Pathological gambling is a serious addiction that is indicated by the two cardinal signs: (1) loss of control of one's gambling, and, (2) continued gambling in spite of adverse consequences. It is a small proportion of people who are pathological gamblers and an even smaller percent who come to treatment, but for those affected by pathological gambling it can have devastating effects on both the person with the addiction and their family.

Starting in mid-1992, the state of Minnesota began supporting six demonstration treatment programs listed on the following page. Over 1,000 clients have been seen at these six outpatient treatment programs.

One of the first questions that comes to mind is "who are these people whose gambling has gotten out of control?"

Three out of five clients are men.

Their ages range from 19 to 72 with an average age of 39.

Most are white and have graduated from high school and over two-thirds are employed full-time.

Over half earn less than $20,000 a year.

Two out of five are married and 26% are currently separated or divorced.

About half have previously sought help for their gambling problem.

Over one-third (36%) have received chemical dependency services and almost half (46%) have used mental health services.

Over half have another co-existing psychiatric disorder, such as depression.

The three most preferred gambling activities are casino cards (39%), gambling machines (34%), and pull tabs (16%) (See Figure 1). However, the lottery, which was rated by less than 1% as the game of choice, was played about as frequently as the most preferred games.

In the six months prior to treatment, over one-third of the sample gambled on a daily basis (38%) and over half gambled at a weekly rate (53%).

Other Related Consequences

Financial

Almost all clients have experienced at least one gambling-related financial problem in their lifetime. The average gambling-related debt in the 6-months prior to treatment was $10,748 with a median of $5,000. The average lifetime gambling debt was $54,000 (median was $20,000) (See Figure 2). The majority of subjects noted indebtedness to creditors (91%), followed by these other notable financial problems: borrowed on checking account or wrote bad checks (74%), sold stocks or cashed in life insurance (39%), inability to pay taxes (32%), borrowed from loan sharks (16%), had a credit line with a casino (18%), and bankruptcy (21%).

Employment

Over half of the sample (52%) reported that they had been absent from work due to gambling on one or more days during the six months prior to treatment.

Crime

One in five clients had a legal status of either being on parole, probation, or pending legal action as a result of gambling-related legal problems, and 10% admitted to being arrested for a gambling-related offense in the six-months prior to treatment.

Substance Use

In terms of substance use, 70% report daily tobacco use, and one-third are weekly to daily alcohol users. Very few reported a history of illicit drug use.

An article in the next edition of Beyond the Odds will describe what happens in treatment and whether treatment is effective.

-Randy Stinchfield, PhD and Ken Winters, PhD