The Genetics of Problem Gambling

Table of Contents

• Twin and Family Evidence

• Brain Chemistry and Genes

  • Gender and Personality Risks

• Environment and Interaction

  • The Impact of 'Frictionless' Spending

• Signs and Symptoms of Problem Gambling

While nobody is immune to problem gambling, some are more susceptible to it than others. The compulsion to gamble can come from two directions: your upbringing and the influences around you, or genetic factors. This is why the debate is sometimes framed as nurture vs. nature.

Social stigma, a lack of funding, and the often-hidden nature of gambling harm have meant it’s not as heavily researched as other addictions, such as alcoholism. However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reclassified disordered gambling as an addiction in 2013 (as opposed to an impulse control disorder).

Since then, more people are beginning to ask the question we’re posing today: can someone be born a gambler, or are they made into one?

Twin and Family Evidence

There are two primary ways a gambling problem can be transmitted between family members:

• Intergenerationally: Passed down from a parent or grandparent.

• Intragenerationally: Shared between people in your own generation, like siblings and cousins.

A study by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane (2010) looked at 2,889 pairs of Australian twins to see how much genes and upbringing might influence problem gambling. The researchers estimated that around 49% of the differences in people's susceptibility to problem gambling could be linked to genetics, with no significant evidence that the family environment shared by twins was responsible.

The findings suggested that genetics may play a significant role in problem gambling, rather than it being entirely the result of a person's upbringing. However, the researchers didn’t go as far as to identify a specific “problem gambling gene”. Instead, their results suggested that a person's genetic makeup could influence their vulnerability to developing gambling problems, alongside other environmental factors. 

There haven’t been a huge number of twin studies on gambling disorder, but the ones that have been carried out all paint a similar picture. Nine years after the study mentioned above (2019), another study found evidence for a 60% genetic and 40% unique environmental contribution to the development of gambling disorders. Notably, just like the experiment in Brisbane, the investigation revealed that shared environmental factors didn’t contribute at all.

Environment and Interaction

To some extent, we are all a product of our surroundings. Many problem gamblers pick up the habit from the people around them, and certain factors make some more vulnerable to it than others.

Research suggests that gambling behaviours often start before the age of 10, and only 14% of compulsive gamblers take it up after they turn 19. Some of this can be attributed to the rise of smartphone usage in younger children, since some casinos’ age-detection technology can be easily bypassed. This, combined with the recent rise in problem gambling amongst young people, points to a strong environmental component.

When someone who inherits gambling susceptibility genes is brought up around gambling, it can be hard to draw the line between nature and nurture. A 2018 study on addictive behaviours showed that observing family members gamble in youth leads to higher levels of gambling problem severity in later life. This can be exacerbated by seeing gambling in other areas of their life, be it ‘Mystery Boxes’ in video games or a gambling app they’ve found online.

The Impact of 'Frictionless' Spending

The environment in which you choose to gamble also affects how much you’re likely to spend. ‘Frictionless’ spending, like funding your casino account via Apple Pay, means money feels more abstract, meaning it’s mentally easier to part with your cash. After all, what feels more like shelling out cash: handing €100 to a man at the casino cage, or pressing a ‘+’ button on your phone screen?

But it’s not just someone’s physical environment we need to look at. Given the state of the world, many people have a generally pessimistic view of their financial future. While this doesn’t directly compel people to gamble, it can make some see little reason to avoid it.

Signs and Symptoms of Problem Gambling

Despite its reclassification as an addiction, pathological gambling still carries a stigma that can prevent many sufferers from seeking help. Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimates that roughly 130,000 adults in Ireland suffer from problem gambling, and an additional 279,000 demonstrate moderate signs of addiction.

Understanding the signs and symptoms of problem gambling is the only way you’ll be able to recognise problems if they arise, whether it be in yourself or a loved one. Symptoms can manifest in countless different ways, but here are a couple of things to look out for:

• Gambling more than you can afford

• Constant thoughts about gambling

• Gambling to alleviate stress or avoid thinking about problems

• Feeling restless, irritable, or depressed when you try to stop gambling

• Stealing or borrowing money to continue gambling

• Hiding how much you spend from your family and friends

• Chasing losses

There are a lot of ways someone can develop a gambling problem – but there are a lot of ways out, too. A number of different treatment options are available, including therapy, medications, support groups, and treatment centres.

If you’re concerned that gambling is starting to negatively affect you or a loved one, help can be found on our Responsible Gambling page.