Gambling and Addiction
Gambling expansion has swept the nation, and with it has come high social costs, chief among them addiction. Following is how Dr. Tim Kelly, who served as executive director of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, summarized commission findings on addiction before the Texas Legislature in 2005. He had some to oppose any expansion of gambling in Texas. His top reason dealt with addiction. According to Dr. Kelly:
- A Harvard study estimates that 15.4 Million Americans already are suffering from problem and pathological gambling - also called gambling addiction - which is often devastating to the individual. That number could be multiplied several times if we include the serious negative consequences to family members, employers, and the general taxpaying public. The National Academies of Science, which was chartered by Congress to advise the Federal government, found that "pathological gamblers engage in destructive behaviors: they commit crimes, they run up large debts, they damage relationships with family and friends, and they kill themselves." It is not unusual for a gambling addict to end up in bankruptcy, with a broken family, facing a criminal charge from his or her employer.
- Youth introduced early to gambling are particularly at risk for gambling addiction, which often begins with lottery play. This can lead to tragic outcomes; one 16-year-old boy attempted suicide after losing $6,000 on lottery tickets. In fact, if the nation continues its rush to expand lotteries and casinos, we can expect that America's youth will one day be experiencing gambling addiction at epidemic proportions. For our youth, gambling is no less a threat than smoking, and the gambling industry (state-sponsored and private-sector) may end up with equally costly liability.
- The elderly are also at risk, with money and time to burn. Increasing numbers are bused to casinos, lose all or part of their savings, and find themselves turning into compulsive gamblers.
- A NORC exit poll taken at casinos found that 31% of the patrons were problem or pathological gamblers. It is likely that these troubled patrons account for a great deal more than 31% of casino revenue, given their betting habits. Thus a large portion of casino revenue flows from the pockets of those least able to gamble responsibly.
- Is this really an addiction? According to the American Psychiatric Association it has all the hallmarks of addiction: preoccupation, tolerance, withdrawal, escape, lying, loss of control, illegal acts. Also, recent MRI research has demonstrated that a person "high" on gambling experiences activity in the same area of the brain as a person "high" on drugs. Consider also gamblers who come to casinos in Depenz diapers so that they can gamble continually, or those who end up pawning the gold fillings from their teeth to try to win back losses. Such behaviors come from a very real addiction.
How quickly can it develop? Story after story recounts the heartbreak of a good person quickly succumbing to gambling addiction. Consider the story of Debbie as reported to the gambling commission: She and her husband visited a new casino built near them in Black Hawk, CO, just for fun. The novelty soon wore off for her, but he started going four or five nights a week. Within three months of their first visit, Debbie learned that they would have to file for bankruptcy - her husband had lost close to $40K. Even this did not stop her husband from gambling, and eventually they divorced. "The husband I divorced was not the husband I married," she said, "He's a total stranger to me. He became a liar, he became a cheat, he became engaged in criminal and illegal activities."
See his entire testimony under
Resources.
Youth and Gambling Addiction
Following are findings of the Annenberg National Risk Survey of Youth, 2003
More than half of young people age 14-22 report they gamble in an average month, and one in six gamble in an average week.
- Private forms of gambling (card games, sports betting and bingo) dominate early gambling experience prior to age 18. After that, lotteries and casino slot machines become more popular.
- More young men ages 14-17 have tried gambling than cigarette smoking or drinking. Although young women have not tried gambling to the same degree, their gambling experience is considerably greater after age 17 and approaches that of men.
- 8% of all youth surveyed who gambled weekly reported one or more problems associated with gambling, such as spending more than they would like on gambling or being preoccupied with their habit.
Gambling and College Students
In 2006, students attending four Minnesota colleges were surveyed about gambling behavior.
http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/cas/research/4colGambling.php
Among the findings:
- Four point five percent (4.5%) of all respondents indicated signs of problem and pathological gambling. National prevalence of gambling problems in college students ranges from 3% to 11%, and the average is 5%. Adult prevalence of problem and pathological gambling ranges from 1-3% (National Research Council, 1999). This survey indicates students with a gambling problem are well above the national average among adults, but are within range of gambling problems among their cohort.
- Among respondents who gamble, the rate of problem and pathological gamblers is 14.3%.
- Men have significantly higher rates of problem and pathological gambling than women.
- Students who drink frequently, smoke and use marijuana are more likely to be problem and pathological gamblers than those who do not.
More Facts About Gambling and Addiction
http://www.ncalg.org/facts.htm