Gambling and College Students

by Ken Winters, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Introduction

Within the past decade, several gambling studies have estimated the extent of the so-called "addiction of the 1990's". Prevalence rates of adult problem or pathological gambling are estimated to be 1% to 3% (Volberg: 1996), and some experts place the problem gambling rate among adolescents to be higher (Shaffer and Hall, 1996).

It is surprising that a high-risk group largely ignored in this research are college students. The college years may represent a heightened risk for developing gambling problems because this period is associated with a wide range of at-risk behaviors, including heavy use of alcohol (Windle: 1991), and the legal age for gambling is 18 in many states.

Supported by funds from the State's Department of Human Services, we surveyed in 1995 two Minnesota universities that are located within a short distance from high-stakes gambling. Our primary aims were to describe the extent of general problem gambling among the college students and to identify psychosocial factors that may mediate problem gambling. The latter aim may inform causal models of gambling and assist in developing prevention efforts aimed at college students. Our study also focused on the possible relationship between gambling behavior and credit card debt. Because the transition into young adulthood often includes newfound access to credit cards, we wondered if students who over-indulge in gambling may also be more likely to show a more general problem of credit card debt.

Nearly 1,400 students completed the gambling survey. Participants were predominately white (95%) and 19-22 years-old (73%), with a slight majority being women (52%). The sample was equally distributed in terms of college year. Nearly 60% were employed full- or part-time and 21% had an income of $10,000 or more during the 12 months prior to the survey.

Gambling at some level was the norm among the college students surveyed. Ninety-one and 84% of the men and women, respectively, reported gambling at least once during the prior 12 months. The most popular games (see Table 1.) for everyone were casino activities (cards 40%, gambling machines 68%, and playing the Lottery 63%). Informal games were popular as well, such as playing cards with friends (41%) and sports betting (37%). Twelve percent of the students reported gambling during the past year at least weekly or daily, and proportionally more men (19%) than women (5%) did so at this level. Betting on games of skill (such as an athletic contest) was the category most often played weekly/daily by college men (7%); for college women, lottery playing (2%) was the activity with the highest percentage of weekly/daily involvement.

Table 1. College Student Gambling Involvement During the Prior 12 Months
	Any	Machinesa	Lotteryb	Cards at a Casino	Cards with Friendsc	Bet on Sportsd
Males N=598	92%	71%	68%	56%	55%	56%
Females N=583	85%	66%	60%	26%	27%	18%
Total N=1197	88%	68%	64%	40%	41%	37%
a Played slot machines, poker machines, or other gambling machines. b Played the numbers (including scratch tabs, lottery, daily numbers ). c Played cards for money with friends. d Bet on the outcome of a sporting event.

A profile of the college problem emerged from the data. Identified as those with a 5 or more on the well-known South Oak's Gambling Screen (see Table 2.) (which accounted for about 3% of the sample), we found that the typical problem gambler was male, a weekly or daily user of alcohol or illicit drugs, and someone with a relatively high disposable income and whom had been raised by a parent with a gambling problem. Variables that were not associated with problem gambling included the amount of credit card debt, GPA, and school class level.

Table 2. College Students South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) Scores by Group
Group	0	1-2	3-4	5+
Male N=385	59%	29%	7%	5%
Female N=524	76%	21%	2%	1%
Total N=924	68%	25%	5%	3%

Gambling appears to be a common and benign experience for most college students, which is similar to conclusions drawn from adult studies. Yet we found that a sizable percentage of college students gamble excessively and already show some of the signs of a gambling problem. Given that developmental studies have linked precocious addictive-like behaviors, such as smoking or alcohol abuse, to adult addictive disorders (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1994), and considering that our problem gamblers reported other risk factors, the early gambling behaviors and consequences may portend continuing problems for these individuals.

The true seriousness of gambling by young people will require additional research. We should not lose sight that some young people "mature out" of risky behaviors and avoid serious problems associated with early involvement with gambling and related addictive-type behaviors. As more long-term investigations are conducted, we will have a clearer picture of the possible consequences brought on by early gambling and what effect these consequences may have on young adult development.

Shaffer, H. J., and Hall, M. N. Estimating the Prevalence of Adolescent Gambling Disorders: A Quantitative Synthesis and Guide Toward Standard Gambling Nomenclature. Journal of Gambling Studies 12 1996: 193-214.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1994.

Volberg, R. A. Prevalence Studies of Problem Gambling in the United States. Journal of Gambling Studies 12 1996: 111-128.

Windle, M. Alcohol Use and Abuse: Some Findings from the National Adolescent Student Health Survey. Alcohol Health and Research World 15 1991: 5-10.