"I look at money differently now...": male UK problem gamblers and their relationship to money: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: The gambling industry is a multi-billion pound industry offering diverse opportunities to gamble. The majority of the UK adult population has gambled at some point in their lives with 1-2% having a gambling problem and with males being significantly more likely to become problem gamblers than females. The literature suggests that money plays a complex role in the lives of problem gamblers and may be used as a way of increasing self-image as well as compensating for aspects deemed to be missing in their lives. Aims: This study seeks to explore the experience of money for UK-based males identifying as problem gamblers, providing them with a voice to articulate their subjective experience, which in turn may help to contribute towards better understanding of problem gamblers’ distress, improving treatment outcomes and informing evidence-based research. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were completed with six men who met the inclusion criteria for this study. The transcripts were then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: A total of three master themes and nine subthemes were identified through the analysis process. The master themes identified were: Money as a Drug, Money and the Perception of the Self, and Money and the Relationship With Others. Conclusions: The findings suggest that ‘control’, ‘self-worth’ and ‘a lack of attachment to the father’ emerged from the interviews as themes. Money appears to play a pivotal role in enabling the participants to try and prove their sense of worth and wish to remain in control, using winning as a measure of self-worth despite its drastic consequences. Recommendations for both clinical practice and future research are outlined