Pathological, or compulsive, gamblers simply cannot stop gambling, even when their losses cripple their lives. The narratives, though as unique as each life, have a similar trajectory: a fascination, then obsession with gambling, punctuated by a few wins and colossal losses often involving houses, jobs, personal relations and savings, finally resulting in a shattered life.
Nearly 20% of pathological gamblers have filed for bankruptcy protection, compared with 4.2% of non-gamblers. But perhaps a more telling, and certainly more tragic consequence, is that compulsive gamblers are nearly four times as likely to have attempted suicide than non-compulsive gamblers.Some Key Gambling Statistics
Worldwide, there are approximately 2.2 billion people who choose to gamble.
Annual gambling losses are estimated at $1.5 trillion.
Of those that gamble, a conservative estimate would be that there are
at least 150 million people who incur significant suffering due to their
own gambling problems. Some studies have shown that each problem gambler
(a.k.a. "disordered gambler") negatively affects the lives of
7-10 other people, that is, family, co-workers, and others. It would therefore
be reasonable to estimate that the lives of much more than a billion
people worldwide (one of every seven) are adversely affected by problem
gambling.
According to a recent study by the American Gaming Association, which counted direct and indirect spending, U.S. casinos and the industries that depend on them made a $125 billion economic splash in 2010 -- equal to 1 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. The report shows 566 casinos in 22 states supported about $125 billion in spending and 820,000 U.S. jobs in 2010. Direct consumer casino spending accounts for about 350,000 jobs and $50 billion. About one-third of the money came from non-gambling sources. Indirect spending generated about 470,000 jobs and $76 billion. Taxes paid directly by the industry in 2010 totaled nearly $16 billion; $25 billion when indirect activity is counted.
Today, 42 states operate lotteries, 37 have commercial, Indian or racetrack casinos and only 2 - Utah and Hawaii - don't allow any form of gambling.
A comprehensive study of problem gambling in California found that 3.7
percent of the state population has a lifetime problem or are pathological
gamblers. That means that as many as 1.4 million Californians have serious
gambling issues.
There is a direct link between problem gambling and an increased incidence
of divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, crime and suicide.
Americans now spend more money gambling each year than on groceries.
Yet, 12 million citizens go hungry every day. Nationwide, there
are more than 5 million pathological or problem gamblers. Half of
them are young people; another 15 million are at risk. And, 5 percent
to 8 percent of American youth already are addicted to gambling. Studies
say it usually takes three years for the social and economic effects to
appear.
Americans are wagering more dollars in casinos, at racetracks and through state lotteries, but they're not too happy about it, a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press suggests. The study found that seven out of 10 people questioned believe that legalized gambling encourages folks to spend more money than they can afford on the activity. .
The National Council on Problem Gambling notes that 2 percent to 3 percent of Americans - or about 6 to 9 million adults - have gambling problems. The 1 percent rate often cited by the casino industry represents only a narrow category of people defined by treatment experts as "pathological gamblers that doesn't represent the full scope of people with gambling problems.
Americans 65 and older place bets as often as any other age group, but are three times more likely to become problem gamblers.
Each day in the United States, slot machines take in an average of more than $1 billion in wagers. Collectively, slot machines gross more annually than McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and Starbucks combined.
The National Gambling Impact Commission found that following a decade of expansion in the 1990s, the national lifetime compulsive gambling population had grown by at least 50 percent, to no less than 1.2 percent based on the most conservative of its source studies. It also discovered a significant trend indicating addiction had doubled in many populations within 50 miles of casinos.
All told, 48 states have some form of legalized gambling--and none of that includes the wild frontier of the Internet.
The American Psychological Association estimates that 2% to 4% of Americans
have an active gambling problem. As cited in Behavioral Health Management:
- People using drugs and alcohol are six times more likely than the general
population to have a gambling problem.
- Pathological gambling is highly comorbid with affective disorders, especially
depression.
- 20% of pathological gamblers have comorbid ADHD