[Characteristics of pathological gamblers in Argentina]

To describe the characteristics of a series of identified cases of pathological gamblers in the Province of Buenos Aires.

A group under study was composed of 62 cases (45 men and 17 women) of pathological gamblers in Self-help Groups in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentine, who were submitted to questionnaire. It was corroborated that all the subjects surpassed the diagnostic threshold of the South Oaks Gambling Screen -SOGS-. The data were collected by means of 55-item questionnaire which was done in written and anonymously. A pre-test with an informed participant, a Coordinator of the Self-help Group, who at the same time mediated the informed consent of the Self-help Group, was performed with the first version of the questionnaire.

The survey group mean age was 48 and they started gambling at the age of 25 and had financial troubles at the age of 33. Women starting age of gambling was at significantly older age than that of the men (35 years vs. 23). In general, the survey group had high educational or occupational level. