Gambling disorder (also called Compulsive Gambling or Gambling Addiction) has been around for thousands of years (Click here for more on that — A History of Problem Gambling).

The religious and societal prohibitions against the process date back thousands of years — and speak warnings about our tendency to get stuck in this habit (Cultural factors of Gambling).

However — just as technology is changing the way we eat, date, interact— the tech industry is changing the way we gamble dramatically.

And it is also changing dramatically the way we begin and maintain our gambling problems.

A recent report from NPR discussed the record breaking gambling taking place at this year’s Super Bowl. They report that the American Gaming Association estimates that a record of over 50 million people will bet on the big game, with putting an estimated $16 billion on the line. That's more than double the $7 billion in bets placed last year.

The loosening of sports betting legislation since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling easing gambling restrictions has created an opportunity for sports advertisers and online gambling platforms — and this is a problem. It takes the temptation for quick money out of the casinos and sportsbooks and places it right on your phone in your pocket.

The aggressive ad campaigns and ease with which the apps set up bets on all types of sports (from professional to collegiate level) stacks the odds far too strongly against people struggling with gambling.

This likely will also take people from the “Risky Level” of gambling into the “Moderate or Severe” level of compulsion.

So how do you know if your gambling is a healthy pastime or if you’re stoking dangerous habits? The NODS-SA is self-assessment version of the NODS (the NORC Diagnostic Screen for Gambling Disorders). It was designed to assist individuals in evaluating whether to modify or seek help for their gambling behavior.

This screening questionnaire is answered using a simple binary: Yes or No.

1. Have there ever been periods lasting two weeks or longer when you spent a lot of time thinking about your gambling experiences, planning out future gambling ventures or bets, or thinking about ways of getting money to gamble with?

2. Have there ever been periods when you needed to gamble with increasing amounts of money or with larger bets than before in order to get the same feeling of excitement?

3. Have you ever felt restless or irritable when trying to stop, cut down, or control your gambling?

4. Have you tried and not succeeded in stopping, cutting down, or controlling your gambling three or more times in your life?

5. Have you ever gambled to escape from personal problems, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings such as guilt, anxiety, helplessness, or depression?

6. Has there ever been a period when, if you lost money gambling one day, you would often return another day to get even?

7. Have you lied to family members, friends, or others about how much you gamble, and/or about how much money you lost on gambling, on at least three occasions?

8. Have you ever written a bad cheque or taken money that didn’t belong to you from family members, friends, or anyone else in order to pay for your gambling?

9. Has your gambling ever caused serious or repeated problems in your relationships with any of your family members or friends? Or, has your gambling ever caused you problems at work or your studies?

10. Have you ever needed to ask family members, friends, a lending institution, or anyone else to loan you money or otherwise bail you out of a desperate money situation that was largely caused by your gambling?

So how can we use this scale? Is there a specific score that we should be aiming for? NORC was not able to give us a ‘clinical cutoff’ score per se. However, we can use the scale to help have meaningful conversations with our friends and family.

My suggestion? Scroll back up, re-read the items and ask:

1. How true is each item/sentence for yourself (or your partner)?

2. How would you want to change this item/sentence for yourself (or your partner)?

If you or someone you know might need help with this, have them give me a call! If I am not a good fit, I will help them find someone who is.

DrZepeda@FinancialTherapyTexas.com

Phone: 713-291-9553