Aim: Examination of pathological gamblers (PG) in outpatient services and analysis of the fit of clientele characteristics and healthcare situation. Methods: From April 2009 to March 2011 a total of 461 patients at 36 outpatient addiction care facilities in Bavaria, Germany, was examined consecutively. Data including sotio-demographic variables, psychological state (i.a. SCL-90, BDI) and counselling were collected. Results: The majority of patients were male (88.8%) with a mean age of 36 years. Most patients (81.4%) reported gambling on and preferring (74.7%) gaming machines within the past 12 months. A total of 93% fulfilled diagnostic criteria for PG and had a high severity of psychological strain (50.5 %) and depressive symptoms (47.4%). About half of the patients (51.8%) had less than 6 treatment contacts, 70.2% terminated prematurely. Conclusions: Given the high psychosocial burden, these results indicate a gap between objective need and actual treatment characteristics, particularly regarding the diagnostic process, premature treatment termination and rare conduit to other services. Possibilities of further development of outpatient health care structures are discussed.