A gambling addiction does not develop overnight. Instead, it usually develops over a period of several years, making it almost impossible to pinpoint a specific starting point. Gambling addiction is the colloquial term for a mental disorder in which the person affected is unable to resist the impulse to gamble. The individuals concerned are well aware that their gambling behavior has negative consequences, both in their personal and professional lives. However, they do not have the ability to resist the "compulsion to gamble". Gambling addiction therefore refers to pathological gambling, i.e. pathological gambling behavior.
Unfortunately, it is often not really easy to find out when a gambling addiction exists. The fact is, however, that there are symptoms by which those affected and also relatives can recognize that the gambling behavior could at least be problematic. We would like to briefly discuss these symptoms below:
Help for gambling addiction
Anyone who realizes that they may have lost control of their gambling behavior should seek professional help as early as possible. For example, the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) offers a free telephone counseling service that can be contacted from Monday to Thursday between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. and from Friday to Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.. The free service number is 0800 1 37 27 00. Interested gamblers can use the BZgA's telephone advice service to obtain information and education on the subject of gambling addiction, information and advice on current support services, and concrete advice on difficult life situations, among other things.
According to the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), there are currently a total of 429,000 people in the Federal Republic of Germany whose gambling behavior is classified as at least problematic. Of these, around 200,000 are considered to be pathological gamblers, i.e. acutely addicted to gambling. What is striking about the statistics is that men show signs of problem or pathological gambling behavior significantly more often than women. In addition, gambling addiction is particularly prevalent among young men aged up to 25 with an immigrant background.