Gambling addiction: signs, how to stop, debts and what helps

What people often call “gambling addiction” is known in medicine as gambling disorder. It used to be called “pathological gambling” and grouped with impulse-control disorders, but the current US diagnostic manual (DSM-5) renamed it gambling disorder and placed it in a new category of behavioural addictions (APA, n.d.; American Psychiatric Association, 2024). The World Health Organization’s classification (ICD-11) also lists it as a disorder due to an addictive behaviour rather than a substance. It is diagnosed when a pattern of impaired control over gambling, gambling taking more and more priority over other interests and daily life, and continuing or increasing gambling despite harm usually lasts about 12 months and clearly disrupts life; if symptoms are severe, it can be diagnosed after a shorter period. The diagnosis also notes whether the gambling is mainly online or offline (WHO, 2024a). This guide does not print the list of criteria.

Gambling often does not by itself mean having a disorder. The American Psychiatric Association notes that most people who gamble for fun do so without problems (American Psychiatric Association, 2024), and the WHO does not diagnose gambling disorder simply because someone gambles often, for example socially with friends or as a profession. Gambling that is not yet a disorder but noticeably raises the risk of harm to you or the people around you is classified separately as “hazardous gambling”. This is not a mental disorder diagnosis (WHO, 2024a).

The WHO estimates that about 1.2% of adults worldwide have gambling disorder, and notes that harm from other people’s gambling is also widespread (WHO, 2024b). A meta-analysis of surveys from 68 countries and territories found that 46.2% of adults and 17.9% of adolescents had gambled in the past year, and 1.41% of adults were gambling at a problematic level (Tran et al., 2024). The two figures use different definitions, so they cannot be compared directly.

In Korea, in a survey run by the National Gambling Control Commission in 2024 (covering 2023, with household visits to 15,000 adults aged 20 and over), 5.1% scored at “moderate risk” or above on a gambling-problem screening scale, and 1.2% were at the most severe, “problem gambling” level. That is roughly 2.23 million people at moderate risk or above, about 500,000 of them at the problem level. Men (6.8%) were almost twice as likely as women (3.5%) to score this way, and people in their 40s were highest at 5.9% (National Gambling Control Commission, 2024). These are screening results, not counts of diagnosed people, and because the methods differ they cannot be compared directly with the global figures.

mind.io does not offer a gambling test. This guide uses research to describe the signs and harms of gambling disorder, why it is hard to stop, treatments with evidence behind them, what you can do today, how family and friends can help, and where to get help.

People with gambling disorder often try many times to cut down or stop without success. Other common patterns are “chasing” losses by raising stakes or changing strategies to win lost money back, hiding losses from family, trying to get money to repay debts, and gambling to change your mood when you feel low, anxious, bored or lonely. How much people gamble often rises and falls with stress, low mood and alcohol or drug use (WHO, 2024a). During quieter periods the problem can look as if it has gone away (American Psychiatric Association, 2024).

The harm does not stop at money. Gambling can lead to broken relationships, family violence, financial crisis, stigma, theft or fraud to get money, and even neglect of children. Harm also occurs well below the level of a disorder, and money for essential household spending going to gambling is one sign of it (WHO, 2024b). An Australian survey estimated that each person with a gambling problem affects 6 other people on average, most often close family such as a spouse or children (Goodwin et al., 2017).

Debt is an important sign too. In the National Gambling Control Commission survey, among people who had borrowed from a registered or unregistered moneylender in 2023, 19.9% scored at moderate risk or above for gambling problems. Because it was a one-time survey, it cannot tell whether the debt or the gambling came first (National Gambling Control Commission, 2024).

