The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol 4(30) - Changes Across Time: Two Replication Studies

A primary benefit of longitudinal and replicative studies is the ability to track parameters across time. Having multiple longitudinal and replicative studies provides an even greater benefit: the ability to compare changes in parameters for one population to those of another. In 1998, Wynne Resources of Edmonton published a study examining the prevalence of gambling behavior in Alberta.1 The research was conducted as a replication of a 1994 study conducted by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. Similar work was conducted by Volberg and Moore (1998) in the state of Washington, replicating their own 1992 study.2 Both studies utilized... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 4(29) - Auditing the Lottery: Massachusetts

Tax evasion is a crime common to many strata of society. But are all forms of tax evasion the same qualitatively? Is there a difference between the kind of tax evasion committed by gamblers and the kind common to the general public? Recent events at the Massachusetts Lottery provides an apt case for studying this question. Last week the Commonwealth of Massachusetts auditor's office released an audit of the state's Lottery Commission. The report outlined numerous findings and made recommendations, most of which deal with the Lottery's internal operations. Nestled among the commentary on payroll practices, revenue collection, and printing... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 4(28) - Gambling & Suicide: A Study of 44 Cases

There is certainly no paucity of research on gambling and suicide. Numerous studies have produced a plethora of statistics, both supporting and denying a relationship between the two phenomena. Yet the entire story has yet to be told, for behind each statistic is the unique story of an individual in grave distress. Blaszczynski and Farrell (1999) take an important step in excavating these stories from the data sets and provide insight into the phenemonology of suicide. Retrospective archival research poses many methodological difficulties, particularly when the subject is sensitive. In an attempt to avoid social stigma and financial consequences, there... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 4(27) - Gendered Gambling in Tlingit Culture

There is a school of social anthropologists who hold that studying other cultures increases our ability to think critically about our own. It is not uncommon for a returning expatriate to remark, "I never realized how [adjective] we Americans are until I spent time in [foreign locale]!" Looking at the childrearing customs of the Yanomamo of Brazil can provide a new perspective on our own practices, just as Margaret Mead's seminal study, Coming of age in Samoa can shed light on our own rites of adolescence and courtship. Similarly, Michael Heine's treatment of gambling among the Tlingit culture provides us... Read more →