For most people, legal gambling is simply a form of entertainment. The problem comes when you expect to earn money from it. Or when you keep playing even though you’ve lost too much. Or you start to sacrifice important things like grades, work performance or family time.

When this happens, recreational gambling can turn into problem gambling, which can cause negative financial, mental, emotional or social consequences for the gambler and those around them. If not addressed, problem gambling can spiral into compulsive gambling, which means an increasing preoccupation with gambling, a need to bet more money more frequently, restlessness or irritability when attempting to stop gambling, a desire to “chase” losses, and an inability to stop gambling despite serious negative consequences. In other words, the person’s gambling makes them do things they wouldn’t normally do, such as lying or stealing, and they find it hard to stop gambling even though they want to.

So why is it important to know about problem gambling?
Problem gambling is an addiction that can cause problems that will affect you for a long time – perhaps even your whole life. Debt, bankruptcy, bad credit and family problems aren’t quick fixes. Eventually, addicts can hit rock bottom, owing more money than they could possibly repay. It’s no wonder pathological gamblers have a higher suicide rate than those with other addictions. Also, the behaviors and types of decisions you start making now will set the tone for your life when you’re older.