Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Problem Gambling in Greece: Prevalence and Risk Factors During the Financial Crisis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Gambling Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Greece no study has ever been conducted on the prevalence of problem gambling. Therefore, a cross-sectional survey was carried out amid the recession aiming to (1) estimate past year prevalence of problem gambling, (2) explore socio-economic and demographic differences among gamblers and non gamblers, (3) explore socio-economic and demographic differences among gamblers who started gambling prior and during the downturn and (4) identify its risk factors with a special interest in the influence of the recession. To this end, data emanating from a telephone and patron survey were combined. A random and representative sample of 3.404 people participated in the telephone survey and 2.400 in the patron survey. The interview schedule was the same in both studies. The presence of problem gambling was assessed with the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Information on participants’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics as well as their ways of dealing financially with the crisis were collected. Findings indicated that 2.4% of respondents met criteria for problem gambling. Male gender, minority status, living with family of origin, low educational level and low to zero income were found to constitute the risk factors of the disorder. Moreover, having started gambling during the recession increased the odds of suffering from problem gambling; however this finding was gender-specific. Thus, people end up in problem gambling through various pathways, with these trajectories being different for men and women. Any intervention should address the complexity of the issue and be tailored by gender.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbot, M. W., Volberg, R., Bellinger, M., & Ruth, G. (2004a). A review of research on aspects of problem gambling. Final report. Auckland University of Technology: Gambling Research Centre.

  • Abbot, M. W., Volberg, R. A., & Ronnberg, S. (2004b). Comparing the New Zealand and Swedish National Surveys of gambling and problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20, 237–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Afifi, T. O., Cox, B. J., Martens, P. J., Sareen, J., & Enns, M. W. (2010). The relation between types and frequency of gambling activities and problem gambling among women in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie), 55, 21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanco, C., Hasin, D. S., Petry, N., Stinson, F., & Grant, B. F. (2006). Sex differences in subclinical and DSM-IV pathological gambling: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Psychological Medicine, 36, 943–953.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blaszczynski, A., & Nower, L. (2002). A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling. Addiction, 97, 487–499.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooker, I. S., Clara, I. P., & Cox, B. J. (2009). The Canadian Problem Gambling Index: Factor structure and associations with psychopathology in a nationally representative sample. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 41, 109–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran, W. (1977). Sampling techniques. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockford, D. N., & el-Guebaly, N. (1998). Psychiatric comorbidity in pathological gambling: A critical review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 43, 43–50.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crockford, D., Quickfall, J., Currie, S., Furtado, S., Suchowersky, O., & El-Guebaly, N. (2008). Prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24, 411–422.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Economou, M., Angelopoulos, E., Peppou, L. E., Souliotis, K., Tzavara, C., Kontoangelos, K., et al. (2016). Enduring financial crisis in Greece: Prevalence and correlates of major depression and suicidality. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51, 1015–1024.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Economou, M., Madianos, M., Peppou, L., Patelakis, A., & Stefanis, C. (2013). Major depression in the era of economic crisis: A replication of a cross-sectional study across Greece. Journal of Affective Disorders, 145, 308–314.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Economou, M., Peppou, L. E., Souliotis, K., Malliori, M., & Papadimitriou, G. (2014). Gambling and the enduring financial recession in Greece. World Psychiatry, 13, 324.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ferris, J., & Wynne, H. (2001). The Canadian problem gambling index: User manual.http://www.ccsa.ca/2003%20and%20earlier%20CCSA%20Documents/ccsa-009381-2001.pd.