Gambling problems are closely tied to mental health. In a meta-analysis of 107 studies, 31.6% of people with gambling problems had thought about suicide at some point in their lives and 13.2% had attempted it, though which comes first is still unclear (Kristensen et al., 2024). In a Swedish study that followed 2,099 people treated in specialist care for gambling disorder, the risk of dying by suicide was about 15 times that of the general population, and depression predicted suicide deaths. Because it followed people in treatment, the figure cannot simply be applied to everyone who gambles (Karlsson & Håkansson, 2018). UK guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises telling people that this risk may be highest right after a gambling episode (NICE, 2025). Whether right after a big loss or at any other time, if you have thoughts of harming yourself, please do not carry them alone. Reach out to a crisis line right away: call or text 988 in the US and Canada, call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or find a line at findahelpline.com elsewhere. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.

Some things look similar but are different. If gambling increases only during manic episodes, it may be part of a mood episode rather than gambling disorder (see bipolar disorder). People often speak of “compulsive gambling”, but the compulsions of obsessive-compulsive disorder are almost never experienced as pleasurable in themselves, which sets them apart from gambling (WHO, 2024a). For OCD itself, see the OCD guide.

If a coin lands heads several times in a row, tails does not become more likely next time. Believing you can predict the next result from past results is called the “gambler’s fallacy”, and believing that chance outcomes are governed by your own choices or actions is called the “illusion of control” (APA, n.d.). An analysis pooling studies found these thinking traps clearly linked with problem gambling (Goodie & Fortune, 2013). Typical examples are “I nearly won this time, so I will win if I play again”, “this machine has the money I lost yesterday” and “one big win will solve all my problems” (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c).

A “near miss” is really a loss, yet the brain’s reward circuitry responds to it more strongly than to a clear loss (Clark, 2014). So it helps to practise reading the feeling of “so close” as a signal to stop, not to play the next round. A big win when young or early in your gambling is also counted as a risk factor (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025).

What you gamble on, and how, matters too. In a meta-analysis of 104 population surveys, the factor most strongly linked with problem gambling was internet gambling, and the link was stronger for products played continuously, one bet straight after another (Allami et al., 2021). In the meta-analysis above, people who played online casino games or slots had the highest rate of problematic gambling, at 15.8% (Tran et al., 2024). The WHO points out that online gambling can be done almost anywhere at any time, even where gambling is banned, and that easier access raises the risk of starting (WHO, 2024b). Most of these studies are snapshots in time, though, so they cannot show that online gambling causes the problem.

Some gambling does not look like gambling. The Royal College of Psychiatrists explains that besides slot machines, lotteries, sports betting and casino games, betting on investment products or spending money to gain rewards in mobile or online games can also be a form of gambling, and that many people do not recognise it as such (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025). Spending money on loot boxes in games has been linked with problem gambling, and there is some evidence that adolescents who buy them may be at greater risk of gambling disorder. Most of this evidence comes from one-time surveys, though, so it cannot show that loot boxes cause gambling problems (Raneri et al., 2022; Richard & King, 2023). Gaming disorder differs from gambling disorder in that no money or valuables are staked (WHO, 2024a). If gaming itself worries you, see gaming disorder; for phone use in general, see the smartphone overuse guide.

Your state of mind and life changes play a part too. The risk can rise around big life events such as separation, retirement, injury or the death of someone close (WHO, 2024b). If you tend to gamble to change your mood when you feel low, lonely or stressed, the stress relief, loneliness and grief guides may also help. Medicines can sometimes be involved: if a sudden urge to gamble starts after beginning certain medicines, such as some used for Parkinson’s disease, do not stop them on your own but talk to the doctor who prescribed them (WHO, 2024a; NICE, 2025).

The treatments with the best evidence are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (WHO, 2024b). A Cochrane review of 14 randomised trials (1,245 people) concluded that CBT reduces gambling and other symptoms right after treatment, but how long the benefit lasts is unknown and the quality of the evidence was low or very low (Cowlishaw et al., 2012). Motivational interviewing is a style of counselling that helps people who are torn about stopping find their own reasons to change. In a meta-analysis it reduced how often people gambled for up to a year after treatment, but whether the effect lasts is still unclear (Yakovenko et al., 2015).

