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COMMON CENTS
Senior Problem Gambling: Trends, Prevention, and Treatment

Produced and Distributed By:
CT DMHAS Compulsive Gambling Treatment Program
CT Council on Problem Gambling

February 2001 , Volume II, Issue 1

Welcome to COMMON CENTS, a quarterly newsletter. Our mission is to address the issue of senior problem gambling in Connecticut. We hope to open a dialogue with other similarly concerned Nutmeggers by eliciting and responding to your questions and comments in the areas of identification, prevention, and treatment of senior problem gambling.

Recent Research Findings
Between 1975 and 1997 the number of American adults 65 years of age or older that had ever gambled increased by 45% (1).

The percentage of women 65 years of age or older who had ever gambled rose from 1994 to 1998 by 20% (1).

Gambling is the most frequently identified social activity among adults 65 years of age and older (2).

Older adult patrons at gambling facilities are 3.5 times as likely to be "at risk" for problem gambling than other older adults randomly chosen from the same community, are 6 times as likely to be "problem gamblers", and 3.7 times as likely to be "probable pathological gamblers (3)."

1 NORC, 1999, Gambling Impact and Behavior Study. Chicago: University of Chicago.
2 McNeilly, D.P. and Burke, W.J. (2001). Casino Gambling as a Social Activity of Older Adults. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 52(1):19-28.
3McNeilly, D.P. & Burke, W.J (2000). Late Life Gambling:The Attitudes and Behaviors of Older Adults. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16 (4): 393-415.

SAVE THE DATES! April 3, 2001
Problem Gambling and Connecticut Seniors: Symposium 2001. A one-day educational event at UCONN Health Center for professionals who provide social services to older adults in Connecticut.

HELPLINE: 1-800-34 NOBET

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services Compulsive Gambling Treatment Program (CGTP) provides professional treatment for compulsive gamblers and their families at nine locations throughout the State of Connecticut.

ABOUT THE SPONSORS
The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) is a private, non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the prevalence and impact of problem and compulsive gambling on individuals, families, and society. The CCPG operates a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential problem gambling Helpline, a service that offers information and referrals to problem gamblers and those affected by them.

Connecticut Research
Here in Connecticut, two research projects are currently underway. The Connecticut Senior Gambling Project is conducting a Senior Care Provider Needs Assessment Survey. Surveys were mailed to agencies that provide care to older adults in Connecticut. Program directors were asked to provide information on the usefulness of Common Cents, their personal observations and opinions of senior problem gambling, their opinions of the level of concern among seniors of problem gambling, and the type of senior problem gambling services or resources needed their communities.

The University of Connecticut Health Center is presently recruiting older adults to participate in a Senior Gambling Study. Researchers would like to speak with Connecticut seniors who share either one of these opinions: "I like to gamble" or "I do not like to gamble". Participants can expect to spend one to two hours providing general, health, and gambling information to researchers. Participants will receive twenty-dollar gift certificates for participation in this study. For information on the Senior Gambling Study, telephone the University of Connecticut Health Center at 877-400-0570.

Save the Date! May 15, 2001

6th New England Conference on Problem Gambling
Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, Marlboro, MA

ADVISORY PANEL
Jane Barry, Attorney at Law
Thomas Hardin, Senior Center Director
Annette P., Recovering Compulsive Gambler
Merle S., Recovering Compulsive Gambler

Please cite COMMON CENTS as the source of this quote.

"There is a wisdom in the body that is older and more reliable than clocks and calendars." ~John H. Johnson