Sports betting addiction
Mobile apps, parlays, in-game wagering, and fantasy sports can turn every phone unlock into a bet. The speed, constant action, and near-misses are engineered to keep the brain chasing the next win.
Gambling addiction treatment · Arlington, VA
Outpatient gambling addiction treatment in Arlington, Virginia
CBT, relapse prevention, financial recovery support, and psychiatric care for sports betting, online casinos, day trading, and compulsive gambling — through PHP, IOP, and outpatient programs for adults in Arlington, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia.
- Most insurance accepted
- Day & evening IOP tracks
- Telehealth for Virginia residents only
Medically reviewed by the VABH Medical Team
What we treat
Gambling behaviors we treat
Gambling today is not just casinos. The phone in your pocket removed nearly every barrier that used to slow it down, and treatment needs to match the speed of the apps.
Online casino & poker addiction
Slots, live-dealer games, and online poker run 24/7 with no travel barrier. Credit cards reload instantly, losses are hidden, and the session can swallow an entire night before anyone notices.
Day trading & speculative investing
Options, crypto, and meme-stock trading can function exactly like gambling when position sizing becomes emotional, losses are chased, and the portfolio is checked compulsively. The language of investing makes it easy to hide.
Casino, lottery & scratch-off gambling
Traditional casino trips, lottery tickets, and scratch-off binges remain common. The pattern is the same: larger amounts, longer sessions, and repeated attempts to win back what was lost.
Underground & social gambling
Office pools, card games, bookies, and informal betting can escalate quickly, especially when social pressure and access to cash make it easy to keep playing.
When it's time to get help
Signs gambling has become an addiction
Chasing losses
You keep betting to win back what you lost, raise the stakes after a bad run, or believe the next play will 'make it right.' This is the central loop of gambling disorder.
Hidden debt & financial chaos
Credit cards, retirement withdrawals, payday loans, loans from family, and secret accounts. Gambling disorder can move faster financially than almost any substance use problem.
Lying about money and time
Hiding statements, covering where you were, deleting apps, or explaining away cash advances. Secrecy is usually what brings people into treatment, not the gambling itself.
Failed attempts to cut back or quit
Self-exclusion, app deletions, account closures, promises after a big loss — the rules are broken repeatedly. Willpower is not the missing piece; structure and treatment are.
Restlessness, irritability & withdrawal
When you stop or try to cut back, you feel agitated, anxious, unable to sleep, or preoccupied with the next bet. These symptoms are real, well-documented, and respond to support.
Betting despite serious consequences
You continue even after legal trouble, job risk, relationship damage, or financial ruin. That persistence despite harm is the clinical hallmark of gambling addiction.
How we treat gambling addiction
Clinical treatment, plus the guardrails that make it hold
You cannot put a betting app in a locked cabinet, so recovery has to work on two fronts: what drives the behavior and what makes it available.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for gambling
The most evidence-based approach for gambling disorder. We target the specific thoughts that drive the behavior — the illusion of control, near-miss thinking, the gambler's fallacy, and 'one more bet' reasoning — and replace them with responses that hold under pressure.
Motivational interviewing (MI)
Many people arrive because a partner, employer, or court gave an ultimatum. We build your own reasons for change, which is the strongest predictor of follow-through once the external pressure fades.
Relapse prevention & access controls
Practical guardrails: casino self-exclusion, gambling-site and app blocking, removing saved payment methods, handing over finances to a trusted person, and credit freezes. Access control does the work motivation cannot do alone.
Financial recovery support
Debt disclosure planning, budgeting handoffs, and coordination with financial counselors. Unmanaged financial chaos is one of the most reliable relapse triggers, so we treat it as part of recovery.
Psychiatric evaluation & medication management
ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and OCD frequently sit underneath gambling addiction. Our medical team evaluates and treats these conditions with medication when appropriate, including naltrexone off-label for gambling urges.
Family & couples therapy
Lies, debt, and broken trust are common fallout. We help couples rebuild honesty, set clear financial boundaries, and give partners a role that is supportive rather than policing.
