While the majority of players enjoy our games responsibly, we recognize that there are some who may need assistance with problem gambling. Have you ever asked yourself, “Do I have a gambling problem?” First, know that you’re not alone, and there are groups and support resources that are ready to help. If you have asked yourself this question, or if you’re just wondering what impact gambling has on your life, please take this quick self-assessment to determine if it may be time to get help or to reassess your gambling behavior.*
1. Have there ever been periods lasting two weeks or longer when you spent a lot of time thinking about your gambling experiences, planning out future gambling ventures or wagers, or thinking about ways of getting money to gamble with?
2. Have there ever been periods when you needed to gamble with increasing amounts of money or with larger wagers than before in order to get the same feeling of excitement?
3. Have you ever felt restless or irritable when trying to stop, cut down, or control your gambling?
4. Have you tried and not succeeded in stopping, cutting down, or controlling your gambling three or more times in your life?
5. Have you ever gambled to escape from personal problems, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, anxiety, helplessness, or depression?
6. Has there ever been a period when, if you lost money gambling one day, you would often return another day to get even?
7. Have you lied to family members, friends, or others about how much you gamble, and/or about how much money you lost on gambling, on at least three occasions?
8. Have you ever written a bad check or taken money that didn’t belong to you from family members, friends, or anyone else in order to pay for your gambling?
9. Has your gambling ever caused serious or repeated problems in your relationships with any of your family members or friends? Or, has your gambling ever caused you problems at work or your studies?
10. Have you ever needed to ask family members, friends, a lending institution, or anyone else to loan you money or otherwise bail you out of a desperate money situation that was largely caused by your gambling?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it may be time to look into getting help for a potential gambling problem.
*REMINDER: This self-assessment will help you figure out if there is a problem, but only a professional can diagnose if it is a gambling problem, a different problem, or both.