This is the Gambling Severity Continuum!

Everyone falls somewhere on this continuum right now, and their position may move up or down, depending on the choices they make. For example: Joe sometimes goes to the local casino with friends and will play the lottery occasionally. He always sets a money limit for himself and he will sometimes make a choice to play hockey, or read about his hobbies instead of gambling. He would not miss gambling if he decided never to play again. Joe is a casual social gambler.

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Non-Gambler:

A person in this category is at no risk. They do not choose to gamble at this time in their lives. They may have never gambled in their lives, or they could have been a gambler before, but decided to make a change. There is no risk involved because they are choosing not to play.

Casual Social:

A person in this category is at low risk. They set limits around their gambling, and they have other leisure interests to occupy their free time. They only gamble occasionally, and would not miss it if they chose to stop. They are at low risk because they are practicing responsible gambling habits.

Serious Social:

A person in this category could be at low risk, moving into moderate risk. This person is one for whom gambling is their primary leisure activity, they would miss it very much if they chose to stop. They gamble on a regular basis, and might be choosing to gamble as a source of income. In the low risk situation, this person would be taking responsible action to not let their gambling interfere with other important areas of their lives. They could move into moderate risk if they began to make choices that allowed gambling to impact their life in a negative way.

Harmful Involvement:

A person in this category is at moderate or high risk. They have begun to lose control of their gambling activity and it is negatively impacting some areas of their life. (Not paying monthly expenses, missing important work/social obligations, neglecting family responsibilities.) They may be chasing their losses, and are therefore playing to try to win back the money they have lost. The gravity of the risk is associated with the amount of impact on a person’s life as a whole.

Pathological:

A person in this category is in high risk. They have completely lost control over their gambling, and the negative impact is effecting all the areas of their life. They may have adopted some cognitive distortions about the games they play, and they have difficulty stopping their behaviour.