NICE guidance from 2025 recommends agreeing the aim of treatment with the person, typically stopping completely, offering motivational interviewing to people who are unsure, and starting group CBT as soon as possible after diagnosis, usually over 8 to 10 group sessions or 6 to 8 individual sessions (NICE, 2025). Many people who first want to control their gambling decide to stop completely once they start getting support (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025). Self-help programmes help some people, and support from a therapist, even by phone, may add to the effect (Rash & Petry, 2014).

Peer support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous (GA) are widely used, but the research on how well they work is inconsistent (Schuler et al., 2016). They seem to help most alongside professional treatment (Rash & Petry, 2014), and NICE recommends offering peer support as part of treatment to people who want it (NICE, 2025).

Medicine plays a supporting role. In the US, no medicine is approved for treating gambling disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2024). An analysis pooling 16 randomised trials (977 people) found moderate evidence that some medicines reduce the severity of gambling problems, but more people stopped taking them because of side effects than with placebo (Ioannidis et al., 2025). NICE advises that a specialist consider medicine only when an adequate course of psychological therapy has not helped (NICE, 2025). If depression or anxiety is also present, medicine may help treat those (American Psychiatric Association, 2024).

Gambling problems often come with other difficulties. In an analysis of 11 population surveys, 37.9% of people with problem or pathological gambling also had a mood disorder such as depression, 37.4% an anxiety disorder and 57.5% an alcohol or drug use disorder; the studies varied widely, so these are rough figures (Lorains et al., 2011). In a 2006 Korean national survey, 79.1% of people who met the criteria for pathological gambling also had another mental disorder, compared with 28.1% in the comparison group (Park et al., 2010). NICE advises asking about gambling when people come for help with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or ADHD (NICE, 2025). If depression or a drinking problem is also there, look at it as well: see the depression: what helps, alcohol use and adult ADHD guides.

Recovery is common. In two US national surveys, 36% to 39% of people who had ever met the criteria for pathological gambling had no gambling problems in the past year, yet only 7% to 12% had ever sought treatment or gone to Gamblers Anonymous (Slutske, 2006). The Royal College of Psychiatrists notes, however, that while about 1 in 3 people with gambling disorder recover without treatment, about 2 in 3 continue to have problems, which tend to get worse (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025). So rather than waiting for it to pass, it is better to get help. Gambling again is nothing to be ashamed of: relapse can be part of recovery and a chance to learn (NICE, 2025). Rather than being hard on yourself, see how to build self-compassion.

Start by making money harder to reach when an urge hits. The NHS in England suggests setting up automatic payments so important bills are paid on payday before you gamble, not carrying credit cards, and asking your bank whether it can block payments to gambling websites and apps (NHS, 2023). You can also agree that a family member will manage your money for a while (NICE, 2025). Ask family and friends in advance not to lend you money, even if you ask them (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025).

NICE also lists gambling-blocking software on phones and computers among the options to discuss (NICE, 2025). In a survey of users it seemed to help with controlling behaviour, but the survey asked people already using such software, so the evidence is still weak (Chandrakumar et al., 2026). Self-exclusion, where you ask to be barred from gambling venues, leaves most people who sign up reporting less gambling and better wellbeing, but some go back to the venues they excluded themselves from or switch to other forms of gambling (Gainsbury, 2014). In a review of 19 studies, the share of people who stopped gambling altogether after self-exclusion ranged from 13% to 81%, and the share who broke their exclusion from 8% to 59% (Kotter et al., 2019). It is not enough on its own, so think of it as an aid alongside counselling.

When an urge comes, try to put it off rather than act on it straight away. Given time, the urge may pass or weaken. Pausing to think about what will happen after you gamble can also help (American Psychiatric Association, 2024). Talk to someone you trust about what is going on, and spend more time with family and friends who do not gamble. Not seeing gambling as a way to make money is also a starting point (NHS, 2023).

