The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 1(48) - Sports Betting Among Athletes & Undergraduates

Recent reports have documented the gambling behaviors of college football players who were involved in an illegal betting ring; some players had placed bets against their own team1. Little information exists on the extent of illegal sports betting, particularly among athletes. However, a recent study2 randomly surveyed 2000 male student-athletes at Division I basketball and football programs to assess the extent of NCAA rules violations. Cullen et al. found that 3.7% of the student-athletes reported placing bets on games in which they played, and 25.5% of the respondents reported gambling on other college sporting events while they were in college.... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(47) - Female Problem Gamblers in Alberta

Although many studies on problem gambling have concluded that females gamble on a narrower range of gambling activities than men* and are less likely to be lifetime problem gamblers, most studies do not stratify the data by gender to explore more detailed aspects of female gambling. The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission recently issued a report** discussing the the subgroup of females within their larger study of 1,803 adult Albertans***. Although women represented 38% of lifetime problem gamblers (i.e., scored 3 or more on the “lifetime” South Oaks Gambling Screen items), women represented 50% of current problem gamblers (i.e.,... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(46) - Election 1996: America Votes on Gambling Measures

The expansion or limitation of gambling opportunities was an issue of great importance for Ameri­cans on November 5 as several states included a gambling measure on their ballots. The following table provides a state-by-state rundown of gambling-related measures; of the twelve states, 7 rejected expand­ing gambling opportunities, 3 approved the respective gambling expansion measure, and 2 states, Louisi­ana and Michigan, had mixed results. Anti-Gambling Expansion Arkansas: Rejected an amendment (Amendment 4) establishing a state lottery, permitting bingo games operated by nonprofit organizations, and allowing voters in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to make decisions about three potential casinos in the locality. Colorado:... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 1(45) - Re-examining Comorbidity: Pathological Gambling & Substance Abuse among Veterans

A recent study conducted at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital sought to examine 1) the prevalence of pathological gambling among hospitalized substance-abusing patients, and 2) unique patterns of comorbidity among this population. The study included 276 (of 344 consecutively admitted patients) who agreed, within their first 3 days of hospitalization, to participate in the study. Using the South Oaks Gambling Screen to determine pathological gambling status, and the DSM-III-R to determine substance abuse status, researchers found 33% met criteria for both conditions. Several differences in substance use and family factors were found between subsets of pathological gamblers (SOGS >=5) and... Read more →