Where to turn first, what kind of help can be received for free in Lithuania, and what does voluntary self-restriction from gambling really mean?
Gambling addiction is not a lack of willpower
According to Evelina Pridotkienė, head of the Methodological Guidance and Monitoring Department at the Republican Center for Addiction Diseases (RPLC), gambling addiction is a mental health disorder related to brain activity.
“Gambling addiction is a biologically based disease that affects brain function. In other words, it is a mental health disorder that can be successfully treated,” emphasizes the specialist.
Very often gambling is followed by other addictions, such as alcohol or drug use.
According to her, addiction is often accompanied by various myths and misconceptions. Some people still believe it is a lack of willpower or inability to pull oneself together, so they avoid seeking help for a long time.
The specialist points out that a person is not necessarily ready for change or treatment immediately. Sometimes it takes a long time for them to even acknowledge the problem. Also, very often gambling is followed by other addictions, such as alcohol or drug use. In such cases, even specialists do not always find it easy to determine which problem was primary.
Where to turn first?
E. Pridotkienė says that Lithuania has a fairly clear help system, but many people simply do not know where to start.
One of the first steps can be addiction counselors working in public health bureaus in almost all regions of Lithuania. These consultations are anonymous, and their goal is to help a person recognize the problem and understand what kind of help they need.
The next step is the mental health center where the person is registered. Specialists at these centers also work with behavioral addictions, perform initial assessments, and if necessary, refer to specialized institutions. It is also possible to contact the RPLC directly, which has branches in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys.
Help is often sought not by the addicted person themselves, but by their relatives.
Since this is a secondary level treatment institution, free services are provided to people who have a referral from primary health care.
“Help is often sought not by the addicted person themselves, but by their relatives, who can see the problem more clearly from the outside. There are also cases when a person is referred for treatment by the court, probation service, or child rights specialists,” says E. Pridotkienė, head of the Methodological Guidance and Monitoring Department at RPLC.
According to her, many people feel fear or uncertainty before the first visit, but during the meeting everything is discussed clearly and understandably.
What does treatment look like?
During the first meeting, specialists assess not only the gambling problem but also the person’s overall situation: emotional state, relationships, other difficulties.
“The specialist listens, asks questions, and helps better understand the current situation. Based on this assessment, the most appropriate form of help or treatment is selected and further steps are discussed,” explains the specialist.
Usually, the person is first registered for a consultation with a psychiatrist, during which a further treatment plan is developed. Some need only individual consultations and regular meetings with specialists, others are recommended group sessions or more intensive treatment.
RPLC also applies psychosocial treatment, the so-called Minnesota program. It can be conducted on an outpatient basis, where the person regularly attends groups and consultations, or inpatient. During the outpatient Minnesota program, patients consult with a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, participate in group sessions, and work with an occupational therapist or art therapist.
Meanwhile, in inpatient care, people live according to a set daily schedule, participate daily in specialist-led sessions, learn to recognize their emotions, and change their thinking and behavior.
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The inpatient Minnesota program usually lasts 28 days, the outpatient about three months. Another form of help is the day hospital, which lasts up to 30 days. Sessions take place every working day for at least four hours.
According to the specialist, such treatment helps a person stabilize their condition, better understand themselves, and learn to respond differently to emotions and stress.
Voluntary restriction: what does it mean?
Gabrielė Glušauskaitė, psychologist at the Gambling Supervision Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania, reminds that since 2017 Lithuania has had a Register of Persons Who Have Restricted Their Gambling Ability.
By submitting a request, a person can no longer enter casinos, gambling machine salons, betting points, and registered online gambling sites in Lithuania.
“As of April 30, 2026, there are 21,403 valid unique requests. Since the introduction of the Register, we see a steady increase in the number of requests,” says the psychologist and adds that in 2017 an average of about 11 requests per day were received, and now about 50.
People increasingly understand that addiction is not laziness or a character weakness.
According to the interviewee, this shows not only the scale of the problem but also decreasing stigmatization, i.e., people increasingly understand that addiction is not laziness or a character weakness.
A request can be submitted in two ways: by visiting the Gambling Supervision Service in Vilnius or remotely through the electronic government gateway at nebenoriu-losti.lt. The minimum restriction period is six months. It is not possible to restrict oneself for a shorter period.
Why is the mere will to stop often not enough?
G. Glušauskaitė says that people and their relatives can receive 10 free psychologist consultations at the Service.
During consultations, people are introduced to how addiction forms, attempts are made to understand together what factors encourage the desire to gamble, and a gambling prevention plan is created together. Relatives are also provided emotional support, co-dependency is discussed, and ways to respond to a loved one’s gambling problem are sought together.
Only after stopping gambling is the motivation not to return to gambling very high, but it gradually decreases.
However, the psychologist emphasizes that consultations are usually just the beginning of recovery: “In practice, I see that only after stopping gambling the motivation not to return to gambling is very high, but it gradually decreases. Sometimes a person feels after a few consultations that they are already cured, but if they have been gambling for ten years, it is unrealistic to expect everything to change after a few meetings.”
Therefore, people are recommended to continue treatment: attend anonymous gamblers’ groups, psychotherapy, and in some cases choose more intensive programs or rehabilitation communities.
According to psychologist G. Glušauskaitė, signals that more serious help is needed usually include a strong craving to gamble, repeated relapses, growing financial problems, family conflicts, depression, anxiety, or sleep disorders: “We assess each situation individually. The most important thing is not to wait until the problem becomes completely uncontrollable.”
Funded by the State Public Health Promotion Fund (state budget) funds.
