RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Are Americans gambling more and experiencing more gambling problems than a decade ago? Which types of gambling have gained in popularity? In which demographic groups have the increases in problem gambling been concentrated?

PURPOSE

Gambling opportunities and expenditures had increased in the United States in the decade prior to the present study.However, there had been no national replication surveys that allowed for the direct examination of trends in gambling behaviour and problems for the United States as a whole.To address this lack of information, the authors conducted a telephone survey of US adults regarding gambling-related behaviour and problem gambling. This data was compared to results from a survey of gambling in the US conducted in 1999-2000.

HYPOTHESIS

None stated.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 2,631 (Survey 1 in 1999-2000) and 2,963 (Survey 2 in 2011-2013) American adults aged 18 years or older.

PROCEDURE

Participants completed telephone interviews of demographics as well as gambling-related behaviours and problems.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The frequency of past-year gambling on specific types of gambling was assessed. The absolute value of the last win/loss for each type of gambling was used as a measure of gambling quantity. The revised South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS-R) and the DIS-IV for pathological gambling were used to assess problem and pathological gambling. Socioeconomic status was assessed via years of education, occupational prestige and family income. Neighborhood disadvantage was determined via “census block groups” based on the percentage of neighborhood households on public assistance and headed by a female, as well as the percentage of unemployed adults and those in poverty. A proximity-to-gambling variable for each respondent was calculated based on home address.

KEY RESULTS

There were reductions in respondents that gambled in the past year (82% at Survey 1 and 77% at Survey 2). There was a reduction in average number of days on which gamblers gambled (60 days to 54 days) between surveys. The prevalence of gambling pathology remained about the same. Internet gambling was the only form of gambling in which participation rate increased (0.3 to 2%). In the 18–30 year age group, the rate of past-year gambling declined substantially (89% to 78%) between surveys. At Survey 1, the rate of frequent gambling increased from the bottom third to the middle third of SES, and then dropped for the highest third; however, at Survey 2, the rate of frequent gambling declined steadily as SES increased. At Survey 1, the rate of frequent gambling increased as neighborhoods became more disadvantaged; however, this effect disappeared at Survey 2. In both surveys, rates of problem gambling were higher for males than females. The prevalence of problem gambling increased substantially among men (4% to 7%) and decreased among women (3 to 2.5%) from Survey 1 to Survey 2. The average win/loss increased for several forms of gambling, providing a modest indication that gamblers were betting more, albeit less frequently. Between the two surveys, the rates of past-year participation in gambling declined markedly for young adults. For the combined surveys, rates of problem gambling were highest for blacks and Hispanics and lowest for whites and Asians.

LIMITATIONS

Survey 1 did not include a cell phone sample, while Survey 2 did. The surveys were self-report which may have introduced bias into the results. The relatively low completion rate may also have introduced bias. The largest limitation was that there were only two time points examined. To accurately determine trends, several surveys at regular intervals would be ideal.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the results suggest that rates of pathological and problem gambling remained stable during the decade of the 2000s.