Epidemiology of youth gambling in Georgia [Apr. 2007]

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING
IN GEORGIA
Introduction
Since the Georgia Lottery began in 19931, more youth are being exposed to gambling and gambling advertising. However, few data exist on youth gambling in Georgia. Studies link youth gambling with many negative behaviors and outcomes during adolescence:
Alcohol and drug abuse2, 3, 4 Drug sales and prostitution5, 6 Delinquency, including low academic achievement, truancy, and stealing3, 5 and conduct problems4 Psychological problems such as depression, suicidality, and bingeing2, 4, 7 and a decreased ability to deal with anxiety,
anger, and stress8, 9
Males2, 3, 4, 10 and older youth10 are more likely to gamble. Other attributes associated with youth gambling are familial or peer substance abuse or gambling3, 4, 11 and lack of parental monitoring.11 In addition, early onset gambling12,13 (<18 years of age) is associated with alcohol and drug abuse later in life.14 To measure youth gambling, questions on gambling were included in the Georgia Student Health Survey (also known as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey) in 2003 and 2005. The purpose of this summary is to report current prevalence rates of youth gambling in Georgia. Risk factors and groups at higher risk for gambling are also reported.
Key Findings
In 2005, more than 247,000 (57%) Georgia students in grades 9-12 gambled* and more than 69,000 (16%) gambled frequently
Overall, past-year and frequent gambling rates did not change significantly from 2003 to 2005. However, among females, gambling increased significantly from 33% to 42%
Males were 1.9 times more likely than females to gamble in the past year and 3.1 times more likely to gamble frequently
Males and females prefer different games, with males preferring cards, sports, and games of skill, and females preferring the lottery, regardless of gambling frequency
Blacks were 1.4 times more likely to gamble frequently than Whites 12th grade gambling increased significantly from 2003 (50%) to 2005 (64%) Frequent gamblers were 1.9 times more likely than past-year gamblers to bet $50 in one day Males who gambled frequently were 1.7 times more likely to bet high dollar amounts than males who gambled less
frequently, while females who gambled frequently were 2.4 times more likely to bet high dollar amounts than females who gambled less frequently
Conclusions
Youth gambling is a significant problem in Georgia and control activities are needed Sex is a more useful differentiator of gambler type than race or grade, and should be a basis for designing interventions Males are at higher risk for gambling, but females are more likely to increase spending as gambling frequency
increases, suggesting particular risks for females The lottery is the second most popular game for females, while it is the least popular game for males Youth gambling in Georgia is a progressive problem, as the amount of money spent increases with gambling frequency
Actions for Lowering Youth Gambling Rates in Georgia
Provide interventions targeting specific risk groups, such as males Educate youth on positive coping skills and alternative forms of entertainment Improve enforcement of underage gambling prohibitions Educate the public on the risk and harms of youth gambling Continue measuring youth gambling rates, so that trends can be monitored

* Gambling or past-year gambling: having played for money or bet money on at least one of the following, at least once in the past 12 months: cards,

games of personal skill, sports, the lottery, or any other game Frequent gambling: having played for money or bet money on at least one of the following, at least once a week in the past 12 months: cards, games of

personal skill, sports, or the lottery All risk ratios are significant at =.05 unless otherwise noted

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

1

Results
Total Population
In 2005, 57% of Georgia high school students, over 247,000 students, gambled during the past-year; 16%, over 69,000 students, gambled frequently (at least once a week)
Overall past-year and frequent gambling rates did not change significantly from 2003 to 2005
Gambling Prevalences by Sex
Past-Year Gamblers Males (70%) were 1.9 times more likely
than females (38%) to gamble Frequent Gamblers Males (24%) were 3.1 times more likely
than females (8%) to be frequent gamblers (once a week or more)

Percent

Percent

Percent of High School Students w ho Gam bled, by Frequency, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
2003 2005 100

80

60

52 57

40

20

16 16

0 Past-Year Gam blers

Frequent Gam blers

Percent of High School Students who Gambled, by Frequency and Sex, Georgia, 2003 and 2005

100

80

70

60 38
40
20
0 Males Females
Past-Year Gamblers

24 8
Males Females
Frequent Gamblers

Gambling Prevalences by Race
Past-Year Gamblers No significant differences between
races Frequent Gamblers Blacks (19%) were 1.4 times more likely
than Whites (13%) to gamble frequently
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

