Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders & Gambling Data

Here, you’ll find a summary of problem gambling research data specific to Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders from our Resource Library. For more information click research citation links.

For quick reference, data topic categories on this webpage include:

• General Co-Occurring SUD Data
• Aging/Older Adult Data
• Black American Data
• College and Young Adult Data
• Gender Data
• Socioeconomic Data
• Sports Betting Data
• Treatment Data
• Underage Gambling Data
• Veteran Data
• Women Data
• Risk Factors
• Research Recommendations

 

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General Co-Occurring SUD Data

2021

• 94% of people with gambling problems will have at least one cooccurring mental health or addiction disorder (including alcohol and nicotine dependence, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder) (Pricel et al., 2021).

2019

• There is an increased likelihood of alcohol or illicit drug use while gambling compared with that for non-problem gambler sports betters (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

2013

• Gambling in the past year is more prevalent (75%) than drinking any alcohol in the past year (60%) (Barnes et al, 2013).
• 75% of respondents reported gambling in the past year (Barnes et al, 2013).
  • A higher rate than drinking any alcohol (60%) in the past year
    (Barnes et al, 2013).

2005

• The prevalence rate of pathological gambling co-occurring disorders include: (Petry et al., 2005)
  • 2% had an alcohol use disorder.
  • 4% had nicotine dependence.
  • 1% had a drug use disorder.
• “A large majority of the associations between pathological gambling and substance use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders were overwhelmingly positive and significant.” (Petry et al., 2005).

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Aging/ Older Adults

2019

• Older adults with alcohol use disorder or tobacco use disorder, whose general health is impaired, may seek relaxation or excitement from readily available gambling opportunities (though the practice of gambling is in itself a stress factor) (Morgane, 2019).
• Individuals over 65 years of age struggling with problem gambling have significantly increased risk of alcohol use disorder and were more frequently tobacco dependent (Morgane, 2019).
• Life-long problem gambling was associated with(Morgane, 2019):
  • Substance use disorders (alcohol, illicit substances),
  • Psychiatric disorders: mood disorders (depression, dysthymia, mania, hypomania), and
  • Anxiety disorders or avoidant personality disorder.

 

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*View Black Community data summary*

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Co-Occurring SUD College & Young Adult

2013

• Gambling and drinking are highest within the 22–30-year age group (Barnes et al., 2013).

2009

• 6 times more likely to be dependent on alcohol or drugs (Task Force on College Gambling Policies, 2009).
• 5x times more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs (Task Force on College Gambling Policies, 2009).
• Gambling and gambling problems among this age group are highly correlated with other risky behaviors, including binge drinking (Task Force on College Gambling Policies, 2009).

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Gender Data

2013

• Rates of gambling and drinking in the past year is consistent for both (Barnes et al., 2013):
  • Males (81% vs. 62% respectively), and
  • Females (70% and 57% respectively).
• Males have 2x the rate of frequent and problem gambling, and heavy drinking and alcohol abuse, than females (Barnes et al., 2013).
• Alcohol abuse is highly prevalent for males and young people, in particular, across neighborhoods of all types (Barnes et al., 2013).

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Socioeconomic Data

2021

• Gambling problems stem from complex and diverse social and economic factors, which may be complicated by the high rate of comorbid health conditions (Pricel et al., 2021).

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Sports Betting Data

2019

• Sports wagering in private increasing the ease of substance use while gambling, which may negatively impact on decision making (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• There is an increased likelihood of alcohol or illicit drug use while gambling compared with that for non-PGSBs(Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Frequent gamblers report higher rates of psychological distress and mental health issues compared with non-frequent gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• They have an increased likelihood of substance use (alcohol and drugs) (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Treatment Data

2021

• Gambling problems stem from complex and diverse social and economic factors, which may be complicated by the high rate of comorbid health conditions (Pricel et al., 2021).
• It may be that by treating the gambling problem, there will be a positive impact on comorbid conditions, or vice versa(Pricel et al., 2021).
• There is an opportunity for health professionals to screen for gambling problems when people present with mental health and substance use disorders (Pricel et al., 2021).

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Co-Occurring SUD Underage Gambling Data

2015

• 85% of youth say their parents feel it’s wrong for them to gamble (OASAS, 2015).  This is in comparison to:
  • 97% say their parents feel it’s wrong for them to smoke tobacco,
  • 97% say their parents feel it’s wrong for them to use a prescription drug not prescribed to you,
  • 95% say their parents feel it’s wrong for them to 1-2 drinks daily, and
  • 93% say their parents feel it’s wrong for them to smoke marijuana.

 

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Co-Occurring SUD Veteran Data

2020

• Gambling Disorder is frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders (Etuk et al., 2020).

2019

• High sensation seeking veterans experiment more with drugs, and they also seek stimulation in drinking, smoking, and sexual activities (Breivik et al., 2019).

 

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*View Women data summary*

*View Gender Comparison data summary*

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Co-Occurring SUD Risk Factors Data

• Those with a substance use disorder (OASAS, 2020).

Veteran Risk Factors

• Alcohol dependence and higher risk drinking (Dighton, 2023).
• Co-occurring mental health conditions (Metcalf et al., 2023) (Dighton, 2023) (Metcalf et al, 2022) (Task Force on College Gambling Policies, 2009)
• Symptoms of PTSD (Metcalf et al, 2022).

 

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Researched Recommendations

• Develop network of stakeholders to access and assess gambling related data to work towards a common public health goal to identify gambling problems at earlier stages and respond in a concerted manner to reduce or prevent harm from occurring disorders (Pricel et al., 2021).
• Form a basis to address population gambling-related health problems by developing integrated approaches to where gambling harm intersects with other public health issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, poverty, etc. (Pricel et al., 2021).
• Age- and gender-targeted prevention and intervention strategies are warranted to reduce the serious consequences of gambling among young adult males in the U.S. population (Barnes, 2017).

 

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