For Compulsive and Pathological gamblers gambling is an emotional illness, because the need to gamble is uncontrollable. The compulsive gambler gambles even when it is not the appropriate time or personal situation, and will be readily to celebrate the birth of a child as to forget the death of a loved one.

So much energy is spent by the compulsive personality in planning how, when and where to gamble that eventually the enjoyment fades and is replaced by anxiety over the ability to get the money for the next gambling venture, and to pay debts.   Those who gamble compulsively usually feel that they have no choice in carrying out their actions. Compulsive gamblers feel compelled to gamble, and even though they know gambling is harmful, they are powerless to stop.

Such powerlessness, however, should not be considered “moral weakness”. While not all human behavior is random or habitual, neither are all human actions premeditated nor consciously deliberate. The standardization of treatment is possible in part because compulsive gamblers share sufficient psychological characteristics for the development of a composite personality profile, distinguishing them from the none gambling and social gambling public.   Another element of the compulsive gambling personality is the inability to handle responsibility: any of the responsibilities and obligations of adulthood such as those that come with a job, marriage or children can trigger a compulsive gambling response in these individuals. The compulsive personality does not know how to cope with responsibility and will prefer to escape into the unreal world of pathological gambling.

Notes taken from the GA Blue Book