Percent

Percent of High School Students who Gambled, by Frequency and Race, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
100

80

60

60 53

55

40

19

18

20

13

0 Black Hispanic White Black Hispanic White
Past-Year Gamblers Frequent Gamblers

2

Gambling Prevalences by Sex and Race
Past-Year Gambling by Sex and Race Black males (71%) were 1.9 times more
likely than Black females (37%) to gamble White males (71%) were 1.9 times more
likely than White females (38%) to gamble
Frequent Gambling by Sex and Race Black males (28%) were 1.4 times more
likely than White males (21%) to gamble frequently Black females (10%) were 1.8 times more likely than White females (6%) to gamble frequently Black males (28%) were 2.9 times more likely than Black females (10%) to gamble frequently White males (21%) were 3.7 times more likely than White females (6%) to gamble frequently

Percent

Percent

Percent of High School Students who Gambled:
Past-Year Gamblers by Sex and Race,
Georgia, 2003 and 2005 100

80

71

71

60

37

38

40

20

0

Black

White

Males

Black

White

Females

Percent of High School Students who Gambled:
Frequent Gamblers by Sex and Race,
Georgia, 2003 and 2005 100

80

60

40

28

21

20

0

Black

White

Males

10

6

Black

White

Females

Gambling Prevalences by Grade
Past-Year Gambling No significant differences between
grades Frequent Gambling No significant differences between
grades
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

Percent

Percent of High School Students who Gambled, by Frequency and Grade, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
100

80

60 53

52

57

58

40

20

16 16 15 16

0
9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h 9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h
Past-Year Gamblers Frequent Gamblers

3

Gambling Prevalences by Sex and Grade
Past-Year Gambling by Sex and Grade
Within each respective grade, males were significantly more likely than females to gamble (1.8 2.0 times more likely)
11th grade males were significantly more likely to gamble than 10th grade males

Percen t

Percent of High School Students who Gambled: Past-Year Gamblers by Sex and Grade, Georgia 2003 and 2005
100

80

76 74

67 67

60 38 37 38 41
40

20

0

9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h 9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h

Males

Females

Frequent Gambling by Sex and Grade
Within each respective grade, males were significantly more likely than females to gamble (2.5 4.2 times more likely)
No significant differences between grades for either sex

Percen t

Percent of High School Students who Gambled: Frequent Gamblers by Sex and Grade, Georgia 2003 and 2005
100

80

60

40 24 23 24 24

20

8

9

6

8

0

9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h 9 t h 10 t h 11t h 12 t h

Males

Females

Prevalence Changes from 2003 to 2005
Significantly more females gambled in 2005 (42%) than in 2003 (33%)
The number of White female gamblers increased significantly from 2003 (31%) to 2005 (43%)
The percentage of 12th grade gamblers increased significantly from 2003 (50%) to 2005 (64%)
The percentage of 12th grade female gamblers increased significantly from 2003 (29%) to 2005 (51%)
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

Percen t

Changes in Gambling Prevalences, Georgia, 2003 and 2005

100

80

60

42

40

33

20

0 Fem ales

2003 2005

43 31

64 50

51 29

White Fem ales

12th Grade Gam blers

12th Grade Fem ale
Gam blers
4

Prevalences Among Gamblers
Popularity of Different Gambling Games
Gambling Frequency by Game
Frequent gamblers were significantly more likely than past-year gamblers to bet on cards, games, sports, and to buy lottery tickets
Regardless of gambling frequency, gamblers were significantly more likely to bet on cards, games, or sports than to buy lottery tickets
Past-Year Gambling by Sex and Game
Male gamblers were significantly more likely than females to bet on cards, games, and sports
Female gamblers (45%) were 1.4 times more likely than males (32%) to buy lottery tickets
Male gamblers were 1.2 times more likely to bet on cards (66%) than sports (56%), and 2.1 times more likely to bet on cards than to buy lottery tickets (32%)
Females were 1.3 times more likely to bet on cards (47%) than sports (37%)
Frequent Gambling by Sex and Game
Male frequent gamblers were significantly more likely than females to bet on cards, games, or sports (1.2 1.5 times more likely)
Females (61%) were 1.3 times more likely than males (46%) to buy lottery tickets
Male frequent gamblers were 1.2 times more likely to bet on cards (86%) than sports (71%), and 1.9 times more likely to bet on cards than to buy lottery tickets (46%)
Female frequent gamblers were 1.5 times more likely to bet on cards (73%) than sports (48%)
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

