South Oaks Gambling Screen

Gamblers Counseling Center

Discovering Compulsive Gambling

SOUTH OAKS GAMBLING SCREEN

1. Please indicate which of the following types of gambling you have done in your lifetime. For each type, mark one answer: "not at all," "less than once a week," or "once a week or more."

less once

not than a

at once week

all a week

a. ____ ____ ____ play cards for money

b. ____ ____ ____ bet on horses, dogs or other animals (at OTB,

the track or with a bookie)

c. ____ ____ ____ bet on sports (parlay cards, with a bookie, or at Jai

Alai)

d. ____ ____ ____ played dice games (including craps, over and under or

other dice games) for money

e. ____ ____ ____ gambled in a casino (legal or otherwise)

f. ____ ____ ____ played the numbers or bet on lotteries

g. ____ ____ ____ played bingo for money

h. ____ ____ ____ played the stock, options and/or commodities market

i. ____ ____ ____ played slot machines, poker machines or other gambling machines

j. ____ ____ ____ bowled, shot pool, played golf or some other game of

skill for money

k. ____ ____ ____ pull tabs or "paper" games other than lotteries

l. ____ ____ ____ some form of gambling not listed above (specify)

2. What is the largest amount of money you have ever gambled with on

any one day?

___ never have gambled ___ more than $100 up to $1,000

___ $1 or less ___ more than $1,000 up to

___ more than $1 up to $10 $10,000

___ more than $10 up to $100 ___ more than $10,000

3. Check which of the following people in your life has (or had) a gambling

problem.

___father ___ mother ___ a brother or sister ___ a grandparent

___ my spouse or partner ___ my child(ren) ___ another relative

___ a friend or someone else important in my life

4. When you gamble, how often do you go back another day to win back

money you lost?

___ never

___ some of the time (less than half the time I lost)

___ most of the time I lost

___ every time I lost

5. Have you ever claimed to be winning money gambling but weren't really?

In fact, you lost?

___ never (or never gamble)

___ yes, less than half the time I lost

___ yes, most of the time

6. Do you feel you have ever had a problem with gambling?

___ no

___ yes, in the past, but not now

___ yes

7. Did you ever gamble more than you intended to? ___ yes ___ no

8. Have people criticized your gambling? ___ yes ___ no

9. Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens

when you gamble? ___ yes ___ no

10. Have you ever felt like you would like to stop gambling but

didn't think you could ? ___ yes ___ no

11. Have you ever hidden betting slips, lottery tickets gambling

money, or other signs of gambling from your spouse, children,

or other important people in your life? ____ Yes ___ No l

12. Have you ever argued with people you live with over how you

handle money ? ____ Yes ____ No

13. (If you answered yes to question 12): Have money arguments ever

centered on your gambling? ____ Yes ____ No

14. Have you ever borrowed from someone and not paid them back as a

result of your gambling? ____ Yes ____ No

15. Have you ever lost time from work (or school) due to gambling?

____ Yes ____ No

16. If you borrowed money to gamble or to pay gambling debts, who or where

did you borrow from? (check "yes" or "no" for each)

No Yes

a. from household money ( ) ( )

b. from your spouse ( ) ( )

c. from other relatives or in-laws ( ) ( )

d. from banks, loan companies, or credit unions ( ) ( )

e. from credit cards ( ) ( )

f. from loan sharks (Shylocks) ( ) ( )

g. you cashed in stocks, bonds, or other

securities ( ) ( )

h. you sold personal or family property ( ) ( )

i. you borrowed on your checking account

(passed bad checks) ( ) ( )

j. you have (had) a credit line with a bookie ( ) ( )

k. you have (had) a credit line with a casino ( ) ( )

SCORING

Scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen itself are determined by adding up the

number of questions that show an "at risk" response:

Questions 1, 2, and 3 are not counted

Question 4: Most of the time I lost, or every time I lost

Question 5: yes, less than half the time I lost, or yes, most of the time

Question 6: yes, in the past, but not now, or yes

Question 7: yes

Question 8: yes

Question 9: yes

Question 10: yes

Question 11: yes

Question 12: not counted

Question 13: yes

Question 14: yes

Question 15: yes

Question 16a: yes

Question 16b: yes

Question 16c: yes

Question 16d: yes

Question 16e: yes

Question 16f: yes

Question 16g: yes

Question 16h: yes

Question 16i: yes

Question 16j and 16k: not counted

TOTAL = _____ (20 questions are counted)

(5 or more = probable pathological gambler)

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