ABSTRACT
Epidemiological research shows that the prevalence of pathological gambling (PG)
increased seriously during the last decades in developed countries (Carragher &
McWilliams, 2011; Petry, Stinson & Grant, 2005; Shaffer & Hall, 2001; Shaffer, Hall &
Vander Bilt, 1999). In addition, it is shown that the problem of gambling is manifested in
many different types, both Internet-based as well as land-based: playing cards for money;
betting on horses, dogs, or other animals; betting on sports; playing dice games, casinos,
lotteries, bingo, slot machines or stock and/or commodities markets (Odlaug, Marsh, Kim
& Grant, 2011). The increase of these problems is in line with an increase of awareness of
interested groups such as policymakers, clinics or gambling researchers.
