OCA Continues Interview with Problem Gambling Expert Keith Whyte
Yesterday, Online Casino Advisory began a series of three articles detailing a conversation with Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. The first installment dealt with defining problem gambling; this, the second, will discuss the realities of problem gambling in the US.
Whyte says that a specific percentage of the general population carries warning signs of compulsive gambling. That level, consistent over years and changes to loosen or tighten gaming laws, runs at 2 to 3 percent. Of that number, somewhere between a half and a third become pathological gamblers, approximately 1 percent of the overall population.
Among the discoveries made by research into problem gambling is that different forms of gambling do not cause different levels of compulsion. Whyte says that online casinos have not caused "any huge surge in problem gambling," an assertion consistent with Howard Shaffer's conclusions at the Division of Addictions at Harvard Medical School.
This leads to Whyte explaining the difference in gambling form is not nearly important in diagnosing potential compulsion as "how and why the subject gambles." Whyte notes that alcoholics may drink beer, wine, or liquor, and still suffer from the disease; the same is true of problem gamblers, whether it be Internet slots, lottery tickets, or sports betting with the local bookie.
The NCPG uses a test of ten questions to help individuals determine if they are in danger of becoming problem gamblers. If any of the questions receives a positive answer, it is considered a warning sign. If five or more are positive, this indicates the existence of pathological gambling.
The questions include such queries as "have you ever borrowed money to gamble?", "have you spent money intended for bills on gambling?", "have you lost sleep worried about gambling?", and "have you made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling?".
Whyte emphasized a true diagnosis should be made by trained and credentialed counselors, but that the series of questions allows for the revelation that a counselor should be consulted.
The interview continues tomorrow, with the concluding section covering Whyte's discussion of the ways to help problem gamblers, what is presently being done in the US, and what more needs to happen in the future. If anyone feels they may have a gambling problem, call the NCPG help-line at 1-800-522-4700.
Recent Comments
| Posted by: billy bob | When: 07/08/2009 10:07:47 PM EST |
| This and the past article with Mr. Whyte are informative and interesting, however, I feel that the proper questions are not being addressed and the details are very incomplete. I respect Mr.Whyte for what he is doing, however, taking a stance not for or against gambling is inconsistant with problem gambling. Problem gambling is not unlike any other addiction. That does not mean that there should be laws against these activities. The government should be more focused on treating the 1% or less of the population that has addiction problems, regardless of what that addiction may be. It is time Mr. Whyte, that you tske a stand that is pro-addiction treating, help enable the government to enact laws that can help identify these potential problem gamblers and aid them in getting the proper assistance they need to get right. | |
| Posted by: Joshua McCarthy | When: 07/08/2009 11:38:33 PM EST |
| Billy Bob, perhaps you should read the third part in the series, about NCPG's commitment to therapy and bills to help problem gamblers, before responding. Also, you should educate yourself on the subject, so you don't reveal your lack of knowledge when you try to address it. For instance, you repeatedly speak of addiction; yet, if you consult the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Volume IV, you'll see that there is no classification for addiction, that there are substance abuse disorders and impulse control disorders. Mr. Whyte is speaking as a scientist, taking an objective viewpoint, while you seem full of the street misinformation and mythology he is out to debunk. Perhaps if you read the third segment tomorrow, you'll begin to realize how little you know on the subject, even though you clearly have opinions. | |
