Problem gamblers also report cravings and highs in response to gambling. Many of the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder share features with those for drug dependence, such as tolerance, withdrawal, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or quit, and major interference in one's life. There is a growing body of neuroscience and psychology research suggesting problem gambling is similar to drug addiction. The decision to move gambling disorder alongside substance use disorders reflects a new understanding of the underlying commonalities between gambling and other addictions.

In 2013, it was renamed 'gambling disorder' and moved to the Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders category, which includes alcohol and drug addictions. In the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the American Psychiatric Association's guide to psychiatric disorders, the condition was termed 'pathological gambling' and classified as an impulse control disorder, alongside disorders like kleptomania and pyromania. Problem gambling was first classified as a psychiatric disorder in 1980. Yet it has only recently been recognized as an addiction. Problem gambling can impact a person's interpersonal relationships, financial situation, and physical and mental health. Gambling disorder refers to the uncontrollable urge to gamble, despite serious personal consequences. The reason for this change comes from neuroscience research, which has shown that gambling addicts have a lot in common with drug and alcohol addicts, including changes in behavior and brain activity.

Recently, scientists and mental health professionals decided to classify problem gambling as a behavioral addiction, the first of its kind, putting it in a category of disorders that also includes substance abuse.

Pathological gambling