Number of Iowans who gamble rises

DES MOINES - The number of Iowans who gamble jumped 9 percent from 2011 to 2013, according to a study published Tuesday.

People dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues were more likely to be at-risk for 'problem gambling,” the study also showed.

In 2013, more than 78 percent of adults said they had gambled in the past 12 months, according to the report prepared by the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Social and Behavioral Research for the Iowa Department of Public Health's Gambling Treatment Program. That was up 9 percent from the 2011 study.

Almost 1.8 million Iowans said they gambled at some point in the past 12 months, the study said.

Eric Preuss, manager of the state's gambling treatment program, said the 9 percent increase was the 'most significant piece of data” in the 258-page report.

'That would equate with some of the numbers reported by casinos, as far as revenue reported in that same time frame,” Preuss said.

Casino and lottery wagering was up in 2013 compared to 2011, the study showed. Casinos reported $1.44 billion in revenue in 2013 compared to $1.38 billion in 2011. The lottery reported $339 million in revenues in 2013 compared to $271 million in 2011.

Preuss said other factors for the increase in gambling activity could be the improving national economy or an increased public awareness of the types of activities that are considered gambling for the study's purposes.

The study included all forms of gambling, from gambling in casinos to card games with friends and family.

It found the most popular forms of gambling were, in order, lottery tickets, raffle tickets, scratch tickets and pull tabs, slot machines and card games with family or friends.

The study concluded that roughly 8,000 Iowans are considered 'problem gamblers,” meaning they exhibit at least four destructive gambling behaviors. Another 369,000 Iowans - roughly 16 percent of adults - exhibited at least one destructive gambling behavior and are considered 'at-risk.”

Examples of destructive behaviors include lying about gambling behavior or losses to a significant other or having constant thoughts about the next gamble, said Dr. Ki Park, a senior research analyst with UNI's Center for Social and Behavioral Research. Park wrote the study with recently retired center director Gene Lutz.

Iowans who used alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs, or became drunk in the past 12 months, were more likely to be considered at-risk gamblers, the study said.

'That is very consistent with many gambling studies,” Park said. 'Those who have substance abuse problems, who are suffering from mental health issues, are more likely to be a problem gambler compared to the average population,” Park said. 'That helps us understand, we have to be careful.”

The study involved 1,826 interviews from September 2013 to December 2013.

'Read the study: 'Gambling attitudes and behaviors: A 2013 survey of adult Iowans”

A D U L T I O W A N S

Prevalence of gambling

'93.4 percent of adult Iowans have gambled sometime in their life

'77.8 percent have gambled during the past 12 months

'46.4 percent have gambled during the past 30 days

'1.8 million gambled during the past 12 months

'6.6 percent never gambled

'29.8 percent reported that they know a person with gambling problems.

'17.7 percent have been negatively affected by friend, co-worker, family members or someone else caused by gambling.

Games we play

The types of gambling activities adult Iowans most often engaged in at least once during the past 12 months, ranked in order of popularity, are:

'1 Lottery tickets

'2 Raffle tickets

'3 Scratch tickets and/or pull-tabs

'4 Slot machines

'5 Card games with friends, family members or others - not at a casino

Source: Iowa Department of Public Health