Abstract
This article reports the findings of one county’s human service network’s readiness to treat gambling related problems in anticipation of the opening of a new casino. Using a cross-sectional survey design, questionnaires were mailed to executive directors of all mental health, family counseling, drug and alcohol, and faith-based, addiction-related organizations in the county (N = 248); 137 (55.2%) agency directors responded to the questionnaire. The survey requested information about agency demographics, training, screening, treatment, and public awareness/education. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to summarize the findings. The analyses revealed a lack of human service response to the impending start of casino gambling. More than three-quarters of respondents had not sent staff for training in screening or treating gambling disorders, did not screen for problem gambling, did not treat problem gambling, and did not refer clients to other agencies for treatment of gambling-related problems. The most common reason offered for not engaging in prevention and treatment activities was that problem gambling is not considered an issue for the agency. There were differences between mental health and/or substance abuse focused agencies and other service providers. Based on the findings of this study, specific strategies to enhance the service delivery network’s capacity to address problem gambling are suggested.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbott, M. W., Williams, M. M., & Volberg, R. A. (2004). A prospective study of problem and regular nonproblem gamblers living in the community. Substance Use and Misuse, 39, 855–884.
American Psychiatric Association. (2003). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed). (DSM-IV-TR). Version 6.1.10/2005.3.29. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Back, K. J., & Lee, C. K. (2005). Residents’ perceptions of casino development in Korea: the Kangwon Land Casino case. UNLV Gaming Research and Review Journal, 9, 45–53.
Carr, R. D., Buchkoski, J. E., Kofoed, L., & Morgan, T. J. (1996). “Video lottery” and treatment for pathological gambling: A natural experiment in South Dakota. South Dakota Journal of Medicine, 49, 30–32.
Collins, D., & Lapsley, H. (2003). The social costs and benefits of gambling: An introduction to the economic issues. Journal of Gambling Studies, 19, 123–148.
Eadington, W. R. (2003). Measuring costs from permitted gaming: Concepts and categories in evaluating gambling’s consequences. Journal of Gambling Studies, 19, 185–213.
Gerstein, D., Murphy, S., Toce, M., Hoffmann, J., Palmer, A., Johnson, R., et al. (1999). Gambling impact and behavior study: Report to the national gambling impact study commission. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. [Electronic version].
Johnson, E. E., Hamer, R., Nora, R. M., Tan, B., Eisenstein, N., & Engelhart, C. (1988). The lie/bet questionnaire for screening pathological gamblers. Psychological Reports, 80, 83–88.
Lester, D. (1994). Access to gambling opportunities and compulsive gambling. Substance Use and Misuse, 29, 1611–1616.
Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 564–574.
Room, R., Turner, N., & Ialomiteanu, A. (1999). Community effects of the opening of the Niagara casino. Addiction, 94, 1449–1466.
Shaffer, H. J., LaBrie, R. A., & LaPlante, D. (2004). Laying the foundation for quantifying regional exposure to social phenomena: Considering the case of legalized gambling as a public health toxin. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18, 40–48.
Shaffer, H. J., Stanton, M. V., & Nelson, S. E. (2006). Trends in gambling studies research: Quantifying, categorizing, and describing citations. Journal of Gambling Studies, 22, 427–442.
Stucki, S., & Rihs-Middel, M. (2007). Prevalence of adult problem & pathological gambling between 2000 and 2005: An update. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 245–257.
Sumitra, L. M., & Miller, S. C. (2005). Pathological gambling disorder: How to help patients curb risky behavior when the future is at stake. Postgraduate Medicine, 118, 31–37.
Volberg, R. A. (1994). The prevalence and demographics of pathological gamblers: Implications for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 237–241.
Volberg, R. A. (2001). When the chips are down: Problem gambling in America. New York: The Century Foundation Press.
Volberg, R. A., Rugle, L., Rosenthal, R. J., & Fong, T. (2005). Situational assessment of problem gambling services in California. Sacramento, CA: Office of Problem Gambling, California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
Welte, J., Barnes, G. M., Wieczorek, W., Tidwell, M. C., & Parker, J. (2001). Alcohol and gambling pathology among U.S. adults: Prevalence, demographic patterns and comorbidity. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 706–712.
Welte, J. W., Wieczorek, W. F., Barnes, G. M., Tidwell, M. C., & Hoffman, J. H. (2004). The relationship of ecological and geographic factors to gambling behavior and pathology. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20, 405–423.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded through a grant from the Staunton Farm Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Engel, R.J., Rosen, D., Weaver, A. et al. Raising the Stakes: Assessing the Human Service Response to the Advent of a Casino. J Gambl Stud 26, 611–622 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-010-9184-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-010-9184-2