendships and family ties because of the bets and his tendency to ask for money that he will not return.

What can I do if I have this problem?

Surely, it all started innocently enough, downloading an app and making a small bet., going to a game room to hang out... The problem usually occurs when a certain amount of money is easily won, this generates a great deal of satisfaction, what we call positive reinforcement, which can help create and consolidate the false belief that you can control it and earn more money (fallacy of control).

Every time you go betting more, there may be a day that you win, but the losses are much greater and the consequences, therefore, increasingly serious.

First of all, do not hide the problem and ask for help, getting out of this addiction alone is very complicated, you will need professional and socio-family help. Don't be ashamed, these games are very addictive; once you take the step of wanting to quit, you have already done the main thing to quit this addiction, following some therapeutic guidelines and working with a psychologist, this problematic behavior can be abandoned.

What can I do if I know someone who has this problem?

Talk to him/her without blaming him/her, try to make him/her understand that she has a problem. If he doesn't want to assume it, he will most likely deny it, but it may be significant for him/her that someone of his/her around her has seen this problem and that this is generating a "dreg" that can help her to realize that something failure.

Don't normalize their behavior, that is, do not try to downplay it, to compare it with other types of addictions and minimizing this, since you can reduce motivation.

Offer your help to accompany him in his process; For example, to look together for information on where to go, accompany you to the psychologist, etc.

Also, let him express how he feels and don't minimize what he tells you. It is important to be patient, it can be a complex and long process, the important thing is that you stay by his/her side while he/she walks the path of detoxification.

In Mariva Psychologists, we work with this type of addiction both from the most cognitive level (control beliefs, false expectations, use of the game as an escape route, problematic guilt, low self-esteem, etc.) as well as at a behavioral level, that is, providing strategies that help change this behavior and prevent relapses.

If you need more information about this type of treatment, we remain at your disposal.