  • Gerstein, D. R., Volberg, R. A., Toce, M. T., & Sinclair, S. (1999). Gambling impact and behavior study: Report to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J. E., & Kim, S. W. (2002). Gender differences in pathological gamblers seeking medication treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 43, 56–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, M. (2004). Betting your life on it. Problem gambling has clear health related consequences. BMJ, 329, 1055–1056.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Horvant, C., & Paap, R. (2012). The effect of recessions on gambling expenditures. Journal of Gambling Studies, 28, 703–717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, A. C., Wynne, H., Dowling, N. A., Tomnay, J. E., & Thomas, S. A. (2009). Using the CPGI to determine problem gambling prevalence in Australia: Measurement issues. International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, 8, 572–580.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, A., Grant, J. E., Won Kim, S., et al. (2009). Risk factors for problematic gambling: A critical literature review. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25, 67–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalischuk, R. G., Nowatzki, N., Cardwell, K., Klein, K., & Solowoniuk, J. (2006). Problem gambling and its impact on families: A literature review. International Journal of Gambling Studies, 6, 31–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kun, B., Balazs, H., Arnold, P., Paksi, B., & Demetrovics, Z. (2012). Gambling in Western and Eastern Europe: The example of Hungary. Journal of Gambling Studies, 28, 27–46.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., & Doucet, C. (2002). Understanding and treating the pathological gambler. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lessler, J., & Kalsbeek, W. (1992). Nonsampling error in surveys. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loo, J. M. Y., Oei, T. P., & Raylu, N. (2011). Problem gambling, gambling correlates, and help-seeking attitudes in a chinese sample: An empirical evaluation. Psychology, 2, 342–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, C. A. (2013). Gambling in the public marketplace: Adaptations to economic context. Psychological Record, 63, 309–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, Μ. (2009). Gambling as a public health issue: The critical role of the local environment. Journal of Gambling Issues, 23, 66–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins, S. S., Tavares, H., Lobo, D. S. S., Galetti, A. M., & Gentil, V. (2004). Pathological gambling, gender and risk-taking behaviors. Addictive Behaviors, 29, 1231–1235.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McMillen, J., & Wenzel, M. (2006). Measuring problem gambling: Assessment of three prevalence screens. International Gambling Studies, 6(2), 147–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olason, D. T., Hayer, T., Brosowski, T., & Meyer, G. (2015). Gambling in the mist of economic crisis: Results from three national prevalence studies from Iceland. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31, 759–774.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olason, D. T., Hayer, T., Meyer, G., & Brosowski, T. (2017). Economic recession affects gambling participation but not problematic gambling: Results from a population-based follow-up study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1247.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Orford, J., Wardle, H., Griffiths, M., Sproston, K., & Erens, B. (2010). The role of social factors in gambling: Evidence from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey. Community, Work & Family, 13, 257–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potenza, M. N., Steinberg, Ma., McLaughlin, S. D., Wu, R., Rounsaville, B. J., & O’Malley, S. S. (2001). Gender-related differences in the characteristics of problem gamblers using a gambling helpline. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1500–1505.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raylu, N., & Olei, T. P. (2002). Pathological gambling: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 1009–1061.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sassen, M., Krans, L., & Buhringer, G. (2011). Differences in pathological gambling prevalence estimates: Facts or artefacts. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 20, e83–e99.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schissel, B. (2001). Betting against youth: The effects of socio-economic marginality on gambling among young people. Youth & Society, 32, 473–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H., & Hall, M. (2001). Updating and refining meta-analytic prevalence estimates of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92, 168–172.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., Hall, M. N., & Vander Bilt, J. (1999). Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the US and Canada: A research synthesis. American Journal of Public Health, 89, 1369–1376.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., LaBrie, R. A., LaPlante, D. A., Nelson, S. E., & Stanton, M. V. (2004). The road less travelled: Moving from distribution to determinants in the study of gambling epidemiology. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 504–516.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stucki, S., & Rihs-Middel, M. (2007). Prevaence of adult problem and pathological gambling between 2000 and 2005: An update. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23, 245–257.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Toce-Gerstein, M., Gerstein, D. R., & Volberg, R. A. (2003). A hierarchy of gambling disorders in the community. Addiction, 98, 1661–1672.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volberg, R. A. (1994). The prevalence and demographics of pathological gamblers: Implications for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 237–241.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Volberg, R. A. (1996). Prevalence studies of problem gambling in the United States. Journal of Gambling Studies, 12, 111–128.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volberg, R. A. (2002). The epidemiology of pathological gambling. Psychiatric Annals, 32, 171–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volberg, R. A., Abbott, M. W., Ronnberg, S., & Munck, I. M. (2001). Prevalence and risks of pathological gambling in Sweden. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 104, 250–256.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Wieczorek, W. F., Tidwell, M. C. O., & Parker, J. C. (2004). Risk factors for pathological gambling. Addictive Behaviors, 29(2), 323–335.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiebe, J., & Volberg, R. A. (2007). Problem gambling prevalence research: A critical overview. A report to the Canadian Gaming Association. Toronto: Canadian Gaming Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. J., & Volberg, R. A. (2009). Impact of survey description, administration format, and exclusionary criteria on population prevalence rates of problem gambling. International Gambling Studies, 9, 101–117.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The funding was provided by OPAP.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Marina Economou, Melpomeni Malliori, Konstantinos Kontoangelos, George Dimitriadis, George Papadimitriou & Charalampos Papageorgiou

  2. Community Mental Health Centre, University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), 2 Soranou tou Efesiou, 11527, Athens, Greece

    Marina Economou, Lily Evangelia Peppou & Konstantinos Kontoangelos

  3. Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Peloponnese, Corinth, Greece

    Kyriakos Souliotis

  4. Child and Adolescent Unit, First Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Helen Lazaratou

  5. Department of Psychiatry, General Pediatric Hospital “Aghia Sophia”, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Dimitris Anagnostopoulos

  6. Innowth Ltd, Larnaca, Cyprus

    Christina Golna

Authors
  1. Marina Economou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kyriakos Souliotis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Melpomeni Malliori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lily Evangelia Peppou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Konstantinos Kontoangelos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Helen Lazaratou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Dimitris Anagnostopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Christina Golna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. George Dimitriadis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. George Papadimitriou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Charalampos Papageorgiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marina Economou.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Economou, M., Souliotis, K., Malliori, M. et al. Problem Gambling in Greece: Prevalence and Risk Factors During the Financial Crisis. J Gambl Stud 35, 1193–1210 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-019-09843-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-019-09843-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation