Pathological Gambling / Compulsive Gambling
Pathological gambling, also called compulsive gambling or gambling addiction, is an impulse-control disorder creating an irresistible urge to gamble despite the financial or personal problems doing so may cause. For most compulsive gamblers, it is not the money itself that drives the urge so much as the thrill of gambling.Some signs of pathological or compulsive gambling include lying about or being secretive about gambling, gambling when already in debt, borrowing or stealing money to gamble, frequent thoughts about gambling, feeling at ease only when gambling, and needing to gamble increasing amounts of money in order to experience the same rush as before.
The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) is a commonly used tool to screen for problem gambling.