Percent

Percent

Percent

Gambling Frequency by Game Among High School Students who Gambled, Georgia, 2003 and 2005

100

80

59 60

56

49

83 73 66
50

37 40

20

0
C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery
Past-Year Gamblers Frequent Gamblers

Gam bling Frequency by Sex and Gam e Am ong High School Students w ho Gam bled, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
100

80

66

64

60

56

40

47

41

37

45

32

20

0

C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery

Past-Year

Past-Year

Gambling Males

Gambling Females

Gam bling Frequency by Sex and Gam e Am ong High School Students w ho Gam bled Frequently, Georgia,
2003 and 2005

100 86

77

80

71

73

60

61

60

46

48

40

20

0

C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery C ards Games Spo rts Lo ttery

Frequent Gambling Frequent Gambling

Males

Females

5

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day
Frequent gamblers (30%) were 1.9 times more likely than past-year gamblers (16%) to have bet $50 in one day
Past-year gamblers (48%) were 1.7 times more likely than frequent gamblers (28%) to have bet < $10 in one day
Past-Year Gambling by Sex and Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day Male past-year gamblers (19%) were 1.9
times more likely than females (10%) to bet $50 in one day Male past-year gamblers (39%) were 1.4 times more likely than females (29%) to bet $10 $49 in one day Female past-year gamblers (61%) were 1.5 times more likely than males (42%) to bet < $10 in one day
Frequent Gambling by Sex and Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day Female frequent gamblers (42%) were 1.7
times more likely than males (25%) to bet < $10 in one day Male frequent gamblers were 1.7 times more likely to bet $50 than males who gambled less frequently, while female frequent gamblers were 2.4 times more likely to bet $50 than females who gambled less frequently
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

Percent

Percent

Percent

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day Among High School Students who Gambled,
Georgia, 2003 and 2005 100

80

60

48

40

36

42

28

30

20

16

0
<$ 10 $ 10 - $ 4 9 >=$ 5 0
Past-Year Gamblers

<$ 10 $ 10 - $ 4 9 >=$ 5 0
Frequent Gamblers

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled In One Day, by Sex, Among High School Students who Gambled, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
100

80

61 60

42

39

40

19 20

29 10

0

<$ 10 $ 10 - $ 4 9 >=$ 5 0 <$ 10 $ 10 - $ 4 9 >=$ 5 0

Males

Females

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled In One Day, by Sex, Among High School Students who Gambled Frequently,
Georgia, 2003 and 2005
100

80

60

44

42

40

32

34

25

24

20

0

<$10

$10 - $4 9 >=$50

Males

<$10

$10 - $4 9 >=$50

Females

6

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day by Game Type
Past-Year Gamblers

Percent

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day, by Game, Among High School Students who Gambled, Georgia, 2003 and 2005
Cards Games Sports Lottery 100

80

60
48

40

40 41 36

20

40 38 42 31

21 21 22 21

0
<$10

$10-$49

>=$50

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day

Frequent Gamblers

Percent

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day, by Game, Among High School Students who Gambled Frequently,
Georgia, 2003 and 2005
Cards Games Sports Lottery 100

80

60
40 26 25 22 26
20

42 40 44 40

32 36 34 34

0
<$10

$10-$49

>=$50

Largest Dollar Amount Gambled in One Day

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

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Methodology

The Georgia Student Health Survey (also known as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey) gathers data on behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Georgia. The survey provides information on initiation and prevalence of health risk behaviors and trends over time. Topics covered include tobacco use, physical activity, eating habits, alcohol and drug use, unintentional injuries, violence, and suicide16. The Georgia Student Health Survey contains questions from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and additional questions on selected topics. The survey is conducted every odd-numbered year by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health and the Georgia Department of Education. The Georgia Student Health Survey includes a random, representative sample of public middle and high school students.

