Observations made overtime on the phenomenon of gambling have led to the following classification of the type of people involved in this activity.

Types of gambling behavior

Social gambling player

This kind of player is a person who plays for pleasure. He dedicates a significant amount of money to the possibilities and establishes them in advance. He usually plays with friends or colleagues. The time he allots for this activity is limited. He initiates and ends the game when he wants, without experiencing any bad condition at an interruption or when he cannot play.

The game does not take up more time in his mind than any other healthy recreational activity and did not bring him personal, family, professional or social-economic problems. He also never had to lie about the games he plays.

The professional casino player

A professional player is a person who dedicates himself to the game to earn money. He is not emotionally involved in the bet. This player conducts probabilistic studies, following which he chooses bets that, statistically speaking, have a higher chance of winning. He chooses to play in casinos where certain mechanical errors give the chance more chances of winning. If he is a card player, he will use different tricks to influence the game.

Casino: The problematic player

He is a person who plays so often that sometimes, in terms of expenses, he creates financial problems. A problematic player dedicates a significant amount of time to the game. He has less control over the game’s behavior than the social player. However, he is not as excessive compared to a pathological player. The intensity of the game behavior makes him dedicate more time and spend more money. He has a significant risk of becoming a pathological gambler.

Gambling: The pathological player

A pathological gambler is a person characterized by increased emotional dependence on gambling. He loses control over behavior and significant interference with the normal functioning of daily life.

Pathological players differ from each other in many clinically significant aspects. The presence of comorbidity, personality disorders, biological and social predisposition can contribute to the development of the disorder.