A report this week from Great Britain, where gambling and sports betting is more widely available and accepted than in the United States, shows a rise in people struggling with addiction on mobile devices.
“The National Problem Gambling Clinic (NPGC) said while 24% of its patients struggled with mobile gambling in 2012-13, this rose to 63% in 2016-17,” reports the BBC. The group’s patients experience trouble with a variety of gambling forms, some of the sports betting, which falls into SportsHandle.com’s purview.
While tens of millions of Americans enjoy gambling of some kind responsibly, 2.2% of adults in the U.S. are pathological gamblers (or “compulsive” gamblers), according to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). Compulsive gambling can take a serious toll on an individual and his or her family’s emotional, physical and financial well-being. In response, a number of large players in the gaming industry, such as MGM with its “GameSense,” program, are implementing better tools to protect against problem gambling.
The South Oaks Gambling Screen Can Help Identify Compulsive Gamblers
With that in mind, we direct your attention to a well-validated screening test that can help identify pathological gambling. It’s known as the South Oaks Gambling Screen. The test contains 16 questions, followed by instructions how to interpret the score. (If you think you have a gambling problem, speak to a doctor professional, or call a 24-hour hotline.)
Click the document below to view full size in your browser, or go here to download and print it out.
[Related: Gambling Addiction: An Addiction Doctor Explains Signs, Behavior and Treatment]
