This article summarizes the results of a qualitative content analysis of historical literature on problem gamblers in America and England. Using the pathological gambling entry in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a framework, it is revealed that all of the diagnostic criteria have a long and documented history. The findings here suggest that in a number of important ways, researchers have merely medicalized their previous moral objections to gambling behavior. Clinical implications and future research implications are discussed.
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