Article
Gambling involves a wager of something of value on a random event where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling requires three elements: consideration, risk, and a prize. Many governments, local and national, either ban gambling or heavily control it through licensing and taxation. Gambling has become a significant international business and an important source of revenue for some governments.
There is no single explanation for pathological gambling, though the literature suggests that some individuals are predisposed to developing problems by virtue of a combination of psychological and social factors. The most widely accepted theory is that some individuals develop pathological gambling as a result of a change in brain chemistry. This is based on the concept of sensation-seeking, as argued by Zuckerman and Cloninger, wherein individuals entertain a risk of losing money for the positive arousal they experience while playing games of chance (Zuckerman, 1979).
Other researchers have proposed a variety of theoretical models that may explain gambling problems. These include a general theory of addictions, the reward deficiency syndrome, and behavioral-environmental reasons, among others. These theories may have implications for research and intervention strategies, policy decisions, and the self-perceptions of gamblers themselves. Despite these different explanations for pathological gambling, there is general agreement among researchers that it exists and can be measured. However, there is considerable debate as to whether or not it should be classified as a psychiatric disorder. This debate is rooted in concerns about the lack of valid, rigorously acquired validity evidence for gambling disorders and the unidimensional nature of DSM-III criteria, which are based on external consequences and middle-class biases (Lesieur, 1984). Until these issues can be resolved, the status of pathological gambling as a disorder remains in doubt.