Problem Gambling and Its Impacts

1
Problem Gambling and Its Impacts

• Rachel A. Volberg, Ph.D.
• Gemini Research, Ltd.
• Northampton, MA

2
What is Problem Gambling?

• Gambling behavior that compromises, disrupts or
  damages personal, family or vocational pursuits
• National Council on Problem Gambling, 1997
• Gambling behaviour that creates negative
  consequences for the gambler, others in his or
  her social network, or for the community
• Ferris and Wynne, 2001

3
Gambling Problems Occur on a Continuum

• Most severe end of continuum recognized as
  psychiatric disorder since 1980
• Essential features of pathological gambling
• Continuous or periodic loss of control over
  gambling
• Progression in frequency, amounts, preoccupation,
  obtaining money to gamble
• Continuation of gambling despite adverse
  consequences
• American Psychiatric Association, 1994

4
How Many Problem Gamblers?

• Based on SOGSoldest and most widely used problem
  gambling screen
• 1.9 current probable pathological gamblers
• 3.6 current problem gamblers
• Welte et al., 2001.
• Based on NODSnew screen developed for NGISC
  survey and based on DSM-IV criteria
• 1.2 pathological gamblers
• 1.5 problem gamblers
• 7.7 at risk gamblers
• Gerstein et al., 1999.

5
Problem Gambling Impacts (1)

• Personal
• Stress-related illnesses
• Depression anxiety
• Tobacco, alcohol drug dependence
• Suicidality
• Family / Interpersonal
• Physical emotional abuse
• Neglect, separation, divorce
• Children more likely to be depressed, suicidal

6
Problem Gambling Impacts (2)

• Employment
• Poor performance, lowered productivity, impaired
  judgment, abuse of leave time
• Theft, embezzlement, loss of job
• Financial
• Use of resources for basic expenses for gambling
• Indebtedness, credit card abuse
• Loss of credit, loss of savings, bankruptcy
• Legal
• Bad checks, forgery, fraud, tax evasion,
  burglary, selling stolen goods
• DUI, weapons offenses

7
Past Year Impacts
8
Lifetime Impacts
9
Who Is At Risk?
1975-1995
1995 - Present

• Youth
• Men and Women
• All Educational Levels
• Ethnic Minorities
• Other Psychiatric Conditions

• Youth
• Men
• College Educated
• Anti-Social Personality
• Other Psychiatric Conditions

10
The Costs of Problem Gambling (1)

• Widely divergent estimates of the costs of
  problem gambling have been published
• Differences based on
• Definition of problem gambler
• Characteristics of samples

11
The Costs of Problem Gambling (2)

• Important to differentiate lifetime and annual
  costs
• Annual costs of 715 and 1,200 per problem
  pathological gambler
• Lifetime costs of 5,000 and 10,500 per problem
  pathological gambler
• Gerstein et al., 1999.

12
Addressing Problem Gambling

• Need for broad array of services
• Public education
• Prevention
• Outreach / crisis counseling
• Training
• Treatment
• Monitoring / research
• Growing public interest in addressing problem
  gambling has not kept pace with expansion of
  legal gambling

13
Monitoring Research

• Need for commitment to monitoring gambling
  problem gambling in coherent consistent fashion
• Monitoring research include
• Prevalence surveys _at_ regular intervals with large
  samples
• Research on tax streams, economic social
  impacts
• Evaluation of effectiveness of services

14
Why Study Youth Separately?

• Ethical concerns
• Illegal behavior for adolescents
• Requires informed consent from parent or guardian
• Conceptual concerns
• Should problem gambling among adults
  adolescents be measured the same way?