Research shows that only a very small percentage of pathological gam- blers seek professional treatment at any time, and that the commonest form of escape from pathological gambling is natural recovery. In gene- ral, gamblers who follow treatment programmes present greater severity of the problem than those who do not follow such programmes. There do not appear to be excessive differences in the factors related to change between those who seek treatment and those who recover by themselves. Behavioural and cognitive-motivational strategies, as well as cognitive processes of change, are the factors that best explain change and main- tained abstinence in pathological gambling. In any case, further research is necessary on the factors involved in recovery from pathological gam- bling, with a view to improving the therapeutic resources available for treating this type of problem.