|
Individuals who live
within 10 miles of a
casino or in a
disadvantaged
neighborhood are more
likely to experience
problem gambling,
according to new
research from the
University at Buffalo's
Research Institute on
Addictions (RIA).
A casino within 10 miles
of home has a
significant effect on
problem gambling and is
associated with a 90
percent increase in the
odds of being a
pathological or problem
gambler, said John W.
Welte, Ph.D., principal
investigator on the
study.
The likely reason for
the increase, he added,
is that the availability
of an attractive
gambling opportunity can
lead to gambling
pathology in some people
who otherwise would not
develop it.
The study, involving a
national telephone
survey of 2,631 U.S.
adults, was reported in
a recent issue of
Journal of Gambling
Studies.
While geographic
location nearly doubled
the risk, Welte stressed
the importance of
placing the study
results in perspective.
"Individual traits have
a stronger relationship
to gambling pathology
than geographic
factors," he added. "For
example, in another
analysis of this survey
that previously was
reported, we found that
problem drinkers had 23
times the odds of having
a gambling problem than
individuals who did not
have a drinking
problem."
According to Welte,
"Gambling behavior and
problem gambling
behaviors are
multi-faceted. Social
and environmenta l
influences on gambling
behavior and pathology
are interesting in
themselves. They have a
special relevance to
public policy debates.
Because localities can
control the location and
density of gambling
opportunities, such as
casinos or lottery
outlets, policy makers
have some influence over
the rates of problem
gambling in our
society."
Welte said respondents
living in disadvantaged
neighborhoods reported
much higher rates of
problem gambling than
those who do not live in
disadvantaged
neighborhoods. Ten
percent of those who
live in the most
disadvantaged
neighborhoods are
problem gamblers as
compared to about one
percent of those who
live in the least
disadvantaged
neighborhoods.
"We know that this is
not simply an effect of
poverty at the
individual level,"
explained Welte, a
senior scientist at RIA
and a research associate
professor in the
Department of Social and
Preventive Medicine in
the UB School of Public
Health and Health
Professions. "Acceptance
of gambling by family
and friends, unrealistic
expectations from
gambling combined with a
financial desperation,
might be the
explanation."
Welte added that it also
must be acknowledged
that some of the problem
gamblers interviewed in
the study might have
been forced to move to
disadvantaged
neighborhoods by
financial setbacks.
Past-year gambling was
more common in states
with two or more forms
of legal gambling, and
the average number of
times gambled per year
also was higher in those
states with more forms
of legal gambling. In
fact, the odds of
gambling for study
respondents during the
past year increased by
17 percent for every
additional form of legal
gambling in their state.
For the purposes of this
study, levels of
gambling behavior were
labeled as "any gambling
in the past year,"
"frequent gambling"
(defined as gambling 104
or more times in the
past year), and "problem
gambling" (manifesting
problem gambling
symptoms such as
preoccupation with
gambling and needing to
gamble with increasing
amounts of money to get
the same excitement).
The other researchers
involved in the study
were Grace M. Barnes,
Ph.D., senior research
scientist with RIA and
adjunct associate
professor in the
Department of Sociology
in the UB College of
Arts and Sciences;
William F. Wieczorek,
Ph.D., director of the
Center for Health and
Social Research at
Buffalo State College,
and Marie O. Tidwell,
Ph.D., project director
on the study.
Funding for the study
was provided by a $1.2
million grant from the
National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism.
The Research Institute
on Addictions (RIA) has
been a leader in the
study of addictions
since 1970 and a
research center of the
University at Buffalo
since 1999.
The University at
Buffalo is a premier
research-intensive
public university, the
largest and most
comprehensive campus in
the State University of
New York.
|
