If you don’t think your friend is a compulsive gambler, but you are uncomfortable with how much they bet, here are the 3 things that you can do:

1. Talk to them about it - Let him/her know that you think what they are doing is not cool and you’re beginning to get a little worried.  Talk to him/her about the gambling and why he/she does it.  

2. Suggest alternate activities - anytime they feel like gambling, step in and offer a better pastime option like going to see a movie, playing video games, going for a bike ride, or whatever else you can come up with.

3. Refuse to participate - anytime you can’t stop them from gambling make sure to be very clear about your refusal to go along.  You may not see an immediate effect but if you stick to your convictions. The message that you don’t approve of the gambling he/she is doing will come through loud and clear. Most people respect the opinions of their friends more than they care to admit.

If you think that someone you know is truly out of control with gambling it’s important to get help, don’t assume that they will seek it on their own.  Programs like Gambler’s Anonymous have often said that it is hard to rehabilitate a problem gambler who is not interested in stopping.  As with most addictions, the very first step a person has to take is to recognize that he/she has a problem.  Sometimes it is friends and loved ones who have to take control and force them to see the damage that he/she is doing to his/her life.

Recognize Possible Signs of a Gambling Problem:

• Unexplained money or expensive possessions
• Missing money or valuables amongst your group of friends
• Regular games of cards with friends (possibly with people you don’t know) 
• Skipping school a lot
• Unusual amount of attention (for that individual) to sports games and scores
• Sudden interest in scores or results of races in the paper
• Boasting about winning bets
• Constantly saying “You wanna bet on that?” 
• Unusual amount of calls made/coming in 
• Regular unexplained time away from home
• Sudden drop in grades
• Change in personality- going from “highs” to “lows” without warning
• Lying
• Using gambling terminology in conversation/Exaggerated use of the word "bet"

If you suspect that anyone in your family or any of your friends has a serious problem with gambling, it is important to get help immediately.  Like any other addiction, compulsive gambling should be treated by a professional.  There are support programs such as Gamblers Anonymous (and Gam-Anon for the rest of the family) that can help or a person may need one on one counseling.  Often gambling is a manifestation of other problems in a person’s life- getting help is crucial because you don’t know what other issues may be causing the problem.