Bingo is generally considered a social activity engaged in by ladies at church and grandmothers; and the bingo hall a place where friends meet and enjoy an exciting but safe evening that includes the possibility of winning some cash.

Bingo is technically gambling, but it’s considered “soft” gambling and people play bingo for the social aspect as much as the game itself. But with Bingo, like other social and gambling activities, going online and interactive, the possibility of problematic bingo addiction becomes more likely.

Jane Skavinsky says “I lived and breathed bingo”. She was convicted of embezzling from her employer to finance her $500 a night Bingo addiction. And a bingo-playing grandma, 61, was just convicted of running drugs to make money to cover her bingo addiction. Police found 10 bundles of marijuana in her trunk.

When does gambling become an addiction? Gamblers Anonymous has prepared a list of twenty questions to help people determine if they are gambling for fun or from an addiction.

Twenty Questions

1.Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2.Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3.Did gambling affect your reputation?
4.Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5.Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6.Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7.After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8.After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9.Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10.Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11.Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12.Were you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
13.Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14.Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15.Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16.Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17.Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18.Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19.Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20.Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.