Nov 2007
Seniors are great customers of casinos, but gambling can be addictive
Anyone who has been to a casino has noticed that older adults are in the majority at the slot machines or other gaming tables. According to the National Gambling Impact Study, the number of American seniors who had recently gambled jumped from 20 percent in 1964 to 50 percent in 1998. The appeal of gambling (or gaming as we refer to it in Nevada) to seniors is obvious. It is fun, social, good food at a reasonable cost, and hours of entertainment at relatively little cost – depending, of course, on how much money you gamble and lose.
Many retirees have leisure time on their hands and look to the casinos as a form of socialization. Those who frequent the casinos often get to know the staff and think of them as friends. For some seniors, the casino may offer an escape from the problems of life, be they physical or mental. However, the draw of winning and becoming rich quick can lead to financial troubles, even addiction.
The majority of seniors, like the majority of all people, can enjoy gaming as a form of recreation. But some seniors can be at an increased risk for gambling problems. Also, elders tend to be self-reliant. They may not seek help or know where to seek help if their gambling gets out of hand.
So how do you know if you or your loved one is addicted to gambling? Beyond the Game: Nevada Seniors & Problem Gambling is an educational program developed by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT) to help determine if a problem exists and then direct one to help. The DVD and accompanying booklet were designed to raise awareness and educate seniors and those who work with them about problem gambling among seniors. CASAT collaborated with the Sanford Center for Aging to evaluate the materials for use with seniors, and worked with CASAT to refine the educational products (DVD and booklet).
The scariest part of being older and developing a gambling addition is you have less time to recoup your losses, be they financial or personal relationships. The National Council on Problem Gambling concluded, “There is a strong association between problem gambling and suicide.”
To its credit, the gaming industry has supported efforts to address gambling addiction. The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, funded by the Nevada Resort Association, operates a 24-hour Problem Gamblers Helpline (800-522-4700), among other outreach efforts.
Two real stories illustrated in the DVD provide a window into problem gambling and seniors:
It was the excitement, the challenge that attracted Bill to gambling, he recalls. “Every time I placed a bet or played cards with people, I felt that challenge to beat them, like in a sports complex. I didn’t want to lose. I wanted to win constantly.”
Of course, no one who gambles wins constantly. But Bill had to learn the hard way.
One of his lowest points, he says, came when he gambled away the family Christmas fund and had to tell his wife. But still he couldn’t stop. He says he would scrape together money from wherever he could find it to feed his addiction. Finally, one day after a heated argument with his wife over his gambling activity, he simply told her he would take care of it.
“I went to my shop to hang myself,” he recalls. “I got a rope and tied it with a noose knot, threw rope over rafter. I felt low at that time. I figured I better ask my God of my understanding to forgive me for about what I was going to do.”
“Bill,” not his real name, is one of the older adults portrayed in the CASAT educational program DVD. He’s one of untold numbers of people in his age group who have experienced problems with gambling. He’s one of the luckier ones, since through treatment, he’s on the path to recovery.
Another recovering senior problem gambler in the CASAT production recalls how he tried to self-limit his gambling after he began losing. “I would say, ‘I’m only going to bet so much money today. If I lose this money I’ll quit.’ The only thing that did was to get me to walk a lot because as soon as I’d lost whatever I’d taken in, I’d walk back to the car to get some more.”
If you’re afraid that your gambling is getting out of hand, or if you know or are living with a compulsive gambler, don’t wait and hope the problem goes away. Call the Helpline at 1-800-522- 4700.
Beyond the Game educational program DVD and accompanying booklet were designed to raise awareness and educate seniors and those who work with them about problem gambling among seniors. The program is supported by a grant from the state Department of Health and Human Services. For more information or to obtain an educational kit, contact Stephanie Asteriadis, CASAT coordinator, at (775) 784-6336 or sasteriadis@casat.org.
(Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D., is director of the University of Nevada, Reno Sanford Center for Aging and an adjunct associate professor of medicine. He welcomes your comments on this column. Write to him at weisslj@unr.edu or c/o Sanford Center for Aging, Mail Stop 146, Reno, NV 89557-0146.)