Do not ignore debts; deal with them with the help of counselling (NHS, 2023). In Korea, gambling problem prevention and treatment centres across the country also offer legal and financial counselling (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026b), and the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service runs a debt counselling line on 1375, open weekdays from 9am to 6pm (Credit Counseling and Recovery Service, 2026). In a study of 142 Korean patients with gambling disorder, having needed others to bail them out of gambling debts was linked with suicidal thoughts even after taking depression into account (Lee et al., 2021). If debts make you feel trapped and you have thoughts of harming yourself, please do not carry them alone. Reach out to a crisis line right away: call or text 988 in the US and Canada, call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or find a line at findahelpline.com elsewhere. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.

Family members can get help first. Even if the person refuses counselling, family members can start counselling themselves (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c). In Korea, the 1336 gambling helpline is open to family and friends too (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026a). Programmes for the families of people who gamble have not been studied much yet, and no particular approach has been shown to work better than others (Edgren et al., 2022; Vassallo et al., 2023). Still, understanding gambling problems, finding people to lean on, and learning to communicate and cope stand out as what matters (Edgren et al., 2022). The Royal College of Psychiatrists also notes that getting support for yourself puts you in a better position to support the person who gambles (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025).

Paying off someone’s gambling debts may bring brief relief, but it does not solve the gambling, which tends to repeat (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c). The American Psychiatric Association likewise advises against bailing the person out, and suggests setting boundaries around money by taking control of family finances and reviewing bank and credit card statements. It also advises against treating the person as immoral, or expecting immediate recovery or that every problem will be solved once the gambling stops (American Psychiatric Association, 2024). There are also family groups (Gam-Anon) where relatives in a similar situation meet (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026b).

Safety comes first. In an analysis of 14 studies, 38.1% of people with gambling problems reported having been victims of physical violence by a partner and 36.5% reported having used it (Dowling et al., 2016). NICE also advises looking out for domestic violence, economic abuse and coercive behaviour (NICE, 2025). If you are threatened over money or there is violence, protect your safety before following any advice about not paying debts. In immediate danger, call your local emergency number. US: National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 · UK: National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247.

If you are worried about a child, do not brush it off. When Korean police cracked down on youth cyber gambling from September 2023 for 6 months, 1,035 people under 19 were arrested. Most middle and high school students had been drawn to gambling sites by friends, and the main way students of many ages, including children aged 9 and 12, were lured was text messages on their phones. About 1,000 bank accounts in young people’s names had been used to manage gambling money, so the police urged parents not to assume their child does not gamble just because they have never seen it (Korea Policy Briefing, 2024). In a crackdown over the year from November 2024, 7,153 young people were caught gambling, and steps such as referral to professional counselling services followed (Korea Policy Briefing, 2025). These are enforcement counts, not the number of young people with gambling problems. In Korea, all gambling by minors is illegal, whatever the type (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c). Rather than confronting your child, talk calmly, and look together at how loot boxes in games share features with gambling (American Psychiatric Association, 2024). Parents can also get counselling on 1336 (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026a).

In Korea, you can call 1336 free of charge, with no area code, about gambling problems. This national gambling helpline is open 365 days a year from 9am to 10pm, is open to family and friends as well as to the person who gambles, and keeps what you say confidential. You can also text #1336 from a mobile phone, and chat counselling is available on weekdays from 9am to 6pm (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026a). 1336 is not open at night, so if you have thoughts of harming yourself, do not wait for it to open: reach out to a crisis line right away (in Korea, 109, 24 hours, free; in the US and Canada, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123; elsewhere, findahelpline.com).

