Gambling and Personality Dimensions

Gambling dates back to ancient times, yet new arenas for gambling, such as the Internet, and methods of assessing psychiatric illness in the modern age have shifted our understanding of gambling as an addiction. Accordingly, Gambling Disorder is now a part of the Addictive Disorders in the DSM-5, which has further catalyzed a debate over the contribution of personality traits (rather than just personality disorders) to the manifestation and maintenance of psychiatric conditions such as Gambling Disorder. This selective review considers relationships between gambling and personality traits. The possible existence of distinct subtypes of Gambling Disorder, defined via personality traits, is highlighted, along with consideration of whether objective neurocognitive markers could serve as proxy markers of ‘personality’ more amenable to scientific dissection rather than relying on questionnaire-based measures alone. The clinical utility of subtyping and future areas of research are discussed. © 2013, Springer International Publishing AG.