Gambler’s Anonymous has a list of 20 questions that they ask. Here are the questions. Just answer “yes” or “no” to each one.

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

If the answer is “yes” to at least seven of these questions, Gambler’s Anonymous would consider the person answering a compulsive gambler.

To determine if you are living with someone who might be a compulsive gambler

1. Do you find yourself constantly bothered by bill collectors?
2. Is the person in question often away from home for long, unexplained periods of time?
3. Does this person ever lose time from work due to gambling?
4. Do you feel that this person cannot be trusted with money?
5. Does the person in question faithfully promise that he or she will stop gambling; beg, plead, for another chance, yet gamble again and again?
6. Does this person ever gamble longer than he or she intended to, until the last dollar is gone?
7. Does this person immediately return to gambling to try to recover losses, or to win more?
8. Does this person ever gamble to get money to solve financial difficulties or have unrealistic expectations that gambling will bring the family material comfort and wealth?
9. Does this person borrow money to gamble with or to pay gambling debts?
10. Has this person’s reputation ever suffered due to gambling, even to the extent of committing illegal acts to finance gambling?
11. Have you come to the point of hiding money needed for living expenses, knowing that you and the rest of the family may go without food and clothing if you do not?
12. Do you search this person’ clothing or go through his or her wallet when the opportunity presents itself, or otherwise check on his/her activities?
13. Does the person in question hide his or hoer money?
14. Have you noticed a personality change in the gambler as his or her gambling progresses?
15. Does the person in question consistently lie to cover up or deny his or her gambling activities?
16. Does this person use guilt induction as a method of shifting responsibilities for his or her gambling upon you?
17. Do you attempt to anticipate this person’s moods, or try to control his or her life?
18. Does this person ever suffer from remorse or depression due to gambling, sometimes to the point of self-destruction?
19. Has the gambling ever brought you to the point of threatening to breakup the family unit?
20. Do you feel that your life together is a nightmare?

If you are living with a compulsive gambler, you will answer "Yes" to at least six of the above questions: 
 

How do I know if treatment is going to help me?   

There are several factors that influence whether or not treatment is going to work for you. The most important one is how badly you want to get better. Getting better is difficult work. Your attitude is a large part of whether or not you succeed.  People define success differently. Some people say that abstinence is the only success. Others say that if the problems they were having because of gambling are reduced, then that is a success. Think about what success means to you. What are your expectations of treatment? 

Can a family member get treatment?

Certainly, Problem gambling affects the whole family and we can work with the individual, the spouse or the whole family  Unfortunately, there is no way to make someone come to treatment. Treatment focuses on the person who comes to treatment. For a spouse, that might mean gaining skills for emotional, financial, and physical protection. It might mean dealing with depression or anxiety that often results from gambling being out of control in the family.