Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Problem Gambling among College Students

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

Abstract

The college years are a formative period where the risk for development of problematic gambling is high. Research examining racial and ethnic differences in gambling behaviors has been limited and inconsistent. The aims of this study were to examine racial and ethnic differences in problem gambling among a large sample of college students. Undergraduates (N = 3058) from a large southern university completed an online screening questionnaire which included demographics, gambling frequency, gambling expenditure (i.e. money lost) in the previous 6 months, and the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Negative binomial regression results indicated that Asian participants gambled less frequently than participants who were Caucasian or Hispanic/Latino(a), but spent more money than participants who were African-American (AA)/Black or Hispanic/Latino(a). A significantly larger proportion of Asian students met probable pathological gambling criteria (SOGS 5+; 7.8 %) and at-risk gambling criteria (SOGS 3+; 16.3 %)) than Caucasian (5.2; 10.1 %), AA/Black (3.9; 10.2 %), or Hispanic/Latino(a) (3.6; 9.4 %) students. Additionally, a significantly larger proportion of Asian students endorsed problematic gambling indicators such as lying about losses, feeling guilty about gambling, feeling like they had a gambling problem, being criticized for their gambling, feeling like they couldn’t stop gambling, losing time from school or work due to gambling, having a family history of problem gambling, and arguing with close others about their gambling than Caucasian, AA/Black or Hispanic/Latino(a) students. Results suggest that Asian students may be a high-risk sub-group of college gamblers, and that there is a critical need for targeted interventions for this population.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alegría, A. A., Petry, N. M., Hasin, D. S., Liu, S. M., Grant, B. F., & Blanco, C. (2009). Disordered gambling among racial and ethnic groups in the US: Results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. CNS Spectrums, 14(3), 132–143.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2005). The developmental context of substance use in emerging adulthood. Journal of Drug Issues, 35(2), 235–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkins, D. C., & Gallop, R. J. (2007). Rethinking how family researchers model infrequent outcomes: a tutorial on count regression and zero-inflated models. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 726–735. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.21.4.726.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, G. M., Welte, J. W., Hoffman, J. H., & Tidwell, M. C. O. (2009). Gambling, alcohol, and other substance use among youth in the United States. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 70(1), 134–142.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, G. M., Welte, J. W., Hoffman, J. H., & Tidwell, M. C. (2010). Comparisons of gambling and alcohol use among college students and noncollege young people in the United States. Journal of American College Health, 58(5), 443–452. doi:10.1080/07448480903540499.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, D. T., Stefanovics, E. A., Desai, R. A., & Potenza, M. N. (2011). Gambling problem severity and psychiatric disorders among Hispanic and white adults: findings from a nationally representative sample. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(3), 404–411. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.07.010.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blinn-Pike, L., Lokken Worthy, S., & Jonkman, J. N. (2007). Disordered gambling among college students: A meta-analytic synthesis. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(2), 175–183. doi:10.1007/s10899-006-9036-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A. K. K., Zane, N., Wong, G. M., & Song, A. V. (2013). Personal gambling expectancies among Asian American and white American college students. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31, 1–25. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9397-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chassin, L., Pitts, S. C., & Prost, J. (2002). Binge drinking trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood in a high-risk sample: predictors and substance abuse outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(1), 67–78. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.70.1.67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham-Williams, R. M., Cottler, L. B., Compton, W. M., Spitznagel, E. L., & Ben-Abdallah, A. (2000). Problem gambling and comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders among drug users recruited from drug treatment and community settings. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16(4), 347–376. doi:10.1023/A:1009428122460.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstein, D., Volberg, R. A., Murphy, S., Toce, M., Hoffmann, J., Palmer, A., et al. (1999). Gambling impact and behavior study: Report to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J. L. (2000). Adolescents with gambling problems: From research to treatment. Journal of Gambling Studies/Co-Sponsored by The National Council on Problem Gambling and Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming, 16(2–3), 315–342.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hilbe, J. M. (2011). Negative binomial regression (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, J., Jacobs, D. F., & Derevensky, J. L. (2011). DSM-based problem gambling: Increasing the odds of heavy drinking in a national sample of U.S. college athletes? Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(3), 302–308. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.07.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Hwang, I., LaBrie, R., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N. A., Winters, K. C., & Shaffer, H. J. (2008). DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Psychological Medicine, 38(9), 1351–1360. doi:10.1017/S0033291708002900.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, W. (2012). Acculturation and gambling in Asian Americans: when culture meets availability. International Gambling Studies, 12(1), 69–88. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2003.09.005.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kong, G., Tsai, J., Pilver, C. E., Tan, H. S., Hoff, R. A., Cavallo, D. A., et al. (2013). Differences in gambling problem severity and gambling and health/functioning characteristics among Asian-American and Caucasian high-school students. Psychiatry Research, 210(3), 1071–1078. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.10.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LaBrie, R. A., Shaffer, H. J., LaPlante, D. A., & Wechsler, H. (2003). Correlates of college student gambling in the United States. The Journal of American College Health, 52(22), 53–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ladouceur, R., Dube, D., & Bujold, A. (1994). Prevalence of pathological gambling and related ´ problems among college students in the Quebec Metropolitan area. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 39, 289–293.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larimer, M. E., Neighbors, C., Lostutter, T. W., Whiteside, U., Cronce, J. M., Kaysen, D., & Walker, D. D. (2012). Brief motivational feedback and cognitive behavioral interventions for prevention of disordered gambling: A randomized clinical trial. Addiction, 107(6), 1148–1158. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03776.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. B. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188. doi:10.1037/t03938-000.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lesieur, H. R., Cross, J., Frank, M., Welch, M., White, C. M., & Rubenstein, G. (1991). Gambling and pathological gambling among university students. Addictive Behaviors, 16(6), 517–527.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loo, J. M., Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2008). Gambling among the Chinese: A comprehensive review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(7), 1152–1166. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2008.04.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. J., Usdan, S., Cremeens, J., & Vail-Smith, K. (2014). Disordered gambling and co-morbidity of psychiatric disorders among college students: An examination of problem drinking, anxiety and depression. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30(2), 321–333. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9367-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McClellan, G. S., Caswell, J., Beck, B., Holladay, C. G., Mitchell, A. A., & O’Connor, K. W. (2002). Gambling, its effects and prevalence on college campuses: Implications for student affairs. NASPA Center for Research on Student Life and Demographics, Invited Paper.

