Gambling Addiction Test: Check Your Risk Band for Gambling-Related Harm
A confidential screening built on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, the leading research tool for gambling-related harm. Get an instant result with your risk band and an optional report for a counselor.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Gambling Addiction Test is a free, confidential 9-question self-assessment, based on the validated PGSI. It takes about 6 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
How gambling is affecting you, measured three ways
A single yes-or-no question cannot capture how gambling fits into a life. The PGSI looks at behavior, financial impact, and the effect on how you feel, so the picture is honest rather than alarmist.
PGSI risk score
The nine validated Problem Gambling Severity Index items, each rated by how often it has happened in the last 12 months. This is the score the research is built on.
Financial impact
Whether you have bet more than you could afford, chased losses, or borrowed or sold things to gamble. Money is often where harm shows up first.
Personal and emotional cost
Guilt, criticism from others, feeling that gambling is causing health or stress problems. The toll is rarely only financial.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated PGSI questions | Sometimes | Yes, faithful wording |
| Standard PGSI risk bands | Rarely | Yes (no risk to problem gambling) |
| Financial and emotional breakdown | No | Yes, both shown |
| Non-shaming, supportive tone | Often judgmental | Yes, throughout |
| Helpline and next steps | Rarely | Yes, 1-800-GAMBLER included |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–27 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–0 | No problem indicated | You did not report any gambling-related harm on this screen. That is reassuring for this measure. The context below is still worth a look. |
| 1–2 | Low risk | You reported a low level of gambling-related harm. Most people who gamble fall around here, and the picture is very manageable. |
| 3–7 | Moderate risk | You reported a moderate level of gambling-related harm. This is worth paying attention to now, while it is very workable. |
| 8–27 | Problem gambling indicated | You reported a level of harm that the PGSI links with problem gambling. That can be hard to read, and reaching out for support from here makes a real difference. |
How the Gambling Addiction Test Is Scored
The test has nine questions, each about your gambling over the last 12 months, rated on a four-point frequency scale: never (0), sometimes (1), most of the time (2), or almost always (3). Adding up all nine answers gives a total from 0 to 27, which the PGSI's published cutoffs sort into four bands: 0 for no problem indicated, 1 to 2 for low risk, 3 to 7 for moderate risk, and 8 or above for problem gambling.
Alongside the total, this test also breaks your answers down by category: financial questions (betting more than you could afford, borrowing or selling things to gamble, financial problems), behavior questions (needing bigger bets for the same excitement, chasing losses), and emotional questions (guilt, criticism from others, feeling that gambling might be a problem). Seeing which category carries most of your score often points to where change would help most.
Gambling Disorder in the DSM-5-TR
Gambling disorder was the first behavioral addiction the American Psychiatric Association formally recognized alongside substance use disorders. The DSM-5-TR lists nine diagnostic criteria, including preoccupation with gambling, needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money to feel the same excitement, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back, and jeopardizing a relationship, job, or opportunity because of gambling. Endorsing four or more of these criteria within a 12-month period meets the clinical threshold for diagnosis.
This test and the DSM-5-TR criteria measure similar territory from different angles, but only a licensed clinician can make an actual diagnosis. A high PGSI score is a strong reason to have that conversation, not a diagnosis in itself.
When Gambling Overlaps With Other Habits
Problem gambling rarely travels alone. It commonly overlaps with drinking, drug use, or other compulsive behaviors, partly because they share underlying patterns around stress, impulsivity, and reward. If gambling is not the only habit on your mind, the Alcohol Use Test, the Drug Addiction Test (DAST-10), or the Internet Addiction Test can help you look at the fuller picture rather than one piece of it.
When an urge to gamble hits, a simple skill like urge surfing, noticing the craving, naming it, and letting it rise and fall without acting on it, can buy you time to make a different choice. If gambling keeps winning that moment despite your best efforts, the Psychology.com therapist directory can connect you with a licensed counselor who specializes in gambling and behavioral addictions, the same specialty this page's therapist search already points to.
Methodology & sources
The nine questions reproduce the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), the scored subset of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index developed by Ferris and Wynne (2001). Each item is rated on a four-point frequency scale from never to almost always over the past 12 months, for a maximum score of 27. The wording stays faithful to the validated instrument while being readable and non-judgmental.
This test is provided for education and self-reflection. It uses the established PGSI cutoffs (0 = no problem, 1 to 2 = low risk, 3 to 7 = moderate risk, 8 and above = problem gambling) to place your result in context. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis, and the language deliberately avoids shame because shame is one of the biggest barriers to people getting help.
Follow-up research on the PGSI has held up well over time. A study of the instrument's interpretive categories found the four risk bands correspond meaningfully to real-world gambling problems, and a comparison of common problem-gambling screens found the PGSI among the more accurate brief measures available for population research (Currie et al., 2013; Williams & Volberg, 2014).
References
- Ferris J, Wynne H. The Canadian Problem Gambling Index: Final Report. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; 2001.
- Currie SR, Hodgins DC, Casey DM. Validity of the Problem Gambling Severity Index interpretive categories. J Gambl Stud. 2013;29(2):311-327.
- Williams RJ, Volberg RA. The classification accuracy of four problem gambling assessment instruments in population research. Int Gambl Stud. 2014;14(1):15-28.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed., Text Revision. Washington, DC: APA; 2022.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 15). Gambling Addiction Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/gambling-addiction
Gambling Addiction Test FAQ
What is the PGSI gambling test?
The Problem Gambling Severity Index is a nine-question, research-validated tool that measures how much gambling is affecting your life over the past year. It looks at behavior, money, and the emotional toll, then places your result in one of four risk bands. It is widely used in population health research and is one of the most reliable brief screeners available.
What score means I have a gambling problem?
On the PGSI, a total of 8 or higher falls in the problem gambling range, 3 to 7 is moderate risk, 1 to 2 is low risk, and 0 means no problem indicated. These are population-level cutoffs to guide reflection, not a clinical verdict about you specifically.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. A gambling disorder can only be assessed by a licensed clinician. If your results concern you, talking with a counselor or your doctor is a sound next step, and there is no shame in doing so.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your individual answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us or linked to you. They stay in this tab so you can return to your result, and closing or clearing the tab clears them. If you ask us to email the PDF, we receive your summary scores with your email address, never your individual answers. No account is needed.
Where can I get help right now?
In the US you can call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537), free and confidential, 24 hours a day. Many people find that one call is the first step toward feeling back in control.
Is gambling addiction a recognized mental health diagnosis?
Yes. The American Psychiatric Association classifies gambling disorder as a diagnosable condition in the DSM-5-TR, the first behavioral addiction the manual recognized alongside substance use disorders. It lists nine criteria, such as preoccupation with gambling and jeopardizing a relationship or job because of it, and endorsing four or more within twelve months meets the clinical threshold. Only a licensed clinician can make that diagnosis, not this screening test.
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