CHANGES IN GAMBLING AND PROBLEM GAMBLING IN OREGON: RESULTS FROM A REPLICATION STUDY, 1997 TO 2000 Rachel A. Volberg, Ph.D. Gemini Research, Ltd. PO Box 628 Northampton, MA 01061 413-584-4667 www.geminiresearch.com February 2001 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. ii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 4 COMPARING THE 1997 AND 2000 SAMPLES ............................................................................. 8 CHANGES IN GAMBLING PARTICIPATION ............................................................................... 10 CHANGES IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GAMBLERS .......................................................... 14 CHANGES IN PROBLEM GAMBLING PREVALENCE ................................................................ 16 CHANGES IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROBLEM GAMBLERS ....................................... 19 COMPARING OREGON WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS ........................................................... 22 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 25 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 27 APPENDIX A: Methods to Assess Problem Gambling in the General Population APPENDIX B: Questionnaire for the Oregon Replication Survey Oregon Gambling Replication Report LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Diagnostic Criteria for Pathological Gambling ................................................................... 2 Table 2: Comparing the 2000 Sample and the General Population ................................................ 6 Table 3: Comparing the Samples in 1997 and 2000 ....................................................................... 8 Table 4: Comparing Gambling Participation Rates in 1997 and 2000 .......................................... 10 Table 5: Changes in Lifetime Gambling Participation ................................................................... 11 Table 6: Changes in Past Year Gambling Participation ................................................................ 12 Table 7: Changes in Weekly Gambling Participation .................................................................... 13 Table 8: Comparing Past Year and Weekly Gamblers in 1997 and 2000..................................... 14 Table 9: Problem Gambling Rates in Oregon and North America ................................................ 16 Table 10: Changes in Problem Gambling Prevalence Rates ........................................................ 17 Table 11: Comparing the Population Ranges ............................................................................... 17 Table 12: Changes in Current Prevalence by Demographic Group .............................................. 18 Table 13: Comparing Lifetime Problem Gamblers in 1997 and 2000 ........................................... 19 Table 14: Changes in Participation Rates by Problem Gamblers ................................................. 20 Table 15: Changes in Weekly Participation by Problem Gamblers ............................................... 21 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Changes in Gambling Participation Across Jurisdictions ............................................... 22 Figure 2: Changes in Current Problem Gambling Prevalence Across Jurisdictions ..................... 23 Oregon Gambling Replication Report ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all of the residents of Oregon who were interviewed for this survey. Their contribution has been vital in adding to our knowledge of changes in gambling and gambling- related problems in the United States. We would also like to thank the Oregon Gambling Addiction Treatment Foundation for funding the study and Ms. Cathy Peda and the staff of Gilmore Research Group who carried out the interviews. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Thomas Moore of Herbert and Louis, Wilsonville, OR, who assisted with the administration of the project. Oregon Gambling Replication Report i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to examine changes in gambling participation and the prevalence of gambling-related problems in Oregon between 1997 and 2000. A sample of Oregon residents aged 18 and over (N=1,500) was interviewed between October and December, 2000, about the types of gambling they had tried, the amounts of money they spend on gambling, and about gambling-related difficulties. The results of this study will be useful in documenting the impact of legal gambling on the citizens of Oregon and in refining the services available to individuals in Oregon with gambling-related difficulties. Highlights In Oregon in 2000, 1.4% (±0.6%) of the respondents scored as current problem gamblers and an additional 0.9% (±0.5%) of the respondents scored as current probable pathological gamblers. The combined current prevalence rate of problem and pathological gambling in Oregon in 2000 is 2.3% (±0.8%). While both the current prevalence of problem gambling and the current prevalence of probable pathological gambling are lower in 2000 than in 1997, only the combined current prevalence rate in Oregon in 2000 is significantly lower than the combined current prevalence rate in 1997. In Oregon in 2000, 2.7% (±0.8%) of the respondents scored as lifetime problem gamblers and an additional 1.9% (±0.7%) of the respondents scored as lifetime probable pathological gamblers. The combined lifetime prevalence rate of problem and pathological gambling in Oregon in 2000 is 4.6% (±1.0%). Lifetime prevalence rates of problem and probable pathological gambling in Oregon in 2000 are not significantly different from the lifetime prevalence rates identified in 1997. There have been significant changes in gambling participation in Oregon between 1997 and 2000. The proportion of the population that never gambles has risen significantly from 13% to 20% while the proportion of the population that gambles weekly has fallen significantly from 18% to 13%. Similar patterns of decreases in weekly gambling participation and increases in less frequent gambling have recently been reported in studies in Louisiana, Montana, and North Dakota as well as in New Zealand. The only gambling activity that has increased in Oregon since 1997 is gambling on the Internet. Lifetime Internet gambling increased from 0.3% in 1997 to 1.1% in 2000 and past year Internet gambling increased from 0.1% in 1997 to 0.7% in 2000. Future Considerations In future considerations of studies in Oregon to examine the prevalence and impacts of problem and pathological gambling, attention must be given to surveys that incorporate larger samples as well as alternate data collection strategies and more sophisticated statistical analyses. Substantially more time and resources will be needed in the future, to ensure the relevance of the work already been done in Oregon to assess the impacts of legal gambling on the citizens of Oregon, and to advance our understanding of these impacts in an orderly and effective way. Oregon Gambling Replication Report ii INTRODUCTION The main purpose of this study, funded by the Oregon Gambling Addiction Treatment Foundation, is to examine changes in gambling participation and the prevalence of gambling- related problems in Oregon between 1997 and 2000. The results of this study will be useful in documenting the impact of legal gambling on the citizens of Oregon and in refining the services available to individuals in Oregon with gambling-related difficulties. This report is organized into several sections for clarity of presentation. The Introduction includes a definition of the terms used in the report as well as a discussion of issues related to the measurement of problem gambling. The Methods section addresses the details of conducting the present survey in Oregon. The next five sections detail findings from the survey in the following areas: changes in gambling participation in Oregon between 1997 and 2000; changes in the characteristics of gamblers between 1997 and 2000; changes in the prevalence of problem gambling in Oregon between 1997 and 2000; changes in the characteristics of problem gamblers between 1997 and 2000; and comparing the changes in Oregon with similar studies in other jurisdictions. Defining Our Terms Gambling is a broad concept that includes diverse activities, undertaken in a wide variety of settings, appealing to different sorts of people and perceived in various ways by participants and observers. Failure to appreciate this diversity can limit scientific understanding of gambling. Another reason to note the differences between various forms of gambling arises from accumulating evidence that some types of gambling are more strongly associated with gambling- related problems than others (Abbott & Volberg, 1999). People take part in gambling activities because they enjoy them and obtain benefits from their participation. For most people, gambling is generally a positive experience; however, for a minority, gambling is associated with difficulties of varying severity and