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Problem Gambling and Bankruptcy Connection
University of Connecticut Health Center
June
2000
Key Findings:
One-third of
problem gamblers who seek treatment in Connecticut have filed for or
are in the process of filing for bankruptcy, which is nearly 8 times
higher than the general population.
The average
bankrupt problem gambler wagers more than $5,000 per month;
non-bankrupt problem gamblers wager approximately $2,900 per month.
The lifetime
debt of a bankrupt problem gambler was $112,000; the lifetime debt
of a non-bankrupt problem was $68,000.
Women problem
gamblers were more likely to file for bankruptcy than men, 53
percent versus 23 percent.
Gender Differences in Pathological Gambling
University of Connecticut Health Center
October 2001
This study examined
115 patients admitted into pathological/problem gambling treatment
programs at the UCONN Health Center.
Key Findings:
Women start
gambling later in life than men, 48.1 years vs 43.8 years, and seek
treatment sooner.
·
Men were
more than five times more likely to have turned to illegal
activities to support gambling.
Although
women pathological gamblers are less likely to have alcohol
problems, they are more likely to live with a spouse with an alcohol
or a gambling problem.--22 percent vs 7.1 percent.
Male
pathological gamblers are about two times more likely to have
received treatment for substance abuse.
Gambling More Prevalent in Youths Than Adults
Randy
Stinchfield, Ph.D., University of Minnesota,
Rina
Gupta, Ph.D. and Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Ph.D., McGill University,
Durand Jacobs, Ph.D.
This research was
presented at the 106th Annual Convention of the American
Psychological Association (1998).
Key Findings:
5 percent to
8 percent of American and Canadian youths have serious gambling
problems. Adult prevalence rates run between 1 percent and 3
percent.
Although the
majority of young people are occasional gamblers, a percentage of
youths do gamble regularly.
Older,
non-Caucasian male youths are most likely to gamble. Other factors
increasing likelihood are antisocial behavior and alcohol use.
A major
finding from a
University of Minnesota study,
based on a survey of 122,700 Minnesota public school students in
1992 and 75,900 students in 1995, was that gambling frequency for
most young people doesn't change with time. Yet with a small
minority of young problem gamblers, frequency did increase.
Rina Gupta,
Ph.D. and Jeffrey Derevensky, Ph.D., professors at McGill
University, surveyed 817 high school students in Montreal. A few of
the findings: more than 80 percent gambled in the previous year and
35 percent gambled at least once a week; enjoyment and excitement
were the top motivators; and problem gamblers were more likely to
have parents with gambling problems, to be involved with illegal
activities and to have suicidal thoughts.
Strong Link Between Gambling and Alcohol
Research Institute on Addictions,
University at Buffalo, New York
John
W. Welte, Ph.D., Lead Researcher
December 2001
Results are based on
random telephone interviews with 2,600 American adults. This study
was funded through a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Key Findings:
Between 1
percent and 2 percent of the American population are compulsive
gamblers or 1 or 2 people in every 100 are compulsive gamblers.
Problem
drinkers are 23 times more likely to be problem gamblers.
Pathological
gambling prevalence rates were significantly higher for
non-Caucasian race groups. Caucasians, 5 percent; African-Americans,
3.7 percent; and Hispanic-Americans, 4.2 percent.
Study Links Gambling and Crime
Auckland University, New Zealand
Robert
Brown, Peter Adams and Sean Sullivan, researchers
October 22, 2000
Results based upon a
survey of 100 "newly received" prisoners.
Key Findings:
24 percent
were designated as probable pathological gamblers, which was eight
times more than the general population. There are more than 15,000
inmates in New Zealand each year.
More than 40
percent of inmates designated as pathological gamblers reported a
link between gambling and their offense(s).
Many inmate
pathological gamblers stole or committed other offenses to support
their gambling activity or to chase their losses.
Measuring Gambling and Problem Gambling in Ontario
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and the
Responsible Gambling Council (Ontario)
November 2001
Funded by a grant from
the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, the study was
conducted in Spring 2001 with the objective of determining
prevalence of gambling among Ontario
adults. A 5,000 sample of Ontario adults were interviewed by phone.
Key Findings:
83 percent
reported gambling within the previous year
The most
common gambling activities were lottery tickets (64.6 percent),
raffle tickets (51 percent), scratch tickets (31.6 percent) and slot
machines or video lottery terminals (28.3 percent). Additionally,
13.2 percent bet on sports events, 11.8 percent bet on arcade or
video games, 8.5 percent played bingo and 7.2 percent gambled at
casino table games.
The most
common reasons given for gambling include enjoyment (28 percent), to
watch others gamble (26 percent), to win money (21.1 percent) and to
socialize (17.5 percent).
Of the sample
interviewed, 69.8 percent said they can gamble without any problem,
9.6 percent were identified as "at risk" and .7 percent were rated
as having severe gambling problems.
Severe
problem gamblers were most likely to gamble at casinos. They were
also more likely to be single men between the ages of 18 and 24.
Does Casino Design Promote Problem Gambling?
Karen
Finlay, Vinay Kanetkar & Harvey Marmurek, Researchers
Study
in Progress, announced April 2002
Research Objectives:
The study, which received
$126,000 in funding from the Ontario
Problem Gambling Centre,
will examine relationship between
problem gambling and
casino design. Specific elements to be
explored include: how
casino design makes gamblers feel
submissive (i.e.,
security checks and officers, asymmetrical
colors and noise levels);
and how casino design, such as no
clocks or windows,
changes temporal perception.
They Start Gambling Young
Brock
University, Niagara, Canada
April
2002
The study, which began
in October 2001, was based on results of the
Brock University Youth
Gambling Survey, completed by 2,252 students aged 13 to 19.
