14 Year Study Shows Problem Gambling Rates “Stable”

A study posted by the Poker Players Alliance on Tuesday that spans nearly the entire 14 year existence of online poker provides us with the first tangible proof that there is zero correlation between problem gambling rates and the proliferation of online gambling.

According to the study, problem gambling rates have remained stable from 1999-2013 despite the rise in popularity of online gambling during that time.

The Study, Gambling and Problem Gambling in the United States: Changes Between 1999 and 2013 was conducted via telephone conversation in 1999-2000 and again in 2011-2013 with the researchers using the same questions to determine if betting behavior had changed during that time.

According to the data collected, the only category where respondents indicated an increase in “past year participation rate” was in Internet Gambling (an unsurprising statistic considering online gambling was still in its infancy in 1999-2000), however, despite the rise of online gambling participation rates, there was no increase in problem gambling, with the researchers concluding problem gambling rates remained stable.

Despite the significant increase in participation as a percentage, Internet gambling rates rose to only 2.1% (from .3% in the 1999-2000 survey) of the population during that time. Comparing that to the participation rate of casinos (which decreased from 26.6% to 26.2%) or even something as unknown as the rarely seen Video Keno machines (which decreased from 7.4% to 6.2%), it becomes readily apparent that online gambling is not going to be a major factor in problem gambling rates at its current participation rates.

Basic methodology

Respondents were paid for their time (according to the research paper the average interview lasted 40 minutes) with participants in the 1999-2000 survey paid $25 and the participants in the 2011-2013 survey paid $30.

According to the research paper, 2,631 interviews were conducted for the 1999-2000 Survey of Gambling in the US (SOGUS1), and 2,963 interviews were conducted for the 2011–2013 survey.

A few other interesting takeaways from the study

• Frequency has decreased but amount wagered has increased
• Past year participation rates for young adults dropped significantly
• The already sizable gap between problem gambling males and females continued to widen