Group therapy & peer connection
Process groups and referrals to Gamblers Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and other peer meetings in Arlington, DC, and Northern Virginia. Connection with people who understand the pattern reduces shame and isolation.
Dual-diagnosis care
Gambling often co-occurs with alcohol, stimulant, or cannabis use. Treating one without the other usually fails. We address both in the same plan under one clinical team.
Levels of care
Gambling treatment programs, from PHP to aftercare
An assessment determines where you start, and you can step up or down as things stabilize.
- 015 days/week · ~6 hrs/day
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Our most structured outpatient level. Daily therapy with psychiatric oversight is appropriate after a financial crisis, a major relational rupture, or when suicidal thinking related to debt is present.
- 023–5 days/week · day or evening
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Several sessions a week of CBT, relapse prevention, financial recovery work, and group therapy with morning and evening tracks, so treatment fits around a job in Arlington or DC.
- 03Weekly · ongoing
Outpatient therapy & aftercare
Weekly individual therapy, psychiatric follow-up, and long-term relapse prevention through the high-risk moments — football season, a bonus check, tax refund, or a stressful week at work.
- 04When more support is needed
Higher level of care (vetted partners)
If inpatient stabilization or residential treatment is the safer first step — especially with co-occurring substance use or severe suicidal risk — we coordinate placement with trusted, vetted providers and continue your care here afterward.
Across the river from Maryland
Convenient for Maryland commuters
Our Arlington center is a short drive from Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and the broader Maryland suburbs. Many clients choose in-person PHP and IOP here because the commute is manageable and the program fits around work. Telehealth is available for Virginia residents between in-person visits.
Common questions
Gambling addiction treatment questions, answered
Is gambling addiction a real diagnosis?
Yes. Gambling disorder is the only behavioral addiction classified as an addictive disorder in the DSM-5. It engages the same brain reward circuitry as substances and produces tolerance, withdrawal-like symptoms, loss of control, and continued use despite harm.
Do you treat sports betting and day-trading addiction?
Yes. App-based sports betting, online poker, and speculative trading on options or crypto are among the fastest-growing gambling patterns we treat in the DC metro. Clinically, they behave like other gambling disorders and respond to the same CBT and access-control interventions.
Does insurance cover gambling addiction treatment?
Coverage varies. Gambling disorder is often covered as a behavioral health diagnosis, and co-occurring depression, anxiety, or substance use is typically covered. Our admissions team verifies your specific benefits and explains your expected cost before you commit to anything, with self-pay options available.
Can I be treated for gambling and alcohol use at the same time?
Yes, and we recommend it. Gambling and alcohol use commonly co-occur, and treating one can intensify the other if left alone. Our PHP and IOP programs handle both in the same treatment plan.
What medications are used for gambling addiction?
There is no FDA-approved medication specifically for gambling disorder. However, naltrexone is sometimes used off-label to reduce gambling urges, and medications for depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or OCD can address conditions that drive the behavior. Our psychiatric team discusses whether medication is appropriate for you.
Do you offer telehealth for gambling addiction treatment?
Yes, for Virginia residents. Our clinicians are licensed in Virginia, so telehealth sessions are available statewide. In-person care at our Arlington center is open to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC residents.
What should I do if someone I love is gambling secretly?
Start with a calm, specific conversation about what you have observed rather than accusations. Offer to help schedule an assessment, and set clear financial boundaries to protect the household. We offer family sessions and can guide you through the conversation.
In-person gambling treatment at 5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA for VA, MD, and DC residents. Telehealth for Virginia residents only.
Get help today
Talk to someone who's done this before
Whether you're calling for yourself or for someone you love, the first conversation is free and completely confidential.
- Admissions — 24/7(571) 586-2883
- Location5400 Shawnee Road, Arlington, VA
Insurance accepted
We work with most major insurance plans
We work with the commercial plans families across Arlington, Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland actually carry — Anthem, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Sentara Health Plans, UMR, and Johns Hopkins Health Plans. Send us your card and we'll confirm your outpatient behavioral health benefits — usually within one business hour.
Don't see your plan? Call us — we also work with out-of-network benefits and self-pay.