  • Neighbors, C., Rodriguez, L. M., Rinker, D. V., Gonzales, R. G., Agana, M., Tackett, J. L., et al. (2015). Efficacy of personalized normative feedback as a brief intervention for college student gambling: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(3), 500–511. doi:10.1037/a0039125.

  • Neighbors, C., Lostutter, T. W., Cronce, J. M., & Larimer, M. E. (2002). Exploring college student gambling motivation. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18(4), 361–370. doi:10.1023/A:1021065116500.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak, D. E., & Aloe, A. M. (2014). The prevalence of pathological gambling among college students: A meta-analytic synthesis, 2005–2013. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30(4), 819–843. doi:10.1007/s10899-013-9399-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Orlando, M., Tucker, J. S., Ellickson, P. L., & Klein, D. J. (2004). Developmental trajectories of cigarette smoking and their correlates from early adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(3), 400–410. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.3.400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petry, N. M., Armentano, C., Kuoch, T., Norinth, T., & Smith, L. (2003). Gambling participation and problems among South East Asian refugees to the United States. Psychiatric Services, 54(8), 1142–1148. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.54.8.1142.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • 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. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 564–574. doi:10.4088/JCP.v66n0504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petry, N. M., & Weinstock, J. (2007). Internet gambling is common in college students and associated with poor mental health. The American Journal on Addictions, 16(5), 325–330. doi:10.1080/10550490701525673.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rohrbach, L. A., Sussman, S., Dent, C. W., & Sun, P. (2005). Tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use among high-risk young people: A five-year longitudinal study from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of Drug Issues, 35(2), 333–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., & Hall, M. N. (2001). Updating and refining meta-analytic prevalence estimates of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 168–172. doi:10.2105/AJPH.89.9.1369.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., Hall, M. N., & Vander Bilt, J. (1999). Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada: A research synthesis. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1369–1376. doi:10.2105/AJPH.89.9.1369.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, J. S., Ellickson, P. L., Orlando, M., Martino, S. C., & Klein, D. J. (2005). Substance use trajectories from early adolescence to emerging adulthood: A comparison of smoking, binge drinking, and marijuana use. Journal of Drug Issues, 35(2), 307–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UH facts and figures (PDF document). Retrieved from http://www.uh.edu/ir/reports/facts-at-a-glance/Fall%202014%20Facts%20at%20a%20glance.pdf

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). The Asian population: 2010. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-11.pdf

  • Welte, J. W., Barnes, G. M., Tidwell, M. C. O., & Hoffman, J. H. (2011). Gambling and problem gambling across the lifespan. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(1), 49–61. doi:10.1007/s10899-010-9195-z.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  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. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2003.08.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. J., Connolly, D., Wood, R. T., & Nowatzki, N. (2006). Gambling and problem gambling in a sample of university students. Journal of Gambling Issues, 16, 1–14. doi:10.4309/jgi.2006.16.19.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winters, K. C., Bengston, P., Door, D., & Stinchfield, R. (1998). Prevalence and risk factors of problem gambling among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 12(2), 127–135. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.12.2.127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Grant from the National Center for Responsible Gaming.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA

    Dipali Venkataraman Rinker, Lindsey M. Rodriguez, Heather Krieger, Jennifer L. Tackett & Clayton Neighbors

Authors
  1. Dipali Venkataraman Rinker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lindsey M. Rodriguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Heather Krieger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jennifer L. Tackett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Clayton Neighbors
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dipali Venkataraman Rinker.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rinker, D.V., Rodriguez, L.M., Krieger, H. et al. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Problem Gambling among College Students. J Gambl Stud 32, 581–590 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-015-9563-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-015-9563-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation