Pathological and nonpathological gamblers: a survey in gambling settings

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Gambling behavior and its pathological forms are increasingly recognized globally.
• Limited research exists on gambling patterns and related issues in Brazil.
• Understanding specific gambling preferences can inform public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the lifetime gambling activities of pathological and non-pathological gamblers in Brazil.
• To compare the types of games played by different gambler profiles.
• To explore help-seeking behaviors and perceptions of gambling as a mental health problem.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 171 gamblers at bingo, video poker, and horse-racing clubs in São Paulo.
• Utilized the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and a custom questionnaire.
• Comparative analysis between pathological and non-pathological gambling groups.

Main Results:

• Pathological gamblers showed higher lifetime engagement in cards, horse racing, video poker, and dice compared to non-pathological gamblers.
• No significant differences were found for socially acceptable games like lotteries, bingo, sports, and stock market.
• Higher lifetime tobacco consumption was noted in pathological gamblers; drug consumption otherwise showed no significant group differences.
• Only 4.9% of all surveyed gamblers had sought help for gambling-related issues.

Conclusions:

• Specific gambling activities are more prevalent among pathological gamblers.
• Socially accepted gambling forms do not differentiate between pathological and non-pathological gamblers.
• The low rate of help-seeking suggests a societal under-perception of gambling problems as a mental health concern in Brazil.