For him, one was too many and a thousand not enough as his addiction took over his life. He also is fighting alcoholism and hasn't taken a drink for 25 years, but he figures gambling is worse.
"It's very insidious," he said. "You don't have hangovers. Who was I hurting? I was hurting a lot of people, but I rationalized I wasn't." -Addicted Florida gambler1
The availability of a casino within 50 miles is associated with about double the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers.2
- The number of Gamblers Anonymous chapters in the United States has nearly doubled in the last eight years. GA now has more than 1,200 chapters meeting regularly across the country.3
- Dr. Rachel Volberg has conducted the majority of compulsive gambling prevalence surveys in the United States. According to Dr. Volberg, the prevalence of gambling problems, as indicated in her statewide surveys, has increased noticeably in more recent years as gambling has become more widely available.4
- Two gambling behavior surveys conducted in Minnesota showed a substantial increase in the number of compulsive gamblers coincidental with the expansion of gambling in that state. The lottery was introduced in Minnesota in 1990, while casino gambling was just gaining a toehold that year. By 1994, however, there were 17 casinos in operation in Minnesota with estimated gross annual sales of between $3 billion to $4 billion. The percentage of Minnesota adults who demonstrated a serious gambling problem in the past year climbed from 2.5 percent of the population in 1990 to 4.4 percent in 1994.5
- Gambling surveys in the state of Iowa showed a marked increase in the number of problem and pathological gamblers after the introduction of casinos. In 1989, only 1.7 percent of Iowa adults showed indications of having a serious gambling problem; by 1995, the percentage had more than tripled to 5.4 percent.6
- Studies being undertaken at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas indicate the incidence of problem gambling in Nevada is 8 or 9 percent, which would be the highest rate in the nation.7
- A court-ordered temporary shutdown of video lottery machines in the state of South Dakota resulted in a drastic reduction of people seeking treatment for gambling addictions. A study of gambling treatment centers in the state found that before the machines were shut off, the four centers studied received an average of 68 inquires and treated 11 gamblers per month. During the time the machines were shut down, the average number of inquiries and clients treated both plummeted to less than one per month. Once the machines resumed operations, the number of average monthly inquiries immediately increased to 24 while eight gamblers a month sought treatment at the facilities.8
- Dr. Rob Hunter, founder and director of the Charter Hospital Gambling Treatment Center in Las Vegas and a nationally recognized expert on gambling addiction, estimates that 15 percent of casino workers have a compulsive gambling problem.9
- In New York, the percentage of individuals who report having had a gambling problem increased from 4.2 percent in 1986 to 7.3 percent a decade later, as gambling opportunities greatly expanded.10
- In Oregon, the number of Gamblers Anonymous chapters increased from three to more than 30 within five years of the introduction of video poker machines. Gambling addiction experts contend video poker is among the most addictive forms of gambling.11
- In 1996, Mississippi and Louisiana ranked number three and four, respectively, among the states in terms of the amounts of money legally wagered.12 Recent studies indicate that 7 percent of adults in both of those states have been classified as problem or pathological gamblers.13
