Watch the film that summarizes what problem gambling is, the risks involved and what you can do.
What is problem gambling?
Problem gambling means having difficulty controlling how much money and time you spend on gambling. It can have serious negative consequences for the individual, family members and society.
Warning signs
There are several warning signs of problem gambling - signs that make it easier to detect the problem. Typical warning signs are when the person who gambles:
Puts a lot of time, money, and energy into gambling.
Gets financial problems from gambling.
Has less time for family, work, studies, and friends.
Is absent, uninterested, and difficult to communicate with.
Gets annoyed, anxious, and restless when not gambling.
Has to gamble more and more to get the same stimulus.
Gets physical and mental health problems if not allowed to gamble.
Often ends up in conflicts with family and friends.
Examples of consequences
The consequences of gambling problems can ruin the life of the individual. Here are some examples of what gambling can lead to:
Personal bankruptcy and a lot of debt.
Ruined relationships with family and friends.
Losing one’s home.
Losing one’s job.
Mental health problems, which ultimately can lead to suicide.
Other forms of addiction, for example alcohol-related problems.
The consequences do not stop with the person who is addicted to gambling, but can easily affect their family and acquaintances. Those who are close to someone with gambling problems are at a high risk of developing co-dependence, which can mean mental health problems, financial problems, and relationships problems.
Problem gambling in sports
Large parts of sporting competitions are subject to betting in the gambling market. Betting on sport results can be particularly attractive to athletes competing in sports, and it can be a gateway to gambling problems. Athletes are particularly vulnerable, partly because bets are offered on their interests, activity, and work, and partly because of all the betting company advertisements linked to various sporting activities.
Research on problem gambling in elite athletes, which the Swedish Sports Confederation has helped finance, shows that elite athletes have an increased risk of developing gambling problems compared to the average population. The main reasons for this are thought to be:
Access to a lot of money.
Access to little money
A lot of spare time.
A social life separated from family and friends.
An environment with a lot of talk about gambling.
What are the risks?
Gambling can involve great risks for you as an athlete. Apart from the gambling itself being potentially damaging, it may also have other consequences connected to sports. The risks are primarily that:
A gambling problem can have a negative effect on sporting performance, for example by affecting the ability to concentrate.
An athlete with gambling problems can affect their sporting environment in a negative way, so that more people start gambling. The more people in a sporting environment that gamble, the greater the risk that a destructive gambling culture will arise in that environment.
An athlete with gambling problems can be a target for those who want to influence matches or competitions through match-fixing. Thus, for an athlete, betting means exposing oneself to even greater risks than just the risk of developing gambling problems.
In several sporting clubs, gambling is prohibited in connection to matches, travel to and from matches and other instances when players and coaches meet. Violation of these rules can lead to fines and suspensions.
What can you do?
There are several things you can do to reduce the risks of gambling in a sporting environment – be it for you or someone else in that environment. Here are some things to keep in mind, whether you are gambling or not:
Be wary of sports environments where there is a lot of talk about betting. In sports, a common problem is that the environment is often characterized by a high acceptance of gambling and talk about gambling. Report to those in charge at your club, association or federation if you notice excessive gambling, or excessive talk about gambling, in the sporting environment.
Do not contribute to normalising talk about gambling in the sporting environment.
Try to support those you suspect have gambling problems.
Make sure you have other ways of occupying yourself alongside your sport. Many professional athletes have a lot of spare time outside of sports, which can lead to gambling and eventually too much of it. To avoid this, it is good to have a job, to study or to do something equally meaningful on the side that reduces the risks of you spending your spare time on gambling.
Talk about your problems. For example, if you as an athlete are injured or have a break for some other reason, there is a risk of mental health problems, which in turn can lead to more gambling. Therefore, it is important that you talk about your problems and feelings, either with family members or with people within your club, association or federation – or that you seek professional help.
Where to get help for gambling problems
For anyone who suffers from gambling problems, it is important to get help. There are several ways to get support and advice, often from people who have experienced gambling problems themselves.
If you need help with your gambling problem, or if you have of a friend or family member who you suspect has gambling problems, you can contact one of the following:
The help line - Anonymous and free counselling for people with gambling problems and their family members.
Gambling Addiction Association - If you or a family member has gambling problems, you can contact the association closest to where you live.
Spelpaus.se - If you want to exclude yourself from gambling with immediate effect.
The Swedish Public Health Agency - If you want to read more about gambling problems.
The Help line self-test - If you are concerned about your gambling, you can do a self-test to review your gambling habits.