Gambling screening test
Nine questions, about two minutes. Scored in your browser - nothing is saved, sent, or attached to your name.
Question 1 of 9
Your score
This screen is not a diagnosis. It tells you whether a clinical conversation is worth having.
Your answers were never transmitted. There is nothing to delete.
What this test measures
These nine questions are the Problem Gambling Severity Index, or PGSI - the screening instrument most widely used in population research and clinical intake for gambling problems. It asks about behavior and consequences over the past twelve months rather than feelings about gambling, which is why it holds up even when someone is not yet ready to call it a problem.
Each answer scores 0 to 3, so totals run from 0 to 27.
| Score | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| 0 | No gambling problems reported in the past year |
| 1 - 2 | Low risk - gambling has not produced measurable consequences yet |
| 3 - 7 | Moderate risk - some negative consequences are already present |
| 8 - 27 | Consistent with problem gambling; evaluation is warranted |
Why online sports betting changed the picture
Most people who reach a clinician for gambling now arrive through a phone, not a casino floor. App-based sportsbooks removed the two things that used to slow gambling down: travel and closing time. In-play betting turns a three-hour game into hundreds of separate wagers, deposits clear instantly, and promotional credits blur what a loss actually cost. Someone can move from recreational betting to daily loss-chasing in a matter of months without ever setting foot in a casino.
That pattern matters clinically because it changes what treatment has to address. Access is constant, the cues are personalized, and the money is abstract. Screening earlier is the main advantage available.
What treatment actually looks like
Cognitive behavioral therapy has the strongest evidence base for gambling disorder, targeting the specific thinking errors that keep loss-chasing going. Where gambling sits alongside depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or substance use - which it very often does - treating those conditions directly changes the gambling outcome, and medication may be part of that.
Care at Family1st is built around measurement: a weekly severity check and a monthly PGSI, so progress is visible rather than assumed. Peer support such as Gamblers Anonymous works well alongside clinical care, and we can make that introduction.
Common questions
- Is this test a diagnosis?
- No. It is a screen. It sorts you into a risk band so you know whether to book an evaluation. A diagnosis requires a clinical interview against DSM-5-TR criteria.
- Are my answers saved or sent anywhere?
- No. Scoring runs inside your browser. Nothing is transmitted to a server, written to this site, or connected to your identity. Closing the tab erases it.
- Does betting on an app count?
- Yes. Sportsbooks, daily fantasy, in-play wagers, casino and poker apps, lottery, scratch tickets, slots, and table play all count. Answer about any betting where money was at stake.
- I scored low but I am still worried. Should I come in?
- Yes. The PGSI counts consequences that have already happened. A low score with real worry usually means you are catching it early, which is the best time to act.
- Do you see patients outside Nevada?
- We see patients in person in Henderson and Las Vegas, and by telehealth in Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Washington DC and New Mexico, with additional states opening soon.