Gambling problem prevention and treatment centres across Korea work to find and address gambling problems early, and offer counselling by phone, in person and in groups, treatment and rehabilitation programmes, and legal and financial counselling and education. The central centre in Seoul offers individual counselling, group programmes and more free of charge to people who gamble and their families, and lists self-help groups such as Gamblers Anonymous (GA) and Gam-Anon for families (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026b). Local integrated addiction management centres also offer counselling by phone or in person to people with gambling problems, their families and other residents (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2026). You can also see a psychiatrist. The Korea Problem Gambling Agency website has a screening questionnaire, but its result is a reason to talk to a counsellor, not a diagnosis.

In Korea’s health insurance data, in 2015, 915 people were treated with “pathological gambling” (F63.0) as their main diagnosis; by 2025 the number was 3,632, almost four times as many. In 2025, two in three were aged 20 to 39, and 267 were aged 10 to 19 (Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 2026). These figures count only people who were treated, so most people with gambling problems are not in them, and the numbers alone cannot tell whether more people are gambling or more are seeking help. Few people seek treatment to begin with: fewer than 10% of people with gambling disorder, men and women alike, do so (WHO, 2024a), and stigma and shame often stand in the way (WHO, 2024b). But support and treatment are available, and recovery is possible (NICE, 2025).

Outside Korea, start with your doctor or local addiction services. In England, the NHS describes where to get support for gambling problems and suggests the National Debtline for help with debts (NHS, 2023).

Q. Is there a self-test for gambling addiction? A. mind.io does not offer a gambling test. Research and counselling services use short screening questionnaires, but their results are not a diagnosis. Instead, you can ask yourself whether you go back to win lost money, whether you hide your gambling or run up debts, and whether you find it hard to cut down (WHO, 2024a). The depression check-in (PHQ-9) is not a gambling test, but it looks at depression, which often comes with gambling problems.

Q. Couldn’t I stop once I have won back what I lost? A. Gambling on to win back lost money, known as “chasing”, is a typical feature of gambling disorder (WHO, 2024a). Each round is independent of earlier ones, so your “turn to win” never comes due (APA, n.d.). The WHO cites an estimate that people gambling at harmful levels generate around 60% of gambling revenue, that is, of the money gamblers lose (WHO, 2024b). Gambling is not a way to make money (NHS, 2023).

Q. Can you get addicted to sports betting or online gambling? A. Yes. Online gambling was the factor most strongly linked with problem gambling (Allami et al., 2021). In a French survey, the share of excessive gamblers among sports bettors was 6 times that among lottery players (Santé publique France, 2020). In Korea, unlicensed online gambling is illegal and can be punished, and it is said to carry a higher risk of addiction (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c).

Q. Is crypto or stock day-trading gambling? A. Investing is not in itself gambling. But the Royal College of Psychiatrists says betting on investment products can be a form of gambling (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025), and in Korea there is debate over whether short-term stock trading should be treated as gambling (National Gambling Control Commission, 2024). If you raise your bets to win back losses, hide your trading, or keep going while running up debts, those are the same warning signs as with gambling, so consider counselling.

Q. Can I stop on my own? A. Some people do. Recovery from gambling disorder is common even without treatment, especially among adolescents and young adults (WHO, 2024a). But many people need help (American Psychiatric Association, 2024), and even light support such as phone counselling may work better than going it alone (Rash & Petry, 2014).

Q. I gambled again. Have I failed? A. No. Relapse is nothing to be ashamed of; it can be part of recovery and a chance to learn (NICE, 2025). Look at what set it off and get help again.

Q. I think my partner or a family member has a gambling addiction. A. Rather than putting a label on them, notice changes in behaviour and money, and protect your own money and safety first. Even if they refuse, you can start counselling yourself (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026c), and in Korea the 1336 helpline is open to family members too (Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 2026a).

Q. Gambling debts make me want to die. A. Please do not carry this alone. Reach out to a crisis line right away: call or text 988 in the US and Canada, call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or find a line at findahelpline.com elsewhere. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services. Once things feel a little calmer, the debts can be worked through with help, for example in Korea through 1336 (every day, 9am to 10pm) and the financial counselling at gambling problem centres.

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