Last Updated:

January 30th, 2026

Gambling addiction: Signs, symptoms and side-effects

Gambling addiction destroys lives without you swallowing a single pill or drinking a drop. Four hundred people kill themselves every year in England due to the strain of gambling, and NHS referrals for gambling addiction doubled in 2024. Unfortunately, Britain has one of the world’s most accessible gambling markets, with apps on your phone, bookies on every high street, and online casinos operating around the clock. It is so important that anyone who is struggling with gambling addiction knows the risks and where to get help, because it can be just as destructive as any drug or alcohol addiction.

gambling-addidction-table

What is gambling addiction?

Gambling addiction means you cannot stop betting even when it has become dangerous to your health, finances, or relationships. It is a recognised mental health condition that requires professional medical treatment like any other illness.

Gambling addiction can start with a flutter on the football results or a few quid on online slots, and when you win, your brain floods with dopamine. This is the same chemical released when you eat chocolate or take drugs, and as with drugs or chocolate, your brain wants that feeling again. This is what creates the desire to keep gambling.

Many people may think that gambling addiction is all about the wins, but it is often the losses that create the first real danger. This is because some people’s brains are convinced that the next bet will fix everything, resulting in “chasing losses”. When you believe you can win back what you’ve lost, you bet more. If you lose again, you then chase that loss, too, then lose again, and chase it, and the dangerous pattern goes on and on.

Recognising gambling addiction signs

Gambling is such a big part of British culture, with adverts everywhere, and little effective regulation. This means you may think you’re gambling safely when really you are in addiction denial. Here are some gambling addiction signs to show that you need help:

  • Borrowing money or taking out loans you can’t afford to fund gambling
  • Lying about your behaviour or spending on loved ones
  • Stealing or committing other crimes to get gambling funds
  • Gambling alone, often late at night
  • Missing work, family events, or social commitments to gamble
  • Feeling unable to stop after winning, and continuing to bet until you lose everything
  • Extreme mood swings between elation after wins and depression after losses

Why is gambling addictive?

Repeated gambling rewires your brain’s reward system, and the pathways that release dopamine become oversensitive. When this happens, dopamine surges at just the thought of gambling, rather than only when you win. In fact, your brain can become so addicted to the act of placing a bet itself that losing money triggers a dopamine release almost as powerful as when you win.

There are also various other factors which increase both the chances of individuals becoming addicted and high rates of gambling addiction in specific societies:

The near-miss effect
Almost winning can affect your brain more intensely than actual wins. When your horse finishes second or slot symbols nearly line up, your brain treats these near-misses as evidence you’re close to victory, so you need to keep going. Gambling companies deliberately design games to produce frequent near-misses that keep you playing.
Co-existing gambling addiction and mental health
96% of people with a gambling addiction also have another mental health condition. Just like with alcohol or drug addiction, gambling can become a way to mask or escape these conditions, but it just makes them worse the longer it goes on.
The gambler’s fallacy
The “gambler’s fallacy” means that you start to believe that patterns exist in random events.  For example, if red appeared five times on the roulette wheel, then black must be “due” next. This can create an illusion of control or make you believe that if you keep playing for long enough, you are certain to win.
The UK’s gambling market
Britain operates one of the world’s most unregulated gambling industries. The 2005 Gambling Act allowed television advertising and normalised betting as mainstream entertainment. Apps enable 24/7 gambling from your sofa, and even the most desolate high streets still have many betting shops.
The gambling industry profit model
86% of online gambling profits come from just 5% of customers, predominantly from deprived postcodes. The gambling industry targets these people by heavily promoting forms of betting that have a very low chance of success, such as online fruit machines and casinos (with 45% of players either addicted or at risk of addiction), and live sports betting (with 78% either addicted or at risk).

Gambling addiction dangers

The consequences of gambling addiction can be catastrophic, with some of the biggest dangers including:

 

Relationship breakdowns
Gambling addiction leads to dishonesty, arguments, financial ruin, and loss of trust. Unlike substance addictions, where people may suspect something quite quickly, by the time debts and lies are discovered, things have often gone too far for relationships to survive.
Financial devastation
Unlike heroin or cocaine addiction, where the effects may physically limit spending to a certain degree, you can lose your entire life savings in one gambling session. Some people remortgage their homes, empty pension funds, max out credit cards, and even borrow from loan sharks.
Mental health collapse
96% of people with a gambling disorder have at least one other mental health condition. Hiding debts from family, seeing relationships suffer, and the constant day-to-day financial worry can drive severe depression, crippling anxiety, panic attacks, and deadly outcomes.
Suicide
Around four hundred people are recorded as killing themselves in England each year due to gambling, though the actual number is likely far higher. One study found that problem gamblers were fifteen times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.
Criminality
Theft, fraud, and other crimes are all common ways that people fund gambling addiction. In many cases, they have never committed a crime before becoming addicted to gambling.

man suffring gambling addiction

What does gambling addiction recovery involve?

Recovery begins with an honest assessment of your gambling behaviour and mental health. While there is no detox stage with gambling addiction, the early days of quitting can trigger a form of withdrawal, so professional support is needed to prevent a relapse.

Residential behavioural rehab can then help you rebuild your life without gambling. Rehab therapy will help you explore the truth behind the gambler’s fallacy, behaviour patterns like chasing losses, and the underlying personal struggles that you are using gambling to escape from. The aim is to help you develop new ways to manage or resolve these issues so you don’t need to hide from them.

The most successful rehab programmes include relapse prevention planning and alumni and aftercare services, so you have everything you need to return home confidently. You can also join up with local support groups after you leave, like your nearest Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

We have helped many people just like you with proven gambling addiction treatment. Contact us today to explore all the options and take back control of your life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do post-rehab to prevent a gambling relapse?
There are many effective ways to prevent a gambling relapse, including registering with GAMSTOP to block all licensed betting sites and asking your bank to restrict gambling payments. You should also keep attending aftercare therapy or support groups like Gamblers Anonymous (GA).
Who is most at risk of developing a gambling addiction?
Gambling addiction statistics show that young men are the group most likely to develop gambling addiction, especially if they start gambling early or see it as a way to escape pressure or fix financial problems. The risk is also higher for people already struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness, and those with impulsive personalities, past addictions, or money worries. Easy access to online betting apps also increases the risk, as it allows constant gambling in private.
Can someone with a gambling addiction ever gamble normally again?
No, gambling addiction requires lifelong abstinence, because once your brain’s reward system has been rewired by gambling, that change is permanent. 70-75% of people succeed by stopping completely, but those attempting “controlled” gambling almost always relapse.

(Click here to see works cited)