35. Problem gambling population has increased steadily

By Tom O'Connell

"You bet." "Don't bet on it." "Good deal." "Bad deal." Gambling terms are part of our national vocabulary. And as we entered the 1990s, addiction experts predicted that addictive gambling would become an expanding problem in America. They were right.

Although much research needs to be done about compulsive gambling and ways to provide treatment for it, a major report based on the results of 120 previous studies on compulsive gambling has been compiled. 

This report, co-authored by Dr. Howard Shaffer, who directs the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School, examines the relationships of various population segments to gambling. And these are some of the important  findings:

The percentage of problem gamblers from the overall population of the United States and Canada has substantially increased during the past 20 years, a period that runs concurrently with the marked proliferation of legalized gambling.

Roughly 5% of the total population has some form of a gambling problem.

Scientists and policy makers have not called enough attention to the plight of "problem gamblers," who despite betting to escape the perceived harsh rigors of reality, have not yet created the enormous degree of financial and emotional devastation as "compulsive gamblers." But it is clear that many problem gamblers are compulsive gamblers in the making.

Males are more likely to suffer from a gambling problem than females, but the gap is closing. Pathological gambling is significantly more prevalent among college students and adolescents than adults. Also, there is indirect evidence suggesting that increased gambling is due more to advertising than legalization.

The report indicates that people who exhibit psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety, neurotic or psychotic behavior are much more likely to gamble compulsively than people who do not suffer from significant mental disorders.

In addition, it appears that the overall quality of compulsive gambling research has not improved greatly during the past 20 years. For a copy of the comprehensive report, write to the National Center for Responsible Gambling, 540 Pierce Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64110. For help with your own compulsive gambling problem, try Gamblers Anonymous. Help for loved ones of compulsive gamblers is available through Gam-Anon.

Also, think of the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling (MCCG) as your resource. MCCG provides education and information on problem gambling, and advocacy and referrals for problem gamblers and their families. Write to MCCG at 190 High Street, Suite 6, Boston, MA 02110-3031. Or call 1-800-426-1234.

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