Gamblers Anonymous is a group that was founded in 1957 in California. It was created by two individuals who had great difficulty abstaining from gambling and spent time discussing their problem, which they found alleviated it. They based Gamblers Anonymous on groups like aftercare facilities for alcoholics in Edmonton, Alcoholics Anonymous, which operated under the idea that peer support, honesty and a desire to change could help a person overcome their addiction.

Today, Gamblers Anonymous is a world wide program that allows anyone with a desire to stop gambling a membership. The group offers support in person, over the phone and online in order to prevent compulsive gambling. It is not affiliated with any institution or denomination and there is no membership fee due in order to join. The only requirement for membership is that the individual desires to quit gambling.

Many people who are addicted to gambling try repeatedly to bring their addiction under control alone, to no avail. At Gamblers Anonymous, the organization does a lot to help people understand why they are different from others and why they struggle with gambling so much. A big part of their philosophy is helping people to understand that they cannot control who they are or the fact that they are different, but they do have control over the choices they make and how they view themselves.