When gambling goes beyond a fun spin of the slots and becomes a full addiction, it’s important to seek effective treatment. One of the most effective ways of treating gambling addictions is through hypnotherapy. This post will outline gambling addictions and how hypnotherapy can resolve them.

What is Gambling Addiction?

For many adults, gambling can be a fun pastime. A few lucky rolls of the dice, a strong two pair or full house in poker, or a jackpot at the slot machine can make just about anyone excited and perhaps rake in a good deal of cash. When gambling is no longer about spending a little cash and time out with friends for fun, it can develop into an addiction.

Gambling addiction can be harder to identify than addictions to other substances such as alcohol or tobacco since there’s no substance being consumed. Nevertheless, gambling addiction afflicts many, especially those with personality traits that can make them prone to developing an addiction in the first place.

Three Types of Gambling Addiction

Not all gambling addictions are alike. Some people can show signs of gambling addiction in obvious ways, like taking time off work or from family duties to be at the casino, whilst others manage to keep their addiction relatively in check. Below are three common types of gambling addiction:

Problem gambling: when an individual has a gambling addiction but they believe they’ve got it under control when they really don’t, they suffer from a problem gambling addiction. This type of addiction can directly interfere with the individual’s lifestyle and can be somewhat obvious to family and friends.
Binge gambling: in normal circumstances, the individual has relatively good control over their addiction. They can lead a fairly normal lifestyle, but when presented with an opportunity to gamble, they lose all control.
Compulsive gambling: when an individual feels like they have no control at all over their addiction and easily give in to any opportunity to gamble, they’ll take it.

Gambling Addiction and Cognitive Biases

Gambler’s fallacy: one of the most well-known fallacies is the gambler’s fallacy. Savvy gamblers often spend a lot of time analysing the odds of success based on statistics. Just because a certain number, slot, or card hasn’t shown up in a long time is no measure of guarantee that it’ll be more likely to show up later. Gamblers often waste away time and money in the hopes that their “luck” will turn around in their favour.
The illusion of being in control: seldom if ever is the gambler in complete control of the odds. If that were so, casinos would not be in business very long. Instead, many casinos offer players the illusion of control by giving them statistics and odds, playing into the gambler’s fallacy and creating an illusion of control for the gambler.
Overconfidence: casinos like when gamblers are more confident since they tend to place higher bets and thus stand to lose more to the house. Gamblers that go in with too much inflated confidence more often than not end up disappointed.