GAMBLING ADDICTION IN SPORT

Risk factors: availability of money, free time and competitiveness.

Pathological gambling has become a growing and silent problem in professional sport.

There are specific catalysts in this environment that facilitate the development of disordered gambling behaviors.

First, many young athletes suddenly gain access to sums of money far in excess of the general population, without the financial maturity to manage them.

This is compounded by a lifestyle characterized by long periods of inactivity or "down time" in hotels and travel, where boredom is easily combated by immediate access to online gambling via mobile devices.

An illustrative example (different from the original) would be that of a young motor racing driver who spends hours waiting in the pits or at airports between races.

With an unlimited credit card and an innate need to compete, he starts placing high-stakes bets on virtual horse races from his phone.

His psychological profile, oriented to win and hating defeat, means that when he loses a bet, his instinct is not to fold, but to "chase the loss" by doubling the bet to recover, falling into a spiral of hidden debt.

Gambling as an escape mechanism or adrenaline seeking mechanism

Beyond money, the psychological function of gambling in athletes is often linked to emotional regulation.

High-level competition generates adrenaline and dopamine peaks that are difficult to replicate in everyday life.

Some athletes use gambling as a substitute for thrill-seeking off the field, especially during injury or retirement.

Others use it as an escape mechanism to disconnect from the immense media and performance pressure. Imagine a cricketer who suffers a long-term injury. Suddenly, the thrill of batting in front of thousands of people disappears.

To fill that neurochemical void, he starts playing high-stakes online poker.

The tension of a difficult hand provides him with a surrogate for the tension of the game.

However, what begins as a thrill-seeker becomes a pathological need, where gambling is no longer a choice, but a compulsive escape route from facing the anxi