Are certain people more vulnerable to becoming a problem gambler?

Anyone can develop a problem with gambling, regardless of race, gender, financial status, social background or intelligence. However there are some character traits that tend to reoccur amongst problem gamblers. They are often insecure people, and they use the gambling environment to provide a sense of security. When gambling it is possible to become so involved with the act that you forget about any other worries or concerns. The gambler is in an environment he or she knows well, and in which they can feel secure and at ease. When a sense of achievement and belonging is lacking in other areas of life, the likelihood of gambling becoming a problem drastically increases.

The need to escape reality and be someone ‘special’

It is often said about problem gamblers that they want to be a ‘big shot’, someone out of the ordinary who attracts a lot of attention and respect from their peers. They want to be the one at the bar with the full wallet, the generous guy who picks up the tab in the club, the person who can afford expensive clothes and fancy restaurants, generous presents for their families and friends. It could also be said that problem gamblers are the type of people we colloquially call ‘dreamers’. When faced with the stresses and strains, or the plain old boredom of, every day life, they turn to gambling as a means of escape. Instead of dealing with things they prefer to escape into the gambling world where life is engaging and exciting. Another word used to describe this characteristic is immature – an accusation that will often be levelled at a person suffering from any kind of addiction. The overriding need to escape is childish and irresponsible, and the people around the gambler soon get sick and tired of listening to unrealistic ideas about the future. Especially as these ideas never seem to materialise into reality, and the gambler then has to explain him or herself with more lies and fantastic stories.

Is family background a contributory factor?

People who come from a gambling background (i.e. their parents or elder siblings were gamblers), are more likely to develop a problem with gambling in adulthood. Gambling is not something you ‘inherit’ like blue eyes or a good singing voice, rather it is something you become accustomed to if your family gambles. For people from this kind of background the act of gambling is normal, and they become comfortable with the gambling environment from an early age. A compulsive gambler will often tell you that their first experience of gambling occurred in childhood. A friend or family member gives them a small amount of cash to gamble with to make them feel grown up, or just to keep them occupied for a while. They have accompanied a parent to the bookies, maybe put a bet on for dad while he chatted to his mates; perhaps helped mum with one of her cards at Bingo, bought a scratchcard for gran at the corner shop. The act of gambling is inextricably linked with a feeling of importance and self-worth. The transition from childhood or adolescence to the adult world is becomes tangible and explicit in gambling. Therefore that person will always revert to gambling as a way of re-establishing or cementing a sense of self-worth and self-determination, if and when these needs are not met in ‘normal’ daily life.