Senior Gambling Addiction: Warning Signs, the 1-800-GAMBLER Helpline, and Gam-Anon for Spouses

Problem gambling among adults over 65 is a growing public health concern. The National Council on Problem Gambling reports that the share of older adults reporting symptoms of disordered gambling has doubled since 2010, even as overall problem gambling rates among younger adults have stayed flat. Researchers attribute the rise to several factors that affect older adults specifically. Increased free time after retirement opens long unstructured days. Loneliness after the death of a spouse or close friend drives a search for stimulation. Cognitive decline reduces the ability to track time and money on the casino floor. Marketing by casinos and online gambling platforms now targets older adults directly through senior discounts, free bus trips, and television advertising during programming watched by older audiences.

Gambling addiction in older adults often looks different from gambling addiction in younger adults. A young problem gambler usually loses significant time and money rapidly, often borrowing from family, missing work, and accumulating credit card debt. An older problem gambler usually has retirement savings, a paid-off house, and no employer to notice missed days. The losses can be hidden for years inside Social Security deposits, pension checks, and home equity lines of credit. By the time the family notices, the senior may have lost 100,000 dollars or more, depleted retirement accounts, mortgaged a paid-off house, or maxed out credit cards.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, lists nine criteria for gambling disorder. A person who meets four or more in the past year has a gambling disorder. The criteria include preoccupation with gambling, increasing bet sizes to feel the same excitement, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back, restlessness or irritability when trying to stop, gambling to escape distress, chasing losses, lying about gambling, jeopardizing relationships or finances, and relying on others for money to gamble. Family members do not need to make a clinical diagnosis. A pattern of three or four of these behaviors is a clear sign to seek help.

The National Council on Problem Gambling operates the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline, which is the single most important resource for problem gambling in the United States. The number 1-800-GAMBLER reaches a trained counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the call is free, confidential, and available in English and Spanish. The counselor can provide immediate support, connect the caller to local treatment resources, and suggest peer support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous. The website ncpgambling.org has a state-by-state directory of certified problem gambling counselors and treatment programs.

For family members of a problem gambler, the parallel organization is Gam-Anon, modeled on Al-Anon for families of alcoholics. Gam-Anon meetings are free, confidential, and held in person or online. Meetings give spouses, adult children, and friends of problem gamblers a place to share experiences and learn how to set boundaries without enabling the gambling. The website gam-anon.org has a meeting finder. Gamblers Anonymous, at gamblersanonymous.org, is the parallel peer support organization for the gambler.

A senior or family member who is reading this section may feel embarrassed, defensive, or hopeful that the problem will resolve on its own. Embarrassment is normal, but problem gambling does not resolve without help. The earlier the call to 1-800-GAMBLER, the more savings can be protected, the more relationships can be repaired, and the more years of healthy retirement can be reclaimed. The call is free, anonymous, and judgment-free. Source pages include ncpgambling.org, gam-anon.org, gamblersanonymous.org, the National Institute on Aging at nia.nih.gov for senior mental health, and the AARP Public Policy Institute at aarp.org/ppi for senior financial protection research.