Gambling Addiction: Epidemiology

Gambling Addiction: Epidemiology

GAMBLING is a form of risk taking that may be defined as risking (betting or wagering) something of monetary value on the unknown outcome of a future event in order to gain something else of monetary value. Evidence of gambling has been found in early civilizations as well as throughout history. For example, many references to gambling can be found within the Old and New Testaments. However, as with ALCOHOL, wide cross-cultural differences have existed in the degree of acceptability and extent to which gambling is integrated into a culture.

Rapid Growth of Legalized Gambling

Historically, gambling in the United States had not been integrated into the larger culture as a major legal recreational pastime until the largest continuous expansion of legalized gambling that began during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Gross gambling revenues dramatically increased in the 1990s. For example, in 1996, $47.6 billion in revenues surpassed the $40.8 billion of combined revenues from movies, recorded music, cruise ships, live entertainment, and spectator sports (Christiansen, 1998). In the 1990s, therewere major increases in the availability of some forms of gambling (casino and lottery) as well as new locations (riverboats and Native American reservations), many of which were immediately accessible (convenience stores).

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