Escaping Reality Through Gambling: A Path to Addiction

Updated Insights on Gambling Motivation

Researchers worldwide have recently enhanced the Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ), an established tool used to understand why individuals engage in gambling activities. The updated version, GMQ-R-27, expands its reach to include motivations previously overlooked, such as escapism—where individuals use imagination or entertainment to avoid unpleasant life experiences.

The Growing Attention on Escapism

While traditional research has highlighted the role of coping, socializing, and seeking pleasure as primary reasons for gambling, escapism has emerged as a significant factor, especially linked to problematic gambling behaviors. Psychology professor Beáta Bőthe from Université de Montréal notes that those who gamble to evade real-life stresses and negative emotions are at a higher risk of developing gambling disorders.

Professor Bőthe, who is affiliated with Quebec’s Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse, contributed to this study published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.

Escapism: More Than Just a Passing Motivation

Bőthe emphasizes that escapism should not be dismissed as a trivial reason for gambling. Instead, it functions as a form of self-medication, similar to substance use and other high-risk behaviors, by offering temporary emotional relief. Because gambling can provide a welcome distraction and brief happiness, it has the potential to become addictive over time, especially if it becomes the main way a person copes with negative feelings.

The study also underscores the importance of correctly understanding the reasons behind gambling when addressing addiction treatment. Bőthe advocates for alternative approaches like mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy to interrupt the cycle of escapism and address the underlying emotional challenges driving gambling behaviors.

Understanding the Role of Social Gambling

Contrary to individual gambling, social gambling—such as playing games of chance with family or friends for enjoyment or bonding—does not appear to carry the same addictive risks. In fact, it may offer protective benefits, although current evidence is not definitive.

Some research suggests that gambling in social settings might reduce addiction risk, as the social environment naturally limits excessive behavior. However, other findings indicate that peer influence can encourage risky gambling practices, especially where groups engage in high-stakes or risk-taking games.

This interplay highlights the need for a fresh evaluation of how social factors influence gambling motives and behaviors to better understand and address related risks.