Key Findings:
75 percent
said they participated in at least one form of gambling within the
previous 12 months.
4 percent to
8 percent could be considered problem gamblers.
10 percent to
14 percent could be considered as at risk of developing a gambling
problem.
Preferred
gambling activities include: lottery tickets (22 percent) and
scratch lottery tickets (55 percent).
56 percent of
students 18 and younger said they have received lottery and scratch
tickets as gifts.
Senior Casino Customers
American Gaming Association
October 2000
This study, conducted
by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and the Luntz Research
Companies, was part of AGA's annual U.S. commercial casino industry
survey.
Key Findings:
Most seniors
consider casino gambling as a social activity, with 90 percent
visiting casinos with family, friends or organized groups.
69 percent of
seniors set a budget before visiting a casino.
56 percent of
seniors say that "fun and entertainment" are the reasons why they
visit casinos.
Sport of Kings Will Regain its Royal Status
Bear,
Stearns & Co., Inc.
United
States
January 2002
Key Findings:
Gaming
revenues are expected to increase as more states legalize slot
machines at racetracks. A number of states, including Kentucky,
Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, are exploring legalizing slot
machines at racetracks.
Account
wagering, which allows a wagerer to establish a depository account
with a licensed account wagering operator and then draw on the
account to place bets from a remote location, represents between 4
percent to 6 percent of the $18 billion pari-mutuel wagering
industry.
Australians Continue to Bet Online
Australian Casino Association/Hitwise Online Gaming Report
February 2002
Australia's federal
government introduced the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 in June
2001. The Act prohibits Australians from gambling at
Australian-based online casinos. According to this report by ACA,
the legislation has failed to curb Internet casino gambling.
Key Findings:
Between
February and December 2001, .5 percent of all Internet traffic in
Australia was classified as "Entertainment-Gambling."
40 percent of
Australians who gamble online wager at offshore sites.
Australia is
home to 100 gaming sites.
Most Internet
casino traffic originates from NSW (38 percent) and Victoria (31
percent).
Report of the Investigation Into the Feasibility and
Consequences of Banning of Interactive Gambling
National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE)
Australia
March
2001
Key Findings:
2.1 percent
of the adult population are problem gamblers.
1 percent or
about 130,000 Australians have a severe gambling problem;
approximately 163,000 have a moderate gambling problem.
1.8 percent
or approximately 250,000 Australian adults experience significant
difficulties or harm as a result of gambling.
Accessibility
to gambling services, such as EGMs, significantly contributes to
higher problem gambler rates.
Gamblers In Red Turn to White-Collar Crime
University of Technology Sydney,
Australia
Penny
Crofts, law lecturer
October 3, 2002
This study, conducted
by University of Technology Law Lecturer Penny Crofts, was based on
nearly 2,800 district and local court cases in NSW from 1995 to
1999.
Key Findings:
Gamblers with
large debts may be responsible for 20 percent of white-collar crime
Problem
gamblers turn to fraud and financial theft, often against employers,
to support their activity.
One in five
convicted of larceny or cheque fraud have gambling problems.
About 4
percent, or more than 100 crimes, were linked to gambling.
Problem
gamblers stole and wagered away approximately $4.2 million. Most
money was taken from employers, shops and individuals.
Three Percent of Iowans Have Gambling Problem
The
Daily Nonpareil
October 19, 2002
This article draws its
statistics from the Iowa Department of Health's gambling treatment
program.
Article Highlights:
88 percent of
Iowa adults gamble.
About 3
percent of Iowa adults are problem gamblers.
In 1998, 826
Iowa problem gamblers received counseling services from state
agencies; in 1999, 781 received counseling; in 2000, 933 received
counseling; and in 2001, 802 received counseling.
Of those
treated between 1998-2001, 26 percent reported bankruptcy or other
debt problems; 25 percent in 1999; 24 percent in 2000; and 25
percent in 2001.
Study Suggests Hormone "Rush" May Cause Gambling
Addiction
AFA
Journal
American Family Association
February 2001
A team of researchers
from the Institute of Psychology and
Cognition Research at the
University of Bremen (Germany) found
after studying 10 random
casino gamblers that gambling is just as
addictive as alcohol and
drugs. Gambling for money increased heart
rates and released
hormones. The researchers compared the
hormone release, or "the
rush," experienced when parachuting from
an airplane.
Gambling Addiction a Problem in Nevada
Las
Vegas Sun
March
25, 2002
This article includes
findings from a study conducted by Rachel
Volberg of
Massachusetts-based Gemini Research. Volberg's
study was based on the
problem gambling test called South Oaks
Gambling Screen, or
SOGS, given to Nevadans in 2000.
Article Highlights:
4.9 percent
to 7.9 percent of
Nevada's
population is considered current problem or pathological gamblers.
40,100 to
63,900 Nevadans are pathological gamblers.
2.2 percent
to 3.6 percent, or 32,700 to 53,500, are problem gamblers.
Of all Nevada
gamblers, 7.6 percent are gambling addicts.
8.7 percent
of Nevada casino gamblers are problem gamblers.
12 percent of
Nevada non-casino gamblers (i.e. grocery stores) are problem
gamblers.
21 percent of
Nevada problem gamblers are problem drinkers.
One-third of
Nevada problem gamblers have been incarcerated at least once in
their lives.
2.2 percent
of Nevada teens can be classified as problem gamblers; 9.9 percent
are at risk of developing a gambling addiction.
10.7 percent
of Nevada teen problem gamblers gamble in casinos; 3.3 percent of
at-risk Nevada
teens are casino gamblers.
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