When it stops being fun
What are the signs of gambling addiction?
The clearest signs are secrecy, chasing losses, and money that is unaccounted for. Add restlessness when not gambling and repeated failed attempts to cut down, and the pattern is fairly clear.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a reason to call somebody, and the call is free.
Behaviour
Gambling longer than intended, over and over. Going back the next day to win it back. Being cagey about a phone that used to sit face up. Missing things that used to matter.
Trying to stop and not managing it, more than once, is one of the strongest signals in the whole list.
Money
Borrowing, selling things, cash advances on a credit card, bills quietly slipping. Money that cannot be accounted for at the end of a month.
A statement with a dozen small deposits on the same evening is a specific and very recognisable shape.
On the phone
Gambling apps hidden in a folder or renamed. Notifications turned back on after being turned off. Sessions at three in the morning. Deleting and reinstalling the same app repeatedly.
That last pattern is worth taking seriously, because it means somebody has already tried to stop on their own.
Where to call
ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600, 24 hours, free. Provincial equivalents and the self-exclusion routes are on take a break.
If you are reading this about somebody else, the same lines take calls from family members and they are used to it.
FREE, 24 HOURS, CONFIDENTIAL
ConnexOntario answers at 1-866-531-2600. Every province has an equivalent line and they are listed, with the blocking tools and the self-exclusion routes, on take a break. Nothing on that page earns this site anything.