FACTS

• Oregon
• National

Oregon

"There are about sixty thousand adult Oregonians with a problem. We’re now seeing over two thousand people a year. Last year the number went up 10%.” Jeff Marotta runs Oregon’s gambling addiction program. (More women than men hooked on gambling in Oregon, 11/17/06)

" ... in the past nine years, the number of women compared with men seeking treatment for gambling addiction has increased from 37.2 percent of the total in 1996 to 52.3 percent last year." (Webkeeper's note: There were no casinos in Oregon before 1995) (Oregon lottery's unlucky numbers, Oregonian, 11/12/06)

As predicted by numerous national studies, it took less than two years of casino operation for gambling addiction to raise its ugly head in the small, coastal town of Florence, Oregon Notice in local newspaper: "Gamblers Anonymous is coming to Florence. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 12th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be located at Emergence, ****. here in Florence. For more information contact Don at 902-****." (Siuslaw News, Florence, Oregon 8/30/06, "Gamblers Anonymous coming to Florence")

An estimated 60,000 people in Oregon are problem gamblers, Marotta says. About 1 percent of the state's adult population is believed to suffer from pathological gambling, an impulse control disorder listed by the American Psychiatric Association since 1980. About half of the people treated in state-funded programs worked full time, with an average income of $35,317. About 40 percent of those receiving treatment were married and owned their own home. More than 6 percent of the clients treated in 2003-04 say they had attempted suicide. (Oregon to offer inpatient treatment, 7/23/06)

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National

A pilot study conducted by the Veterans Administration of Central California found that pathological gambling is more prevalent among military veterans than in the general population and may be associated with combat-related PTSD. A study of veterans undergoing treatment for PTSD showed a rate of problem gambling as high as 17 percent. Data for 120 subjects were analyzed. Seventy-five percent of those studied were 56 to 60 years old, 92 percent were combat veterans, 80 % were Vietnam vets and 75 % had a VA diagnosis of PTSD. (Pentagon slots - VA addiction study, 12/11/07)

According to the National Council on Problem Gaming, 18- to 24-year-olds show the highest rate of gambling addiction. Gamblers Anonymous estimates that there are more than 12 million compulsive gamblers in the United States. The average compulsive gambler is more than $80,000 in debt. (Florida Attorney General: Statistics show crime rate rises with casinos, 10/4/07)

Research shows that people living within 50 miles of a casino are twice as likely to fall victim to compulsive gambling. Studies estimate that at least 3% of US adults have a compulsion to gamble so severe that it can lead to obsession, lying, illegal acts, and failed relationships. (Hooked in shadow of casinos, 9/25/07)

The theft made victims of Duffer's employer, co-workers and her family, (Florida Visitors) Bureau employees have had to pay back taxes since Duffer stole the withholdings from paychecks. Her 68-year-old husband George, who handed the family finances over to Donna after he had a heart attack, had to sell their home and move into a trailer. (8/5/07 - Compulsive gambling leads to $1.6 million theft)

According to one study, 70% of older Americans said they'd participated in some kind of gambling over the past year. But for women, the stakes are becoming disastrously high. The lure of gambling -- it's an age-old stereotype that says men are drawn in by the chance to make a quick score. But women are flocking to casinos and placing their life savings on the line with devastating consequences. (7/25/07, Senior women gamble life savings) Also see: AARP Bulleton on Gambling

Gambling addiction counselors say unplugging the Iowa Lottery's TouchPlay games has made a big difference in Iowa's gambling climate. They say, when the legislature banned the machines last March, the calls to gambling treatment hotlines dropped off. The machines were in more than 6,000 grocery stores, bars and convenience stores. A counselor for gambling addicts calls them as "the crack cocaine of gambling."
( 10/12/06, Decrease in Gambling Treatment Calls Attributed to End of TouchPlay http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5531472&nav=2HAB )

The 2006 report by the California attorney general's office concludes "the annual cost of adult pathological gamblers in California is an estimated $489 million and the annual cost of adult problem gamblers is an estimated $509 million." "These costs derive from a number of social and personal problems that correlate with problem gambling, including crime, unpaid debts and bankruptcy, mental illness, substance abuse, unemployment and public assistance," it says. In addition, crime rates are higher near gambling establishments, and problem gamblers are more likely to commit violent crimes. An alarming number of problem gamblers, nearly half, are youths. (Legislators press ahead, 8/2/3/06, Report by California Attorney General, 2006: http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/06/04/06-004.pdf

The Washington State Council on Problem Gambling estimates 5% of Washington adults are or have been problem gamblers and 8.4% of the state's teenagers either are now or are "at risk of becoming problem gamblers." (Washington mega-casino proposed, 7/9/06)

Casinos can pick who wins, how much, and when - Unlike Nevada, in Oregon casinos, there are NO laws about the minimum amount a slot machine must pay, or whether or not a casino can change the odds while the customer is playing. With the new technology, casinos in Oregon are free to choose which player wins, how much they win, and when they win - all quietly from the back room. Is this why they call it 'gaming', instead of gambling? (Casinos can pick who wins - - from the back room, 4/12/06)

6/19/06 - Children ring gambling hotline - A new help phone for compulsive gamblers has uncovered an unexpected problem, with children as young as 11 calling in for help with their addiction. Children as young as 11 years of age have called in to admit they are addicted to gambling. "They (the children) talk about personal problems, depression, and always being penniless. Their gambling addiction isolates them, and when they call us they do it secretly, so that their parents shouldn't know," said Thore Paulsen, daily manager of the hotline. Paulsen said that these children were very evasive when asked where they find the money to support their compulsion. Atle Hamar of the Lottery Commission is less surprised, and claimed that studies indicate that 3.2 percent of those between the ages of 11 and 19 have a serious addiction to gambling. (Norway, Children ring gambling hotline 6/19/06)

