What Behaviours Indicate Problem Gambling That Players Should Be Aware Of?

Being aware of where the divide between healthy and problem gambling is is essential for all players. Before you even consider rolling a dice, shuffling cards, or placing a bet, you must know what constitutes problem behaviour. As an expert in the industry, I know just how important it is to recognise the signs, which is why I’m here to walk you through what to look out for and what you can do to prevent them!

Understanding Problem Gambling

The UK Gambling Commission defines problem gambling as “gambling to a degree that compromises, disrupts, or damages family, personal, or recreational pursuits”. That means if gambling causes any form of financial, mental, physical, or social damage, it should be viewed as a problem.

It can also lead to a shift in attitude towards gambling. You should always view gambling as a recreational activity, and it should never stray into something aimed at supplementing income. A shift in mindset can cause players to lose sight of the risks of gambling and result in harmful behaviour, like chasing losses or overspending, which we’ll cover now.

Spending More Than You Can Afford

If you find yourself committing more than you can afford at a provider, it’s a sure sign your relationship with gambling has become problematic. Overspending indicates that you’ve lost control of your spending, and this can lead to significant financial strain. It can leave players struggling to pay bills or rent, and result in further harm to their loved ones.

Chasing Losses

Whatever game you’re playing or sport you’re betting on, there’s always a risk of losing your stake. It’s important to recognise this and have a clear idea of how much you’d be comfortable losing before gambling. You need to make sure you’re able to step away when the losses start coming, in order to not exceed your overall budget.

Chasing losses is when a player feels they might be able to recoup those losses and plough through anyway. It’s especially common after a significant loss, when players expect their “luck will turn”. I’ve heard this all too often. After a heavy loss or series of losses, players think their fortunes will change, but that’s not how it works. Each time you spin a roulette wheel, pull a slot or play a hand of poker, they’re independent events that aren’t influenced by the previous events at all, which is why the chasing losses mindset can be so dangerous.

Gambling on Your Mind

If you find yourself constantly thinking or talking about gambling, that could be a strong indication something is wrong. That’s especially true if you find yourself thinking about gambling when you need to concentrate, such as at work, or you find your thoughts drifting back to it when socialising. You can also look out for this change in people around you, who you might notice are talking about gambling more than usual.

Fixating on gambling can have serious consequences for your relationships with others and professional life. You might lose interest in other activities or neglect important responsibilities, which can also impact your family. It’s not uncommon for those struggling with gambling to want to hide it from those around them, so you might also notice yourself covering up or lying about your gambling activities.

Emotions While Gambling

It’s important to keep track of your emotions while you’re gambling, as they can be important indicators of a problem. After a loss, it’s natural to have an emotional response, of course, but if you find those emotions are so strong they leak into the rest of your life, it could be an indication of a problem. You might also notice strong mood swings as a result of gambling, or find that it is disrupting your sleep pattern.

You should also watch out for how you feel when trying to cut down or stop gambling. Those experiencing gambling problems may find themselves becoming irritable when gambling less.

It’s Hard to Spot the Signs

It can be a real challenge to spot the signs of problem gambling in yourself, especially if you don’t keep track of your activity. If that sounds like you, I recommend checking out a problem gambling questionnaire, which can be found directly through gambling providers, or through responsible gambling sites if you want to avoid visiting any gambling-related site. Basically, they ask you a series of questions about your gambling behaviour and give you a score that indicates your risk of problem gambling.

To give you an example, you might be asked something like “Do you worry about your gambling behaviour?” and you answer either “Never”, “Sometimes”, “Often”, or “Constantly”. They’ll ask about things like your finances, mental health, and relationships with others. These can be a really great resource to get you to reflect on your gambling behaviour, and you might even discover some signs that you didn’t realise were associated with problem gambling, like worsening performance at work.

You can also fill the form in for someone else if you’re concerned about the gambling habits of someone you know!

How can You Control Your Gambling Behaviour?

Now I’ve covered the most important signs to look out for, let’s discuss some of the ways in which you can control these behaviours. I want to start by correcting the misconception that responsible gambling tools are only for those with an existing issue. Everyone who gambles should be doing so responsibly by setting and sticking to limits and monitoring their emotions. You can also reach out for help when you need it, through helplines and support groups readily available online.

Staying Within Your Limits

Before you begin playing, you should always make sure to set a deposit limit that caps how much you want to spend at a provider. From the end of October 2025, providers must prompt all users to set some form of financial limits and also remind them every six months to review whether their limit is suitable. In June of the following year, deposit limits will actually become mandatory in the UK. After that, whenever you sign up with a gambling provider, you’ll have to set a deposit limit during account creation.

Loss limits are another important tool to manage your behaviour. Just like their name suggests, they place a maximum on how much you are comfortable losing at a provider. Once you hit that limit, you won’t be able to spend any further money, which makes them an excellent tool for preventing chasing losses.

Session limits control how long you spend at a provider and prevent you from any further play once you hit a maximum—one hour in a week, for example.

Breaks and Reminders

Limits are not the only tools available to help control your gambling activity; you should also make use of things like breaks and reminders. You can set a reminder however often you want, say every half an hour, to remind you of how long you’ve been playing and prompt you to reflect on whether you want to keep going.

Breaks are often used in conjunction with reminders. Once you hit the time when your reminder is triggered, you might be asked if you want to take a break. They’re short spells of a few hours or a couple of days, where you are prevented from using a site for the duration of the break.

Self-exclusion

Self-exclusion is like a longer break, usually stretching from six months to years, or even permanently. During the set time, you’re not able to play at a provider, completely cutting off all chances of developing problems. Self-exclusion can be done through individual platforms or by using tools like Gamstop to exclude from multiple sites at once.

What do All Players Need to Know Before Gambling?

Before you begin gambling, it’s important to know what constitutes healthy behaviour and what is an indication of a problem. Make sure to keep track of your activity and reflect on your behaviour, so you can spot signs like overspending or chasing losses. There are things you might not even realise are related to gambling problems, like trouble concentrating or worsening relationships with others, so it’s also a good idea to complete questionnaires that list all the signs.

Harm from gambling can be extensive and affect all aspects of your life, whether that’s social, emotional, or financial. That’s why it’s so important to be familiar with the signs and which tools are available to help you, such as setting limits or excluding yourself from a site. Before you begin gambling, always make sure you know where the line between healthy and harmful is, and make sure to stick to your limits.