Are you a sports betting addict? This article will show the warning signs and symptoms of sports betting addiction. Some characters you’ve probably seen before, but we’ll present some unexpected red flag signs too. This list is based on interviews with sports betting addicts, addiction studies, and the development of QuitGamble.com over the past four years.

We’ve structured the warnings, signs, and symptoms of betting addiction in the following categories:

• The most crucial signs of betting addiction
• Money-related signs of sports gambling addiction
• Feelings as a sign of sports betting problems
• What happens when you try to stop sports betting?
• Signs of sports gambling addiction in relationship to others
• Typical characteristics of a betting addict

You can skip ahead or read the complete list. If you recognize any signs of sports bet addiction in yourself or someone close to you. Please consider seeking support. We are here to help you overcome sports betting addiction through the following:

1. Help you understand what sports betting is doing for you.
2. Help you work on these areas of your life.
3. Offer support along the way. You’re not alone anymore.

Let’s look at the signs! 

The Most Crucial Signs Of Sports Betting Addiction

We believe it’s so hard to stop betting because gambling is doing something for you. The key to successful recovery is to understand what that is and work with those things. The following signs might give your more information about your betting habits.

1. Winning is fun, but you continue betting anyway

It feels great to win because it enables you to continue betting. Even if you win, you continue betting until no money is left on the account. When you don’t stop betting when you win, perhaps sports betting isn’t about money. Perhaps sports betting is about something else. Think about what happens in the moment you’re betting. How does it feel, and what do you think about it?

2. Feeling desperate – Don’t understand why you continue betting

The person has lost control over their betting. Sports betting controls their lives, and they feel hopeless because they don’t know why they keep betting.

Please consider this: Sports betting is doing something for you. Perhaps it’s a distraction/escapefrom your thoughts, feelings, or current life events. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not betting because you’re stupid. You continue betting because betting is doing something for you. The key is to figure out what that something is.

3. Using sports betting to escape or distraction (without knowing)

Has sports betting become an automatic habit, something you do without really thinking about why you do it? Does it often happen when you don’t feel comfortable? Perhaps you start thinking about betting when you find the house empty after work, have fought with someone, or feel stressed, lonely, or anxious.

Do you know what your gambling triggers are? Think about it for a few days, write them down, and see if you might use gambling to escape or distract yourself without realizing it.

4. Released, you use sports betting as an escape but don’t know why

Identifying whether betting on sports serves as an escape for you is an essential step in recognizing potential sports gambling addiction. But this realization can also be a positive sign that you are becoming more self-aware and taking the first step toward recovery. Even if you’re unsure of what draws you to betting, recognizing that it serves some purpose is an essential starting point in overcoming addiction.

5. Sports betting has begun causing pain and worry by itself

The negative consequences of sports betting now outweigh the positive aspects. For example, accumulating debt can trigger anxiety about the future, while concealing or deceiving others about sports betting can result in remorse, fear, and disrupted sleep.

When sports betting becomes both a source of distress and a coping mechanism to escape from it, the behavior can rapidly spiral into a destructive pattern. One negative experience can trigger another, setting off a dangerous cycle.

6. More and higher bets to keep the same excitement level

The individual may require greater amounts of dopamine, heightened excitement, and increased stakes in sports betting on achieving the same level of satisfaction.

This phenomenon can also be explained by the desensitization of dopamine receptors in the brain caused by excessive sports betting. As a result, the brain may require higher dopamine levels to produce the same effect as before. Keep an eye on these warning signs of sports betting addiction.