Recognizing gambling addiction
Pathological gambling is often a hidden disease because it is not apparent by simply
looking at a person. It cannot be detected by a breath test or a blood test, nor does it leave needle marks.
Pathological gamblers hide their lottery tickets, sports picks, etc. from their family, friends and co-workers.
Gambling can be a means of escaping from other problems in a marriage or at work, so it may go unnoticed as a
significant problem itself.
The six types of gamblers
Robert L. Custer, M.D., identified six types of gamblers:
- Professional gamblers
- Anti-social or personality gamblers
- Casual social gamblers
- Serious social gamblers
- Relief and escape gamblers
- Compulsive gamblers
Each type is discussed in greater depth at Custer's six types of gamblers.
Two sets of questions have proven helpful in screening for compulsive
gambling:
the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the 20 Questions of Gamblers Anonymous. The presence of the spouse or concerned person of the
gambler during the administration of these screens greatly improves the validity of the responses.
For a free and confidential Pathological Gambling assessment, call the IIAR at (309)
691-1055 or 1-800-522-3784. A Certified Addiction Counselor with specific training in the treatment of Pathological
Gambling will perform a professional assessment to identify if you have a problem, and then suggest an appropriate
level of care in our treatment and counseling programs. We provide assessments 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, at no charge.
Identifying problem gambling in the workplace
Henry Lesieur, Ph.D., researched the effects of problem gambling in the workplace in the mid 1980s. He
identified the following warning signs which may indicate an individual has a gambling problem:
- Excessive use of telephones (to call bookmakers, stockbrokers or to obtain credit)
- Taking the company vehicle to the race track, card room, casino, etc. (parking tickets near gambling locations are
a "red flag")
- Absences from work, often for part of the day (typically after lunch)
- Arriving late for work (related to all-night card games, casino trips, anxiety-related sleep disturbances)
- Vacation days taken on isolated days rather than in weeks (or vacations taken to gambling locations on a regular
basis)
- Sick days taken immediately or ahead of time
- Failure to take days off (obsessed with getting money to pay gambling debts or afraid to take a day off because of
a fear that embezzlement or fraud will be discovered in their absence)
- Changes in productivity (which seem to be related to mood swings)
- Organizing office pools and gambling junkets
- Borrowing money from co-workers or arguing with co-workers over failure to pay debts
- Embezzlement, defrauding customers or engaging in employee theft for resale
The Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery has centers at the following locations: