|
|
|
Introduction
|
|
Community Impact of Increased Gambling Availibility on Adult Gamblers - A Four Year Follow-up PRESS RELEASE: March 4, 1999 The Problem Gambling Research Group (PGRG) of the Psychology Department at the University of Windsor surveyed 2,682 adults prior to the opening of Casino Windsor regarding their gambling activities (Phase I). One year after the casino opened, 2,581 additional adults were surveyed (Phase II). This report is on the Phase III survey, done four years after the opening of Casino Windsor. Phase III surveyed 2,714 adults in the Windsor community. The community response rate of 73% for Phase III is considered excellent for this type of study. The members of the PGRG are Dr. Ron Frisch, Director, Richard Govoni, MA, Associate Director, and Nicholas Rupcich, Assistant Director. Phases II and III were funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health - Substance Abuse Bureau. Data was collected using the South Oaks Gambling Screen, an internationally recognized research instrument. There are two categories of gambling disorders. 'Pathological gambling' is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) as a persistent behaviour in which a person's gambling activities significantly disrupt his or her social, financial, vocation or family life. 'Problem gambling' is when one fails to meet the diagnostic criteria of Pathological gambling but has several significant problems associated with his or her gambling activities. Windsor became a natural laboratory with the announcement in 1993 of the opening of Casino Windsor the following year. It became the first large scale ‘before and after' study of the introduction of a major gambling venue into a community. These studies monitored and documented the change in the pattern of adult gambling in this community," says Psychology Professor Dr. Frisch, the project director. We believe this is information the community would want to know. General Conclusions: Over the period of this long term study there has been a growing availability and acceptance of gambling activities in the Windsor area: a commercial casino (Casino Windsor), simulcast track wagering, off-track horse betting, extended hours of bingo operation, nevada tickets in non-licensed establishments, new lottery products. The first finding from the analysis of the Phase III data is that there has been a large increase in the percentage of people in the Windsor community who gamble. The second finding is that there has not been a statistically significant increase in the level of Problem and Pathological gambling among those who gamble. Although the risk of developing a gambling related problem has not changed significantly, the total number of gambling related problems in the community have changed due to the larger number of people gambling. Gambling related problems in the community as a whole have increased with the increase in gamblers. The following is a summary of the findings: Survey responses before the casino opened indicated that 66% of the adult population had gambled at some point in their lives. Four years after the opening of the casino, 82% of the adult population reported that they had gambled. Although there has been no statistically significant change in the percentage of Problem or Pathological gambling among adult gamblers, the absolute number of such gamblers has increased in Essex County. A conservative estimate indicates an increase in gambling disorders from 4,600 to 6,000 between Phase I and III of the study. In comparing survey responses of gamblers before and one year after the casino opened, no statistically significant differences in either Problem or Pathological gambling levels were found. Four years later, there is still no statistically significant difference in the combined numbers of Problem and Pathological gamblers (from 3.6 percent to 3.7 percent). Females in the Phase I sample showed a level of Problem gambling 50% that of males. Four years later, the gap has closed to the point where males and females do not differ significantly from one another. This reflects reported trends in other research showing increasing levels of gambling participation and gambling problems among women. Participants in the study were asked their opinion regarding the opening of the casino in Windsor. The results indicated that the approval level grew from 54% before the casino opened to 66% a year after the opening. Four years after the casino opened, 63% continue to approve of the casino. Disapproval of the casino went from 30% to 19% after the first year and the disapproval rate was 24% after four years. Dr. Frisch says "With the growing availability of gambling venues in Windsor, the gambling participation rate has increased to a level comparable to other provinces and states. The number of Windsor residents that gamble has markedly increased in the past few years. The increase in the total number of Problem or Pathological gamblers has changed proportionately as well. Our previous research has shown that people with gambling problems also have significantly higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse. As well research shows that they have higher rates of depression, suicide, and other emotional problems."
COMMUNITY IMPACT The above rates suggest that in the Greater Windsor area there were approximately 4,600 adults with gambling problems in 1994, and that, at present, there are approximately 6,000 adults with gambling problems.
Please address any comments or questions to
Introduction |Problem Gambling | Research |Members |Links |University of Windsor © 2000, Problem Gambling Research Group This site was developed by Richard J. Govoni. Please send any questions or comments about this site to Richard J. Govoni |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||