= Hero	= Villain	= Deity
= Supporting Character		= Clergy
= Based on Real Person		= Scientist
= Real     Person	= Non-Superhero        Lead Character

Newest character in database (24 May 2013):
unnamed citizen

Number of characters in this sub-list: 23 (out of a total of 30,109 in the database).

Gambling is not generally regarded as a religion and can rarely be classifed as one by most definitions. But for some individuals, gambling literally becomes the most important thing in their life, which is one of the definitions of "religion." Compulsive gambling (also known as "ludomania", and "problem gambling", to use the term treatment professionals prefer) is an urge to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. Severe forms may be termed pathological gambling and gambling addiction. It is clearly not a career path because it impoverishes the gambler rather than provides for his or her material means. For compulsive gamblers, the desire to gamble supesedes rational behavior and trumps all other idealogical, philosophical, and religious motivations. Compulsive gamblers are often intellectually aware that they are doing something that is both "wrong" and self-destructive. Most real-life people for whom gambling can be identifed as their "religion" (meaning, their primary motivation) can be classified as compulsive gamblers. The same is true for most comic book characters whoses religion is classified as "gambling." But there are also some rare characters who genuinely love gambling above everything else but are not compulsive gamblers. Such individuals may be so successful that they actually enrich themselves financially, or they may be independently wealthy and have the means to gamble in perpetuity. Rather than being "compulsive" gamblers, some characters simply love the thrill that games of chance provide and seek after such thrills as their principle means of avoiding boredom or injecting meaning into their lives.