Study Shows Gender Differences in Gamblers
Problem gamblers are more likely to be male than female, especially among players of "face-to-face" games such as blackjack and poker, Yale researchers have revealed. They released their findings in this month's issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Female gamblers, meanwhile, are more likely to report problems when playing less interpersonal types of games, such as slot machines or bingo. Researchers say this information could assist in developing new, gender-based addiction treatments.
The Yale study is based on 562 calls made to the Connecticut Council on Gambling's helpline in 1998 and 1999. Sixty-two percent of the callers were male and 38 percent were female.
Offshore Betting Sites Cost Hong Kong Government Big Bucks
The Hong Kong Jockey Club, from which the Hong Kong government derives a large portion of its yearly income, said offshore betting companies cost the government nearly $17 million during this season's opening day races.
The group reported a 13 percent drop in turnover for the weekend. According to estimates, offshore betting sites last year raked in $80 billion from Hong Kong gamblers, just under the $80.1 billion the HKJC earned in turnover during the same time period.
Growth in Canadian Gambling Reported
A newly released report from the Canada West Foundation says that Canadians have increased their gambling activities during the past eight years, thanks in large part to their greater access to video poker terminals, racing, lotteries, casinos and online gambling sites.
This gambling activity has tripled the amount of money provincial governments take in, nearly matching the amount earned from tax on cigarettes and alcohol combined. Last year Canadians gambled nearly $18 billion, of which $5.5 billion eventually landed in government coffers.
Lost and Found in London Taxis
London's taxicabs have become rolling lost and found boxes, especially for mobile phone users.
Taxi Newspapers and British security software company Pointsec Mobile report that an astonishing number of things get left behind in taxicabs. Among the items found in the cabs: 62,000 mobile phones (of which only half were ever reclaimed), 2,900 laptop computers, 1,300
handheld devices, a goldfish in a water-filled bag, a suitcase packed with money and diamonds and one little girl.
Ad Spending Drops
Advertising spending for all media fell 5.9 percent for the first half of this year, compared to figures for same time last year. CMR, which reported the spending drop, estimates that total ad spending during the first six months of 2001 reached about $47.5 billion, whereas spending during the first half of 2000 totaled $50.4 billion.
"Second quarter results are not much of a surprise," said David Peeler, president and CEO of CMR. "After we saw ad spending drop 5 percent during the first quarter, we certainly did not expect an upswing during the second quarter."