Problem Gambling 101
Jackson County Problem Gambling
Prevention Services
Presented by: Roxann Jones
Definition of Gambling
To risk money or something of value on the
outcome of an unpredictable event or
contest.
History: First Gambling Law
1630 – “All persons whatsoever that have
cards, dice or tables in their houses, shall
make away with them before the next court
under pain of punishment.”
 1744 – Virginia outlaws gambling in public
places.
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History: Public Lotteries
1831 - 420 lotteries held in 8 states
 Amount raised from the lotteries was five
times greater than that year’s federal
budget.
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History: Prohibition Years
1910-1931
 Concurrent with the growing attitude
towards prohibition of alcohol and other
drugs, gambling became illegal in nearly all
of the United States.
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History: National
1931 – Las Vegas gambling legalized
 1945 – “Bugsy” Segal builds the first
hotel/Casino complex: The Flamingo
 1977 – Every state except Nevada
prohibited commercial gambling casinos.
Now, all but two (Utah & Hawaii) have
some form of legalized gambling available.
 1988 – Indian Gambling Regulatory Act
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History: Oregon
1933 – Pari –mutual betting legalized
 1976 – Charity bingo
 1984 – Lottery Authorized
 1985 – Megabucks and scratch-offs
 1987 – Off track betting legalized
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History: Oregon Continued
1989 – Sports betting (sports action lottery)
 1991 – Keno authorized, every 5 minutes
 1992 – Video poker legalized (as of October,
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2004 there are 10,238 terminals in over 2,000
venues)
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1994 – First Native American Casino
opened (Currently there are 9 open in Oregon)
History: Oregon Continued
2003 – Football scratch-it tickets
 2003 – Expansion to six lottery terminals
and ten in pari-mutual establishments
 2004 – Keno offered every 4 minutes.
Lottery Click & Play computerized games
implemented
 2005 – Line games implemented
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Scope: Oregon
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2008 Oregonians spent 1.6 billion on
Oregon Lottery sales, or $434 per adult
– Approximately $5 million a day
– Approximately $205 thousand an hour
– Approximately $3,425 a minute
– Equals more than $57 a second!
 2008 – Jackson County residents spent over $57
million on Oregon Lottery Sales, or approximately
$385 per adult
Scope: Oregon
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2008 – Oregon’s casinos garnered about 32% of
all gambling dollars spent by Oregonians
The Oregon Lottery had net sales of 1.245.5
billion in fiscal year 2008 (Oregon Lottery 08)
40% to 60% of cash wagered in casinos is
withdrawn from ATMs as cash or cash advance
Oregonians entering treatment in 2007, had a
combined debt related to gambling of over $37
million.
Tribal Casinos : Oregon
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Oregon tribal casinos offer:
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7,078 slot machines
125 table games
1956 bingo seats
39 poker tables
Only 7 other states have more gambling tribes
Spirit Mountain is Oregon’s #1 tourist attraction,
having surpassed Multnomah Falls
Minimum Age
18 – Traditional lottery games (e.g., scratch
–its, Powerball, Breakopens)
 18 – Charitable gaming (e.g., bingo)
 18 – Pari-mutual betting (horses)
 21 – Video lottery and tribal casinos
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Definition: Problem Gambler
“Gambling behavior which causes
disruptions in any major area of
life: psychological, physical, social
or vocational”
(National Council on Problem Gambling)
Definition: Pathological Gambler
A chronic disorder that results
in the loss of control over
gambling
(DSM-IV)
Impact: Prevalence in Oregon
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2006 – 2.7% of adults (approx 74,000) were
believed to meet the criteria for problem or
pathological gamblers (Moore, 2006)
One in every 25 Oregon Teens (13-17)
experienced gambling-related problems, that’s
more than 10,000 Oregon Teens (Carlson
&Moore, 1998)
About 6,000 Oregonians over 62 (1.2%) are
believed to meet the criteria for problem or
pathological gambling (Moore, 2001)
Gambling in Oregon
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Lottery
Scratch-its
Megabucks
Powerball
Video gaming
62% poker
15% slots
Keno
Bingo
Casino Gaming
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Sports bets
Horse racing
Stocks
Internet
Office pools
Poker / cards
Bets among friends
Impact: Crime
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Over 36% of clients in Oregon reported
committed crimes to finance gambling
Gamblers Anonymous members report that
approximately half of their members had stolen to
gamble and over 1/3 had been arrested
Most crimes are non-violent: e.g., check forgery,
stealing credit cards, embezzlement, insurance
fraud, tax evasion, fencing stolen goods, etc.
Impact: Domestic
18 % of gamblers seeking treatment had
gambling related divorces
 10% more had gambling related separations
 31 % lost or quit a job due to gambling
 Average debt generally equal to income
 25% of gamblers seeking treatment reported
domestic violence in their relationship as a
result of their gambling
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Impact: Children
Children of PGs experience twice the
incidence of broken homes (separation,
divorce, death of a parent) before age 15
 Children of PGs are prone to suffer abuse as
well as a neglect
 Children of PGs have higher levels of
overeating and tobacco, alcohol, and drug
use
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Impact: Child Examples
28 reported child fatalities nation wide
reported from children being left in cars
while parents gamble
 IL: Woman who needed money to gamble
suffocated her 7-week-old child to collect
$200,000 of life insurance
 OR: Woman left her children, ages 1,2, and
3, strapped in their car seats as she gambled
at Spirit Mountain casino for 11 hours
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Impact: Suicide, Depression &
Concurrent Disorders
More than 48% of Oregon’s treatment
clients had suicidal thoughts, and more
than 7% had attempted suicide
 A major depressive disorder is likely to
occur in 76% of pathological gamblers
 30% Alcohol
 13% Drugs
 61% Tobacco
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“Addiction”:
Gambling vs. Substances
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Similarities
Loss of control
Denial
Depression & Mood Swings
Progressive
Chasing
First win (high) remembered
Blackouts/brownouts
Use an escape
Preoccupation
Low self esteem & high ego
Use of rituals
Similar highs
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Differences
Hidden addiction
Can’t overdose
Huge financial problems
Can function at work
Can’t be tested
Doesn’t require ingestion
Fewer resources available
Perceptions
Impact: Employment Status
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Oregon Problem Gamblers in Treatment
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2% Unknown/Not coded
14% Not employed – not looking
17% Not employed looking
3% Irregular
10% Part-time
54% Full-time
More Popular than Ever:
The Six “A’s”
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Availability (The only state that offers more gambling
opportunities than Oregon in Nevada)
Access
 Acceptability
 Advertising
 Attractiveness
 Adrenaline
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Levels of Involvement
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Social Gambling
You stick to limits of
money to play with
You hope to win but
expect to lose
You can take it or
leave it
You gamble once in a
while
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Problem Gambling
You play with $ you need
or with borrowed $
You expect to win…. And
keep playing to win back
losses
You think about gambling
a lot
You spend more and more
time and money gambling
Getting Help in Jackson County
1-877 – MYLIMIT or 1877mylimit.org
Help Line, available 24 hrs, everyday
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Treatment Providers:
- Addictions Recovery Center
- On Track
Treatment is free for gamblers and loved ones!