Escapism Identified as Key Driver of Gambling Addiction in Updated Motives Scale
A revised psychological scale now highlights escapism as a major motive tied to problem gambling.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:An international research team has released an updated version of the Gambling Motives Questionnaire, the GMQ-R-27, which for the first time explicitly measures escapism alongside established motives such as coping, socializing and enhancement. The revision, described in a paper published in Comprehensive Psychiatry by researchers including Professor Beáta Bőthe of Université de Montréal, aims to capture a broader range of reasons people play and to sharpen assessment where addictive behaviour may follow.
Lead author Beáta Bőthe, a psychologist affiliated with Quebec’s Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse, said the inclusion of escapism was driven by clinical patterns the team observed. "When people gamble to escape their real lives, their worries, stress and negative emotions, they are using play as a form of self-medication", she said. "Escapism isn't a trivial motivation – it provides emotional relief in the short term and, if it becomes the primary way a person feels better, it can evolve into a compulsive pattern that resembles other high-risk coping behaviours."
The GMQ-R-27 adds new items designed to probe whether gambling is being used to avoid unpleasant feelings or to withdraw from daily problems. The authors argue that previous versions of the questionnaire downplayed these nuances, potentially masking a pathway that leads from recreational gambling to disordered patterns.
Previous research has consistently grouped gambling motives into three broad categories – coping, social and enhancement — but the updated scale treats escapism as a distinct axis. That shift matters for clinicians and researchers because escapism-driven play tends to be associated with higher levels of problem gambling severity and poorer treatment outcomes when it goes unrecognized.
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Recognising escapism has immediate implications for treatment. Bőthe and colleagues recommend clinicians explicitly screen for escape-related motives and tailor interventions accordingly. "Alternative strategies such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy can interrupt the vicious circle of using gambling to blunt negative emotions", she said. "Successful treatment should target underlying stressors and teach practical coping skills so gambling is no longer the default relief mechanism."
The study also revisits the role of social gambling. Activities that involve friends and family, from low-stakes card nights to group betting, often serve social or recreational purposes that may protect against escalation for some players. However, the researchers caution that social contexts are double-edged: peer dynamics can both limit excess through social norms or amplify risk when groups encourage high-stakes or impulsive play.
Because evidence remains mixed, the authors urge a reassessment of how social motives are measured. That reassessment could help regulators, treatment services, and harm-minimisation programmes better distinguish harmless recreational play from social contexts that foster risky behaviour.
Experts outside the study note the practical benefits of a more granular motives tool. A screening instrument that flags escapism could enable earlier, more targeted interventions in clinical settings, gambling treatment centres and primary care. Policymakers and operators might also use clearer data on motives to design safer product features and to fund prevention services more effectively.
As online gambling products proliferate and the lines between gaming and wagering blur, improved measurement of why people gamble becomes increasingly important. The GMQ-R-27 is positioned as a clinical and research tool to help identify those for whom gambling is a symptom of deeper emotional distress rather than merely a pastime.
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