PROBLEM GAMBLING AND THE WORKPLACE

A problem gambler is anyone whose gambling is causing psychological, financial, emotional, marital, legal, or other difficulties for themselves and the people around them. Problem gambling may be an isolated case of overspending, or a pattern of excessive gambling when upset, or it may be an ongoing problem with continua losses and mounting debts. At the extreme end of this range is pathologica gambling, where people are unable to control their gambling much as those addicted to alcohol are unable to control their drinking. Sometimes the gambling problem is transient and goes away, sometimes it plateaus and maintains for years, and sometimes it progresses to catastrophic levels. Regardless of the course, problem gamblers usually experience intense shame, financial strife, and family problems.