Gambling addiction is becoming an increasing and serious problem throughout the world, including Croatia. Although almost all countries ban gambling under the age of 18, it is addiction that is spreading the fastest among young people. Accessibility and prevalence of betting, social acceptance and the notion of easy and fast earnings are the biggest risk factors for this type of addiction in adolescents. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, gambling was classified as an instinct control disorder in the 1980s, and in the last edition DSM-V gambling was classified as addiction. The biggest problem with gambling addiction is that it is not physically visible, so it is difficult to identify and is usually detected when the addict suffers from a number of other mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and even attempted suicide. To stop that from happening, prevention is needed to educate adolescents and it needs to involve society as a whole - from schools to families. Also, the state must take the biggest role in prevention through better and stricter legislation, restrictions on accessibility, restrictions on the promotion of games of chance and with stricter penalties for those who do not respect the law.