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Pathological gamblers in methadone treatment: A comparison between men and women

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Abstract

This article uses data from interviews with 462 individuals enrolled in methadone treatment programs in New York City to compare the gambling and gambling-related drug use and criminal activities of those males (N=72) and females (N=27) found to be pathological gamblers. Both the male and female pathological gamblers were and continue to be actively involved in various forms of gambling. A greater proportion of males had engaged in almost all specific types of gambling, although differences between males and females were not all statistically significant. Males and females were very similar in terms of their patterns of drug and alcohol use and the substances they used when gambling. Males and females shared some reasons but also had separate reasons as to why they used heroin when they gambled. Males especially may participate in a variety of criminal and hustling activities to have the money to be able to gamble or to pay gambling debts. The implications of this research are discussed.

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This study was supported by grant 1RO3-DA08348, ‘Prevalence of Gambling Problems Among Methadone Patients’, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, awarded to National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. Points of view or opinions in this report do not necessarily represent the official opinions or policies of the United States Government, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY, Illinois State University, or Abt Associates. The authors wish to thank Leila Cahill and Michelle Silverman for their assistance with this research.

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Spunt, B., Lesieur, H., Liberty, H.J. et al. Pathological gamblers in methadone treatment: A comparison between men and women. J Gambling Stud 12, 431–449 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01539187

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