title Heavy Drinkers 23 Times More Likely To Become Gambling Addicts

Public Release: 13-Dec-2001 ET
 4ec7022.jpgJournal of Studies of Alcohol
Study finds strong association between problem drinking and gambling, with risk increasing 23-fold
Problem drinkers are 23 times more likely to have a gambling problem than individuals who do not have an alcohol problem, according to a study conducted at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.
4ec7029.jpgNIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Study Finds Strong Association Between Problem Drinking and Gambling, with Risk Increasing 23-Fold

Compulsive gambling more common among minorities, poor

Release date: Thursday, December 13, 2001
Contact: Kathleen Weaver, weaver@ria.org
Phone: 716-887-2585
Fax: 716-887-2252
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Problem drinkers are 23 times more likely to have a gambling problem than individuals who do not have an alcohol problem, according to a study conducted at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.

The study of the co-occurrence of gambling and alcohol in the United States, based on random telephone interviews with 2,600 Americans 18 and older, indicates that between 1 and 2 percent of the American population have a compulsive gambling problem.

And the rate of problem -- or pathological -- gambling is significantly higher among minorities and lower-income individuals, according to John W. Welte, Ph.D., lead researcher on the study who is a senior scientist at RIA and a research associate professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The results were published in the November issue of the Journal of Studies of Alcohol.

Funding for the study was provided by a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

"Pathological gambling is what we used to call compulsive gambling," Welte explained. "Using two different statistical methods, we have determined that compulsive gambling is higher than previously reported. In fact, between 1 and 2 percent of the population -- one or two people in every 100 -- have a compulsive gambling problem."

Welte and colleagues found that compulsive gamblers are much more likely to be alcoholic or alcohol dependent than the average person.

"If you have an alcohol problem," Welte said, "the odds of also having a gambling problem are 23 times higher, compared to individuals who do not have an alcohol problem. That's a really huge odds ratio."

Welte said the difference in prevalence of pathological gambling problems between Caucasian-, African- and Hispanic-Americans was found to be highly significant.

The rate among Caucasian-Americans, he said was .5 percent. Among African-Americans it was 3.7 percent and for Hispanic-Americans, 4.2 percent. In addition, pathological gambling was found to be greater among individuals with lower incomes.

"These trends have been found by other studies," according to Welte, "but they seem to be stronger in this study. The negative effects of gambling disproportionately hit respondents with lower socioeconomic status and some minorities."

