Seniors and gambling : exploring the issues

Abstract

While many seniors have lived the majority of their lives in a society that has treated gambling activities conservatively, today gambling is legalized, accepted, and mainstream entertainment. Some, such as the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (1997) suggest that as high as 5 percent of seniors who gamble are compulsive gamblers. However, there is not a substantial base of research explaining the relationship of increased leisure time to seniors gambling or the extent to which seniors are at risk of becoming addicted to gambling. To better understand seniors and gambling, the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) contracted Howard Research to conduct a two-phase research study to explore 1. What are the gambling attitudes and behaviours of seniors? 2. What prevention and intervention strategies are most effective for seniors? 3. How universal among Alberta seniors are the answers to questions one and two?