Gripped By Gambling is Marilyn Lancelot's memoir summarizing the seven years of her life during which she gambled compulsively. While in her early fifties, Marilyn began playing the slot- machines, often driving two hours from Yuma County, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada to play. At age 60, Marilyn was arrested for embezzling $300,000 from her employer, The Metro Fertilizer Company, and was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to her victim.

Marilyn's gambling problem began when her bowling team advanced to the tournament level and traveled to Reno, Nevada in 1982. While in Reno, Marilyn played the slot machines winning several small jackpots, winning approximately $400. Returning home to Yuma, Marilyn shared the exciting news about her jackpots with her family. The very next weekend, Marilyn and her long time companion, Tom, traveled to Laughlin, Nevada to play the slot machines. Initially, Marilyn limited her gambling odysseys to twice a month; however, soon the bi-monthly trips turned into weekly trips. Marilyn often gambled from late Friday evening straight through Monday morning. Soon beginner's luck ran out, and Marilyn began a losing streak. Convincing herself that she was one jackpot away from recouping her losses, Marilyn began studying books on gambling, hoping to give herself an advantage in winning that ever so elusive jackpot. Eventually Marilyn “borrowed” a small sum from her employer by forging a company check for approximately $200. Over the course of seven years the initial $200 that she “borrowed” had amassed to $300,000.

Gripped By Gambling, highlights the frustration that Marilyn felt attending Gambler's Anonymous meetings where the members and attendees were 99% male. Marilyn discovered that the average male gambler, did not view playing bingo and the slot machines as gambling, nor did they consider the amounts lost by women playing bingo and slot machines as significant enough to consider the women to be compulsive gamblers. Men often made condescending remarks like "You haven't gambled long enough." "You don't play real games." "I've tipped a cocktail waitress more than you've lost in your whole gambling career." Men typically bet” . . . on card games, race tracks, or sports betting; where as, their female counterparts typically “. . . play slot machines, bingo, or video poker. Games that men tend to denigrate. Also, the men often made sexual advances towards the women who attended Gambler's Anonymous meetings. Marilyn reports that the women who attended Gamblers Anonymous meetings rarely ever returned for a second meeting.

Attending a Gambler's Anonymous convention featuring a female speaker, Marilyn met and befriended the female speaker, Lynn, who was a tremendous help to Marilyn throughout her recovery. Marilyn's relationship with Lynn, helped Marilyn decide that she would start a 'women's only ' Gambler's Anonymous chapter. While serving time in the Arizona Center for Women for embezzlement, Marilyn attempted to start a chapter of Gambler's Anonymous at the prison. Her application was turned down because all resident led groups were considered gangs. Marilyn sought to introduce a Gambler's Aynomous leader from outside the jail and was turned down because all of the available leaders were men, another factor that convinced Marilyn that there was a need for a ‘women's only’ group. Marilyn differentiates a woman's need to gamble from a man's need to gamble. Marilyn reports that women gamble primarily to escape from problems, Marilyn supports this contention with stories told by women during 'women only' Gambler's Aynomous meetings. Marilyn reports “while I gambled, I thought gambling relaxed me. When angry, I thought it calmed me down, and when I was happy, I celebrated by gambling. Gambling became my coping mechanism.” The women’s stories that Marilyn recounts tell stories of gambling because they were lonely, bored, dealing with problem children or absent husbands. They too, used gambling as a coping mechanism. Unlike men, who Marilyn reports, gamble to gain power. It would be nice if future editions would include professional case studies that demonstrate these points. Marilyn also asserts that men and women dream differently about how they will spend their big jackpots. Men dream of “servants, penthouses . . . yachts and world tours.” On the other hand, women dream of” . . . rescuing family members and friends, paying bills, and having her own spending money.” The different reasons that men and women gamble was also a determining factor when Marilyn’s decided to start a “women’s only” chapter of Gambler’s Anonymous. Future editions would be enhanced considerably, if more direct quotes and professional case studies examine why men and women gamble and fantasize differently.

Within three months of being released from prison, Marilyn formed a ‘women’s only” Gambler’s Anonymous chapter that met in her home. After completing her seven years of probation, Marilyn returned to the women’s prison where she had been incarcerated, and established a Gambler’s Anonymous chapter there. In 1999, Marilyn began publishing the newsletter Women Helping Women, a newsletter dedicated to educating women about compulsive gambling and providing women an opportunity to network socially with other compulsive gamblers. The Women Helping Women newsletter currently has a global readership. Marilyn does offer supporting evidence in the form testimonies from members of the “women only “ meetings, as well as short informative articles from social workers, counselors who treat compulsive gamblers, nurses, pharmacists, and geneticists, all of whom study compulsive gambling ,to show the similar brain patterns shared by compulsive gamblers and people addicted to drugs,who show the connection between compulsive gambling and depression,who show the connection between loneliness and compulsive gambling among women,who explain the usefulness of traditional counseling for some compulsive gamblers,who show the correlation between abuse compulsive gambling among women.

In short, Marilyn makes a compelling argument that there is the need for "women's only" groups to cater to the needs of the female compulsive gambler. Hopefully, future editions will include more personal testimonies and professional case studies, so that the reader will be better able to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach recommended.