The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 1(44) - Keno Tickets Sold to Underage Youth in Massachusetts

From April to September, 1996, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division undertook a statewide study of illegal sales of Keno tickets to underage youth. Keno is a game of chance similar to a lottery in which The Lottery randomly selects 20 out of 80 numbers of which players can play up to 12 numbers in an attempt to match as many as possible. In Massachusetts, the sale of Keno tickets is limited to licensed agents, who can sell tickets legally only to individuals who are at least eighteen years old. The sales agents are located in convenience... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(43) - Alberta Adolescent Substance Use Increases with Gambling Involvement

During 1995, a study of adolescents’ (aged 12-17 years) gambling and substance use behavior was conducted in the western Canadian province of Alberta*. Interviewers surveyed 972 randomly selected adolescents in a 15-minute telephone survey. The South Oaks Gambling Screen for adolescents (SOGS-RA) was used to identify gambling involvement; additional questions were asked about alcohol, drug and tobacco use. Of the sample of 972 adolescents, 33% had not gambled in the past 12 months and 67% had gambled on at least one activity in the past 12 months. In addition, 44% scored as non-problem gamblers (0-2, SOGS-RA), 15% were at-risk gamblers... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(42) - The Impact of a New Gambling Activity in Texas

A replication study among adult and adolescent Texans was conducted in 1992 and 1995 to examine, in part, the effect of a new gambling opportunity (lottery) on gambling behavior. The researchers were interested in the question of whether a new state lottery, which began in May 1992, would stimulate other gambling, replace gambling on other activities, or have no effect on other gambling. The 1992 telephone survey of 7015 adults (18 years and older) was repeated in 1995 with the same population, though not the same individuals. In 1992, 16.9% of respondents played the lottery in the past year, while... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(41) - Gambling & Problem Gambling: Gender Differences

Little research has been conducted on the etiology, epidemiology and experience of female gamblers. Historically, like many other areas of medical research, gambling studies have been conducted predominantly on male populations. This strategy may yield findings irrelevant to our knowledge of female gamblers. Hraba & Lee* examined gender differences in gambling behavior in a telephone survey study of 1,011 randomly selected adults in Iowa. These researchers constructed standardized scores of gambling behavior by combining the following four components: 1) gambling scope (number of different types of gambling), 2) gambling frequency, 3) wagering amount, & 4) amount of leisure time spent... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(40) - Who Loses When Casinos Win?

None would disagree that casinos affect the economy. However, how casinos affect the economy has been a controversial and highly debated issue. In a recent study, Grinols & Omorov examined 1) what type of expenditures are affected by seven casinos in Illinois, 2) how far away these effects can be identified, and 3) the extent to which the effects are similar in different casino locations. Tax receipt data from the State of Illinois was classified into ten categories of expenditures; gains and losses were viewed in association with a $1000 gain in casino revenue. The study found that distances under... Read more →