Headlines like "Web Gambling Attracts Addicts and Loners" and "Internet Gambling Breeds Addiction" are flying around the Internet this week following the release of a new study on problem gambling.
The two headlines, which appeared Monday on www.web-user.co.uk and the BBC Web site, respectively, are representative of the study's media coverage.
Released on Sunday by the American Psychological Association, the research found that among a group of 389 people who filled out questionnaires while sitting in doctors' office waiting rooms, those who indicated they have gambled on the Internet were more likely to be pathological--in other words, addicted. Everyone who filled out a survey was waiting for free or reduced-cost medical care.
Conducted by George T. Ladd and Nancy M. Petry, researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, the study found that 8 percent of those polled had engaged in Internet gambling. Of those, Ladd said, 64.5 percent had severe gambling problems.
Ladd said the results are surprising because one wouldn't expect such a large percentage of the socioeconomic group polled to have that much access to the Internet.
"Even though 8 percent seems small, it's pretty surprising when you think of that sample, which is made up of generally low-income individuals who are seeking out free or reduced health care at clinics around the hospital," he said.
Of the people polled who did not have any Internet gambling experience, only 11.1 percent were classified as pathological gamblers. Overall, 15.4 percent of those surveyed were rated
pathological. Ladd said while it is proven by research that lower-income people tend to gamble more, the higher incidence of problems in Internet gamblers should be a red flag.
"Certainly when you talk about gambling risk overall, people who are in lower socioeconomic statues, research has suggested, they tend to have more problems with gambling," he said. "But when you stack up the people who have Internet gambling experience with those who didn't, the
numbers are hugely different."
Ladd readily states that more research needs to be done on the topic, however, he said, the study could suggest that Internet gambling fosters addiction because it is an always-available and easy- to-hide habit.
"What the study suggests is that for a great number of people in this particular sample, who engage in Internet gambling, they are having a lot of problems with their gambling behaviors," Ladd said. "Why that is, we couldn't determine that yet."
For the study, a person was labeled a pathological gambler if he or she scored a certain score on the South Oaks Gambling Screen. The test consists of 20 symptoms of problem gambling, such as lying about gambling habits. If a person answers affirmatively to five or more of the symptoms, he or she is classified as being likely to be a pathological gambler. Ladd said the test is a widely used and well-respected tool for measuring gambling addiction.
Ladd and Petry, who both specialize in the study and treatment of addictive behaviors, became interested in studying Internet gambling because of the prevalence of advertising for online casinos and sports books. They also wanted to learn more about gambling addiction because it often goes hand-in-hand with substance abuse.
"Anybody who makes use of the Internet on a daily basis, even without asking for it, is going to get exposed to marketing for online gambling opportunities," Ladd said. "And so, certainly from a psychiatrist's point of view, any time you have strong marketing campaigns with anything that could put people at risk, whether it's alcohol or cigarettes or pornography or anything like that, it's a topic of interest"
Click here to read the report in full.