Oregon Problem Gambling Helpline

Problem gambling and older adults

The rate of problem gambling among Oregonian adults ages 65 and over is 1.2 percent, lower than any other age group in Oregon (Moore, 2001b); however, older adults who play at gambling facilities are six times more likely to be problem gamblers than other older adults randomly chosen from the same community, and 3.7 times as likely to be probable pathological gamblers (McNeilly & Burke, 2000)
Older adults are considered at increased risk due to factors such as loneliness, isolation, physical or mental illness, that are often more common to that population than among other age groups; additionally, in one study of older adults, the most likely reported motivations to gamble were: relaxation, boredom, passing time, and getting away for the day (McNeilly & Burke, 2000)
Compared to those older adults surveyed from senior centers, older adults surveyed from bingo events had higher South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) scores and greater gambling frequency and expenditures (Ladd, Molina, Kerins, & Petry, 2003)
Among adults over 65 years of age, gambling is the most frequently identified social activity (McNeilly & Burke, 2001)
From 1975 to 1997, the number of American adults 65 years of age or older that had ever gambled increased by 45 percent (NORC, 1999)

Among adults over 65 years of age, gambling is the most frequently identified social activity.