Assessment on a large scale of these social costs has only just begun (Lesieur, 1998).
Prevalence of Problem Gaming
The first national study of gambling and problem gambling in 1974 indicated that .77 percent of the sample had at some time in their lifetime been probable pathological gamblers, with another 2.33 percent potential compulsive gamblers (University of Michigan Survey Research Center, 1976). The second federally supported national study was conducted by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC) in 1999. It was found that 1.20 percent (2.5 million) of the adult population were probable pathological gamblers in their lifetime and 1.50 percent (3 million) were lifetime problem gamblers (National Research Council, 1999). An additional fifteen million adults were identified as being at risk for developing a gambling problem. As compared to these statistics for the telephone sample where a total of 2.70 percent were lifetime problem and pathological gamblers, this study also surveyed patrons at gambling facilities (regular gamblers) and found that 13.00 percent met criteria for lifetime problem and pathological gambling. The NGISC report estimated that the annual cost for problem and pathological gambling is $5 billion, plus $40 billion in lifetime costs associated with decreased productivity, social service costs, and creditor losses (Gersten et al., 1999).
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