"They're taking money from their kids' college funds. I've seen cases of parents breaking into their kids' piggy banks so they can gamble." Renee Wert, gambling addiction counselor - - "People are more willing to admit they're drug users than gamblers."
Mark Farrell, Amherst Town Gambling Court judge. (Hidden Costs of Gambling 4/17/06)

Jeff Marotta, manager of a (Oregon) state-sponsored services program for problem gamblers, says a "large number" of video poker players are problem gamblers. Several studies have suggested that from 35 percent to 50 percent of revenue from video gambling devices comes from problem gamblers, Marotta says. When video lottery retailers "talk about 'loyal players,' in large part what they're talking about is people who have an addiction to these games," Marotta says. ( 08/30/05 - Oregon Lottery outlet lures unlikely gamblers)

"Seven in 10 of those seeking treatment played the Oregon Lottery's video poker, which is available at about 2,000 outlets. But the number coming into the program from casinos operated by Oregon's Indian tribes went up 8% in 2003 from 10% of the total to 18%." (Commentary on Oregon Department of Human Services Report on problem gambling treatment. - 9/6/04, The Register-Guard )

Oregonians entering treatment for problem gambling during the 2001-2003 biennium increased 44 percent from the previous biennium, according to an annual Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) update on problem gambling services. The report also said actions to expand gambling are expected to increase the incidence of problem and pathological gambling. (8/31/04, Oregon Department of Human Services)

Casinos are ravaging the personal finances of too many people, cultivating a new class of unlikely criminals, victimizing neighboring governments and companies, and destroying lives and families. The bodies are getting harder to hide. When Foxwoods opened in 1992, there was one state-funded clinic that treated problem gamblers.Today, there are 17 state-funded counseling sites, according to Christopher Armentano, director of problem gambling services for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. (Raw Deal, 5/1/05, Jeff Benedict)

The (video) machines are built to allow people to bet very, very quickly. The average video gambler can make at least one bet every five seconds. In addition, the machines make it easy for people to bet more money than they can afford. Video gamblers can bet $4.50 every five seconds on a five-cent machine. (http://www.lifespan.org/Services/MentalHealth/RIH/Gambling/Research/)

"Slot machines have a different impact on the brain than other forms of gambling," Howard Shaffer says. Unlike table games, which are played in groups, slots are played in isolation, and therefore they lack the same safeguards social situations provide. "And because the video form is faster than the mechanical form, they hold the potential to behave in the fashion of psychostimulants, like cocaine or amphetamines. They energize and de-energize the brain in more rapid cycles. The faster on, faster off, the greater the risk." Anti-gambling activists refer to slots as "the crack cocaine of gambling." (The Tug of the Newfangled Slot Machines, New York Times Magazine, 5/9/04)

From 25 to 50 percent of a casino's profits can come from fleecing people who can't control their gambling. Casinos are fundamentally predatory. (Hellish Landscape of Losers, Bret Fromson, 5/11/04)

In Oregon, 36 percent of problem gamblers identified casinos as their preferred type of gambling, making casinos more popular among gambling addicts than either the state’lottery (18 percent) or video poker (13 percent).(Casinos in Alabama, Alabama Policy Institute, 2004) John R. Hill, Ph.D., February 2004)

One of four people whose gambling included VLTs were at-risk or problem gamblers, confirming the much-reported notion that VLTs are the "crack cocaine" of gambling. Those who bought only lottery tickets had the lowest chance of becoming problem gamblers. (Problem Gambling, Statistics Canada, 12/12/03)

13% of gamblers are problem or pathological gamblers. 18% are at-risk for developing a gambling addiction. (The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Final Report, June 1999.)

Each new addict incurs annual costs to society of between $13,600 - $52,000. (Ronald A. Reno "You Bet Your Life" Focus on the Family Citizen Link website)

"Experts outside the gambling industry estimate that people with gambling addictions account for about 5% of all players - - but 25% of casino and state lottery profits." (1998 PBS and WGBH - FRONTLINE )

20% of compulsive gamblers attempt suicide. (The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Final Report, June 1999.)

100% of compulsive gamblers become physically abusive, especially towards children. (Valerie C. Lorenz, Ph.D.., CCMHC, CPC Executive Director, Compulsive Gambling Center, Inc.)

Teens are three times as likely as adults to become addicted to gambling, once exposed. (Durand Jacobs, Loma Linda, University Medical School)

"The single most important reason legal gambling has become so incredibly profitable and popular ... is computerized video technology. This technology has produced the most addictive form of gambling in history: video gambling. For this reason, some people call video lottery terminals (VLTs) - video slots, poker, keno, and other games - the 'crack cocaine' of gambling." (Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital's "Lifespan" Research)

"Four to eight per cent of adolescents throughout the U.S. and Canada have a serious gambling problem they are considered pathological gamblers. Another 10 to 15 per cent are at risk of becoming pathological gamblers. The social costs are huge." (Dr. Jeffery Derevensky, 1997)

• Oregon Department of Human Services' Problem Gambling Services
  
• Gamblers Anonymous
  
• Lane County, Oregon - Problem Gambling Prevention
  
• Oregon Problem Gambling Treatment Providers
  
• Co-Conspirators in Tragedy Oregonian Editorial about Video Gambling
  
• USPACT