Gambling and Aging- An Overview of a Risky Behavior

This narrative review provides an overview of the existing literature (129 research articles) on gambling among older adults and offers perspectives on how aging can affect decision-making and thus gambling for this population.

Quantitative

• 49.3% of 55–64 year olds had gambled in 2019.
• 37.6% of 65–75 year olds had gambled in 2019.
• Of people over 60:
  • • ♦  79.5% say they gamble for entertainment,
    • ♦  62.7% say they gamble to win money.
• The most common reasons reported by casino gamblers over 65:
  • • ♦ 68.1% are to relax,
    • ♦ 43. 7% to go away for the day,
    • ♦ 42.7% to pass the time, and
    • ♦ 30% to relieve boredom.

Qualitative

• Gambling is an activity that relies on chance and in which someone risks money in order to win.
• Gambling is increasingly part of the daily lives of people from many cultures, and is of concern to the World Health Organization itself.
• Gambling is a concern among this population particularly because of the severity of the consequences directly related to gambling:
  • • ♦ Financial loss,
    • ♦ Debt accumulation, and
    • ♦ Illegal behaviors (forging, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling)
• The prevalence of gambling disorder is greater in casino games such as slot machines than in lotteries.
• Recreational gambling among older adults is associated with positive outcomes in terms of cognitive stimulation socialization, health, and well-being..

Characteristics of Older Gamblers

• Prefer non-strategic games over strategic games [22,56], such as lotto or casino games like slot machines.
• More self-determined reasons for gambling (intrinsic motivations) are associated with greater participation in gambling.
• The emotional vulnerability may be induced by losses of:
  • • ♦ Role,
    • ♦ Loved ones,
    • ♦ Income, and/or
    • ♦ Physical abilities.

Motivations to Gamble

• Entertainment and pleasure are universal motivations of aging individuals to participate in gambling.
• The motivation to gamble for older Americans include:
  • • ♦ Fun,
    • ♦ Thrill of winning,
    • ♦ Escape,
    • ♦ Socialization, and
    • ♦ Curiosity.

Marketing

• Older adults are the target of many marketing campaigns.
• Ads presented gambling offers as the perfect answer to seniors’ needs (organized service road to casinos, first bet offered, and promise of socialization).

Gender

• Female gamblers began regular gambling at age 55.
• Male gamblers began regular gambling before age 30.

Risk Factors

• Isolation
• Exposure to gambling
• Pre-existing impulsivity
• Gambling habituation
• Unresolved losses
• Co-morbidities (tobacco and alcohol dependence)
• Depression
• Fixed income

Protective Factors

• Awareness of gambling risks.
• Budgeting time and money.

Conclusion

• Gamblers over the age of 60 can develop cognitive and behavioral strategies to prevent them from falling into gambling disorder [71] and to keep their gambling under control. This involves keeping in mind:
  • • ♦ The real dangers of gambling,
    • ♦ Being aware that the odds are stacked against one,
    • ♦ Never considering oneself lucky.
• Support for preventing problem gambling include:
  • • ♦ Only taking a predefined amount of money,
    • ♦  Not gambling alone,
    • ♦ Stopping and not reinvesting one’s winnings, and
    • ♦ Optimizing one’s gambling time by betting small sums.
• Treatment effects are not immediate, but improvements in gamblers’ quality of life and decreases in stress, anxiety, depression, gambling frequency, and wagering amounts are seen at three, six, and twelve months.

Recommendations

Prevention

• Education and support older adults to regulate their gambling by:
  • • ♦ Only taking a predefined amount of money,
    • ♦ Not gambling alone,
    • ♦ Not reinvesting one’s winnings, and
    • ♦ Optimizing one’s gambling time by betting small sums.

Treatment

• To increase the effectiveness of therapeutic treatment:
  • • ♦ Build family and other social supports
    • ♦ Use interventions that use a manual.
    • ♦ Combine cognitive-behavioral therapy with mindfulness or Gamblers Anonymous support group sessions.

Research

• • ♦ More research is needed, particularly with the aging populations.