He added that these findings are true of gambling, but are not necessarily true of alcohol dependence. However, when persons from higher socioeconomic groups are classified as pathological gamblers, they are more likely tCu3PRPjhaMW2uu3PPSW]}]ÐUL}uuF3tE PPhbMVUjR3EVEEЉEEԉEE؉EE܉EĉEEת 3҅}UE]EjPV貪WV؃SUu~ٸ$IM+tw MIu3QWQjh`bMV1L̅uM QVhDjjPVAsjtV/tVtK}fKEjPV۩PjtVEUDE;}]}]33ڋL̅t`Qj tV譮tV/EN93QtPPRV0t MuEtVgMQV]v}]uNj}]Ë]V€ tWh4bMV ]ːU}u]3ҋu]NU€tSS蝆EU j RVU j RVMQMQuM QMPWQhbMV@Ut9V"$3QRUQRWWhcMV/$dV"SHwEX^MU$M ERQS]PSV"EE$U PRjjVNE{S蜅Y37τt uESzQMQÙjRSjjhcMV.,+M$} QMWQMQVEwE]u}]ËU$M RQSVhEًU$M RQSV)EVh뼋U$M RQSVE륋U$M RQSV}E뎋E$U PRjjVGEqE$U PRQQV'EQE$U PRjLjV E4E$U PRjsjVEE$U PRjtjVEE$U PRj[jVEE$U PRjljVEU$M RQSVtEE$U PRjcjV_EV*Y}~% t  ~{rStY37τt uESRQMQÙjRSjjh cMV,,UVEP u]ËEjh4cMPS,ᐐUE t=pt0=pu 0]Ë]ËEUjh`cMR,1]ÐU}]}LX_ǂXL8P0\p_t;WutPhlcMW hcMLPSW*:LǀPLTt*hcMPSW9L3҉TL\]}]Ëo^UV]]Ct#ttL4L4tJtPhcMS S~YL0t(4u0Rz _YLǀ0]]ÐUV}}Gt3t)tL4RhcMW L4t }cM]WY}3]ÐU }u]]E 8wCt%tthcMSEGtQP0_tBSt^tLutWhcMS WSUEPVS\ ]u}]Ë뷋멐U }u]uE {Ft%tth(dMVEU PRVEPWVvQCt^CPs*_tIV utWh4dMV U uU:Ct[CPz&_tIVutWhXdMV U uU:~Ft)ttShdMV hdMSWVH6]}Luf4]ËVEU}u]uE U]8UFt*t tEPhdMV EPuw-_ u U;UtTVtftTutWuhdMVWV"u}]]E]u}]Ë믋U}u]}E UUGt*t tEPhdMW E(stU(]u}0]ËE U$MCSK fsuVus+_ SfSMtpufSM3uu]WutVQhdMWVWU(]u}]E;v&E3ۙRPSSQSjheMW$(M]u}]Ë끋pU}u]}E 0^Gt)ttEPh eMW EVt]u}]ÍEPv<_tSGuth4eMWU]u}1]ËEt]u}]ËEUPRuSWbЅ~+]u}]Ë끋p]u}]ÐUruuUEPRu VU<u@P$P$]ÐUru]MU ujRQNj؃ tփ us]Ƌu]à  aU)r}E }jPue t+P;u P;u @;u Nj}]U@r}u]u} EV衂UE33fUU(}ȉM̉MЉMfUغU3҉U܈UºU3҈URUURURWVMLuoU@]MR3U8QSu4Ru0ju$u uPPuEuPWjlVN؃HE(M<3RPRPQMQRURWVP$jh gMV2!}W$ʁ|?ttp@tthTVi W,ӦthTVF U,RWV葬 u-jWV豪U(M,3WRWWQWhTVF0u}Ë]]ËU@HU@:Wʁ|tc؅ttp@tthTV W,ӦS4tfS4UuOS0A%|=]܋u}B]ËUMRPQ襨 R4U,EUu{~f}N 3҉MUUKEMM8fMMUɈUUUEMUu4U0M,E}RUQWVRSP؃ W$W$VfUV U3҉UUKMM8fMEMUMMUɹMO MUċW$W$bU(M}jjjRUQWRUVRD@$U苊ts0jу UjSR K$S$~S$} u]U,M(jRUW}QWRURUVR?$}UuuGfG4߅0UtR4t MfQ4UhTR+ K$S4tfS4먅fS$ } V ~si_UUE3Qu PRuuQQu u0(]ÐUjhheMhTdPd%m re}؉u܉]uKzYEЋE ꁒEՁE~uE]EF3E̅EUB R 3Bu~ GUJ ]S BMQfHQ PU TUX\f`UhldJKLptx|EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEU]uu}}JUf|f]EUx3ɁMMMMM~MMMfxHUUЉEBpEBtEUEEuЉFtE}ԺUȉUEU EMԉE}ԋ t o~EHHjRQu}8EԍU;_}E t aUEԃ EUEBUEMEEUUY s|UEjjPRjuuu e}؋u܋]Md ]Ëe}ԋ $ _wUEBUEEEUU]ԋKuYEE؋E(M̍URPQS4øUr}u]]u d~Nс|D~~؅p@ ~G=Ӧw}F$3EEEEEM3fUjERRRRRQS uuF8tS3EEEEEM3fUjv8ERRRRRQS× u(]u}]ËEPVS\ ]u}]jPSC ʋURPS3 hTSU UKr}]}] tWtC;u BP0uj3PPjPPSW tP$t ]}]jPW譢 ]}]3PjPjhpgMW/UjheMhTdPd%re}؉u܉]EPMԋM 3҉UЅɉUt!Q uQ tRt"u3RjRjh|gMPEԋP,UąU B n tB;uAH$tj3PjPPPRu EЅtP$t @P$EЅtP0t؉URtEP$@H MQUY;t A CEHEUREЋ@w@eE@E@U̅t&UЋB$࿉B$]ЋK$K$}Ћw$ w$juuy e}؋u܋]Md ]ÅKP$uEhTP Ef@4Eu3҈UUE EU EMȉE}ȋ  u CE + M3EE X] =}z3reĉEEjuRPr؉]URWVK) t EEreĉEE@UB\gM}ȋu]uuSuWV^+huuQ EȍU;wE t v PQ.EȋUEȃ MhBQ EEЋMЋP$Q$]Ћ}Ћs$ w$EċtMċUċEp0j EP4tEЋMP4fQ4e}؋u܋]Md ]Ëe}