The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol 6(35) - Considerations for Casino Development

In 1995 the North American Think Tank on Youth Gambling Issues Final Report cited the "rapid expansion of gambling by lawmakers without analysis of potential effects, positive and negative, on society, and without accepting responsibility for consequences" as one of the negative trends and obstacles associated with gambling related public policy (p. 13) (Shaffer, George, Cummings, 1995). This week's WAGER will report on a recent attempt to address this important issue in Canada. Since 1988, there has been growing interest in fostering gambling opportunities on Native American reserves. For example, almost 200 Indian groups have requested casino development in the... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 6(34) - Men, Women, and Gambling Progression

A recent study by Tavares, Zilberman, Beites, & Gentil, (2001) suggests that there are differences in the progression of disordered gambling behavior between men and women. Thirty-nine women and 38 men seeking treatment at a Brazilian treatment facility for pathological gambling were screened according to both DSM-IV (APA, 1994) and the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS; Lesieur & Blume, 1987). Participants were recruited by advertisement and completed a brief questionnaire that collected demographic information and asked questions about personal gambling experiences. This WAGER focuses primarily on analyses of gender differences in the duration of specific stages of gambling (social gambling,... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 6(33) - Second International Think Tank of Youth Gambling

Recognizing that children today are gambling in unprecedented numbers and might be at higher risk for developing problematic gambling behaviors than many adults, on May 4-6, McGill University's International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High Risk Behaviors and the Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions co-sponsored the Second International Think Tank on Youth Gambling. The primary goals of the meeting were to emphasize youth gambling as a public health issue, to identify and define critical issues surrounding youth gambling, and to encourage participants of the think tank to engage in follow-up activity on those issues. Sixty-three individuals from nine... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 6(32) - The Gambling Impact and Behavior Study: Part 3

The past two issues of The Wager examined the Adult Survey portion of the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study, conducted by the National Opinion Research Council (NORC) in 1998 as part of a contract with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (Gerstein et al., 1999).1 Part 1 discussed the methods employed by NORC and the data obtained on the prevalence of problem and pathological gambling. Part 2 investigated the relationship between levels of problem gambling and gambling outcomes among patrons of gambling venues. The final part of The Wager's analysis examines specific gambling problems and how they affect gambling behavior... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - State Can Bar Some Adults From Gambling

Professor I. Nelson Rose, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, CA. The Supreme Court of Louisiana has just upheld a statute which prevents some, but not all, adults from gambling. In fact, the Court ruled that the State Legislature has the power to make it a crime to sell a lottery ticket to certain, selected adults, or to allow those same citizens to make a bet on a video poker machine. The adults in question are everyone over the age of 18 and under the age of 21. It is important to understand that the case does not involve children. Louisiana... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol 6(31) - The Gambling Impact and Behavior Study: Part 2

This week's issue of The Wager continues our analyses of the Adult Survey portion of the National Opinion Research Center's (NORC) Gambling Impact and Behavior Study (Gerstein et al., 1999).1 The Adult Survey consisted of two separate data collections; a phone survey of 2,417 household residents, and interviews with 530 patrons of gambling sites. The study aimed to obtain data about levels of problem gambling, amounts wagered, amounts won and lost, and income for both samples. Unfortunately, only 12 residents, comprising 0.5% of the sample, reported experiencing three or more gambling problems in the past year, severely limiting the usefulness... Read more →