Frequently Asked Questions
Help is always available. Just pick up a phone.
National Problem Gamblers Helpline: 1.800.522.4700
Pennsylvania Help Line: 1.800.GAMBLER (426.2537) or 1.800.848-1880
Macau Help Lines: Resilience Centre +853.2832.3928, Rehabilitation Centre +852.2748.7207, Caritas Macau Family Services +853.2893.0362, Caritas Macau – Life Hope Hotline +8532852.5222
Singapore Help Line: 1.800.6.668.668
Help lines are available now to answer questions about problem gambling, a condition that is treatable.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, Las Vegas Sands Corp., its properties, and its Team Members encourage you to get help -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Caring counselors will provide information on treatment and support resources in your area.
Armed with facts, we can better understand problem gambling.
Source: National Council on Problem Gambling
What is problem gambling?
Problem gambling includes all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt, or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits. Essential features include increasing preoccupation with gambling, a need to bet more money more frequently, restlessness or irritability when attempting to stop, "chasing" losses, and loss of control manifested by continuation of problem gambling behavior in spite of mounting negative consequences. In extreme cases, problem gambling can result in financial ruin, legal problems, loss of career and family, or even suicide.
What is compulsive gambling?
Compulsive gambling is a progressive behavior disorder in which an individual has a psychologically uncontrollable preoccupation and urge to gamble. This results in excessive gambling, the outcome of which is the loss of time and money. The gambling reaches the point at which it compromises, disrupts, or destroys the gambler’s personal life, family relationships, or vocational pursuits. These problems in turn lead to intensification of the gambling behavior. The cardinal features are emotional dependence on gambling, loss of control, and interference with normal functioning.
Is there a difference between problem gambling and compulsive gambling?
The problem gambler may have some symptoms of compulsive gambling, but has not progressed to the point where he or she has an actual addiction. Compulsive gambling is a progressive behavior disorder in which an individual becomes unable to resist the urge to gamble despite devastating consequences.
What kind of people become problem gamblers?
Anyone who gambles can develop problems if they are not aware of the risks and do not gamble responsibly. When gambling behavior interferes with finances, relationships and the workplace, a serious problem already exists.
Isn't problem gambling really the result of irresponsible or weak-willed people?
No. Many people who develop problems have been viewed as responsible and strong by those who care about them. Precipitating factors often lead to a change in behavior, such as retirement or job related stress.
How can a person be addicted to something that isn't a substance?
Although no substance is ingested, the problem gambler gets the same effect from gambling as someone else might get from taking a tranquilizer or having a drink. The gambling alters the person's mood and the gambler keeps repeating the behavior attempting to achieve that same effect. But just as tolerance develops to drugs or alcohol, the gambler finds that it takes more and more of the gambling experience to achieve the same emotional effect as before. This creates an increased craving for the activity and the gambler has less ability to resist as the craving grows in intensity and frequency.
Are problem gamblers usually addicted to other things too?
It is generally accepted that people with one addiction are more at risk to develop another. Some problem gamblers also find they have a problem with alcohol or drugs. This does not, however, mean that if you have a gambling problem you are guaranteed to become addicted to other things. Some problem gamblers never experience any other addiction because no other substance or activity gives them the same feeling as gambling does. There is also evidence of family patterns regarding dependency as many problem gamblers report one or both parents had a drinking and or gambling problem.
A national survey revealed that 96% of individuals who met criteria for lifetime disordered gambling also met criteria for one or more other mental health disorder in their lifetime. In nearly 75% of cases, the other mental health disorder preceded disordered gambling (Kessler et al., 2009).
Isn't problem gambling just a financial problem?
No. Problem gambling is an emotional problem with financial consequences. If you pay all of a problem gambler's debts, the person will still be a problem gambler. The real problem is their uncontrollable obsession with gambling.
Can you be a problem gambler if you don't gamble every day?
The frequency of a person's gambling does not determine whether or not they have a gambling problem. Even though the problem gambler may only go on periodic gambling binges, the emotional and financial consequences will still be evident in the gambler's life, including the effects on the family.
Is there a cure for compulsive gambling?
No. However, compulsive gambling is treatable. Addicts can learn to abstain from compulsive causing behaviors and maintain new ones, but it is a life-long recovery process, not a “one-shot” cure.
How much money do you have to lose before gambling becomes a problem?
The amount of money lost or won does not determine when gambling becomes a problem. Gambling becomes a problem when it causes a negative impact on any area of the individual's life.
What is responsible gaming?
The primary objective of a responsible gaming framework is to prevent and reduce harm associated with gambling in general, and excessive gambling in particular, while respecting the rights of individuals who safely engage in recreational gambling.
Do casinos, lotteries and other types of gambling “cause” problem gambling?
The cause of a gambling problem is the individual's inability to control the gambling. This may be due in part to a person's genetic tendency to develop addiction, their ability to cope with normal life stress and even their social upbringing and moral attitudes about gambling. The casino or lottery provides the opportunity for the person to gamble. It does not, in and of itself, create the problem any more than a liquor store would create an alcoholic.
According to the Harvard University Medical School’s Division on Addictions, only 1%-2% of all gambling age adults are classified with having a problem with gambling. If individual adults want to gamble, it is possible to find gaming anywhere in the world; whether that is through casinos, online
gaming, sports betting, or any number of mediums. There is no direct correlation between the number of gaming outlets and the number of gambling-related problems. Therefore, it is not possible to draw a correlation between increased problem gambling issues and an increase in the availability of facilities.
What types of gambling cause the most problem gambling?
Again, the cause of a gambling problem is the individual’s inability to control the gambling. Therefore, any type of gambling can become problematic, just as an alcoholic can get drunk on any type of alcohol. But some types of gambling have different characteristics that may exacerbate gambling problems. While these factors are still poorly understood, anecdotal reports indicate that one risk factor may be a fast speed of play. In other words, the faster the wager to response time with a game, the more likely players may be to develop problems with a particular game.
What is the responsibility of the gaming industry?
Everyone who provides gambling opportunities has a responsibility to develop policies and programs to address underage and problem gambling issues.