A study of gambling behaviour in the City of Windsor

Date
1995
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UMI
Abstract
A randomized telephone survey of gambling behaviour was carried out in the Metropolitan Windsor (Ontario) area. The survey, which was based on the South Oaks Gambling Screen, captured information on gambling activities, problem gambling behaviours and demographic characteristics. The lifetime prevalence of problem gambling and pathological gambling was found to be 2.6% and 1.6% respectively. The prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in the year previous to the study was found to be 1.4% and 0.8% respectively. Variables, such as attitude towards gambling, gender, family income and membership in a religious group were found to discriminate between gamblers and non-gamblers, but did not discriminate between non-problem gamblers, problem gamblers and pathological gamblers. Activity-related variables, such as percentage of family income spent on gambling and the number of different gambling activities engaged in, were found to discriminate between non-problem gamblers, problem gamblers and pathological gamblers. The number of different gambling activities engaged in declined with age, the percentage of family income spent on gambling activities remained constant with age, and the levels of problem and pathological gambling decreased with age. The decline in the levels of problem and pathological gambling with age appears to be due to increased control over gambling activities that develops with age. The implications of these findings are discussed.A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research through the Department of Psychology in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Windsor.
Description
Keywords
Problem gambling, Gambling--Ontario, Pathological gambling, South Oaks Gambling Screen, Gambling--Demographics, Gambling--Social issues
Citation