A 1996 study conducted by Rachel Volberg for the Department of Human Resources indicated a Georgia youth gambling prevalence rate of 40%, excluding weekly gamblers15. To measure current rates, the Georgia Lottery Corporation funded a module of five gambling questions that was included on the Georgia Student Health Survey in 2003 and 2005.

The 2003 and 2005 Georgia Student Health Survey samples are described below. For both surveys, students completed an anonymous questionnaire. The 2003 high school survey consisted of 94 questions and the 2005 high school survey consisted of 90 questions.

Response Rates

Year

High School Students

Selected Participated Response rate

2003

2209

2066

94%

2005

1962

1755

89%

Selected 50 50

High Schools

Participated Response rate

48

96%

43

86%

Overall *
90% 77%

*Overall Response Rate = School Response Rate * Student Response Rate

Participants by Grade (High School)

Year

Grade

9th

10th

11th

2003

32.0%

26.0%

22.1%

2005

32.6%

25.9%

22.0%

12th 19.8% 19.3%

Participants by Racial Group (High School)

Year

White

Black Hispanic Multiple races

2003

54.3% 37.3%

3.8%

1.5%

2005

52.1% 38.2%

5.8%

1.5%

Other 3.1% 2.4%

References

1 Georgia Lottery Corporation. (2006). Georgia Lottery Homepage. Accessed on July 25, 2006, from www.galottery.com 2 Hardoon K, Gupta R, Derevensky JL. (2004). Psychosocial variables associated with adolescent gambling. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(2), 170-9. 3 Winters KC, Stinchfield R, Fulkerson J. (1993). Patterns and characteristics of adolescent gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 9:371386. 4 Langhinrichsen-Rohling J, Rohde P, Seeley JR, Rohling ML. (2004). Individual, family, and peer correlates of adolescent gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20(1), 23-46. 5 Jacobs DF. (1989). Illegal and undocumented: a review of teenage gambling and the plight of children of problem gamblers in America, in Compulsive Gambling: Theory, Research, and Practice. Edited by Shaffer ET. Toronto, Lexington Books. 6 Griffiths M. (1995). Adolescent Gambling. London, Routledge. 7 Specker SK, Carlson GA, Edmonson KM, et al. (1996). Psychopathology in pathological gamblers seeking treatment. Journal of Gambling Studies 12:6778. 8 Slutske WS, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Poulton R. (2005). Personality and Problem Gambling: A Prospective Study of a Birth Cohort of Young Adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 769-775. 9 Nower L, Derevensky JL, Gupta R. (2004). The Relationship of Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Coping, and Substance Use in Youth Gamblers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(1), 4955. 10 Stinchfield R. (2001). A comparison of gambling by Minnesota Public School Students in 1992, 1995 and 1998. Journal of Gambling Studies, 17(4), 273-296. 11 Vachon J, Vitaro F, Wanner B, Tremblay RE. (2004). Adolescent Gambling: Relationships with Parent Gambling and Parenting Practices. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(4), 398401. 12 Kaminer V, Petry NM. (1999). Alcohol and drug abuse: Gambling behavior in youths: why we should be concerned. Psychiatric Services, 50, 167-168. 13 Shaffer H, LaBrie R, LaPlante D, Nelson S, Stanton M. (2004) The Road Less Traveled: Moving from Distribution to Determinants in the Study of Gambling Epidemiology. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 504-516. 14 Lynch WJ, Maciejewski PK, Potenza MN. (2004). Psychiatric Correlates of Gambling in Adolescents and Young Adults Grouped by Age at Gambling Onset. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61, 1116-1122. 15 Volberg R. (1996). Gambling and Problem Gambling among Georgia Adolescents. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Department of Human Resources. 16 Kanny D. (2006). 2005 Georgia Student Health Survey Report. Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, May 2006. Publication Number: DPH06/076HW. Accessed on June 21, 2006, from http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/epi/cdiee/2005%20Georgia%20Student%20Health%20Survey%20Report.pdf

This study was supported in part by an appointment to the Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Program administered by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement U60/CCU007277.
Suggested citation: Clarkson, LS. Epidemiology of Youth Gambling in Georgia. Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, April 2007. Publication Number: DPH07/085HW.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF YOUTH GAMBLING IN GEORGIA

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