Gambling self-assessment

What 'gambling assessment' really means

In a clinical setting, 'assessment' is a structured conversation with a trained practitioner that explores gambling behaviour alongside mental health, finances, relationships and any history of addiction. It usually results in a formal view on whether someone meets criteria for gambling disorder, and a plan for what kind of support might help.

Outside a clinic, 'gambling self-assessment' is the everyday version of the same idea: a person taking a quiet, honest look at their own behaviour using a structured tool. The most common tools used internationally are short questionnaires designed to be filled in alone, in a few minutes. They are not designed to diagnose — they are designed to tell you whether the next step is worth taking.

What a gambling self-assessment looks like

Most self-assessment tools share the same core themes. They are not interested in how much you bet on a single occasion — they are interested in patterns across the last few months: chasing losses, hiding behaviour, borrowing, time spent, and the emotional impact.

• How often you bet more than you could really afford to lose.
• Whether you have needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling.
• Whether you have gone back to try to win back what you lost.
• Whether you have borrowed money or sold anything to gamble.
• Whether your gambling has caused health, financial or relationship problems.
• Whether other people have criticised your gambling or said it might be a problem.
• Whether you have felt guilty about your gambling, or about what happens when you gamble.

PGSI — the questionnaire most commonly used

The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is the most widely used brief screening tool in the general population, including in Irish and UK health surveys. It is 9 questions, each scored 0–3, giving a total of 0–27. It is designed for adults and looks at the past 12 months.

PGSI is the questionnaire behind the free private check on this site. It is not a diagnosis — it is a reflection of how your last year of gambling compares against patterns the tool is sensitive to. A higher score does not mean you are a bad person. It means the next conversation is probably worth having.

How to read a self-assessment result

Most short screening tools place people into bands rather than giving a precise answer. The bands are deliberately rough — they are meant to point at what to do next, not to label a person.

• Low or no concern — gambling does not appear to be causing harm; revisiting in future is still useful.
• Some concern — early signs that gambling may be becoming difficult to manage; small steps now matter.
• Moderate concern — patterns consistent with gambling harm; this is a reasonable point to talk to someone.
• High concern — patterns consistent with significant gambling harm; one-to-one support is usually the most helpful next step.

Self-assessment is not the same as diagnosis

A self-assessment tool can tell you whether your gambling pattern looks like the patterns the tool was built to flag. It cannot tell you whether you have gambling disorder as defined in the DSM-5 or ICD-11 — that is a clinical decision that takes other factors into account, including mental health, life context and any other addictive behaviours.

This matters because people sometimes use a low score to convince themselves there is nothing to look at, or a high score to label themselves harshly. Neither is what the tool is for. A self-assessment is a doorway, not a verdict.

Why people in Ireland avoid taking one

The most common reason people put off a gambling self-assessment is the fear of what the result will say. Many people in Ireland have spent years carrying a quiet question about their own gambling — and answering it feels like committing to action.

It does not. A self-assessment is private, anonymous and not stored on this site. You do not have to do anything with the result. You can take it, sit with it for a week, and decide nothing. The act of taking it honestly is itself a meaningful step.

When to skip self-assessment and go straight to support

If you already know your gambling has become a serious problem — if you are in significant debt because of it, if it is harming your relationships or work, or if your mental health is suffering — you do not need a screening tool to confirm what you already know. You need support.

Calling the Gambling Care National Helpline on 1800 936 725 is free and confidential. Gamblers Anonymous meetings are free and you can attend a single meeting without commitment. MABS provides free, independent money advice if gambling has caused debt. If you feel unsafe, call 999 or 112, or Samaritans on 116 123.

How to take the free self-assessment on this site

The private check on GamblingHelp.ie is the PGSI, presented one question at a time. It takes about three minutes and is fully anonymous — there is no account, no email and no answers stored. At the end you see a band and some next-step suggestions based on the result.

If you want to take it now, the link is below. If now is not the right moment, save this page and come back when you have a few minutes to yourself.

What to do with your result

The single most useful thing you can do with a self-assessment result — whatever it says — is one small, private, reversible action this week. That is often more powerful than a big decision you are not yet ready to commit to.

• Save the Gambling Care helpline number in your phone. You do not have to use it today.
• Add one practical block — an operator self-exclusion, a bank gambling block, or a device-level app limit.
• Move savings to an account that is harder to reach.
• Tell one trusted person what your result was. You do not have to share more than that.
• If money is a worry, contact MABS for free, independent advice.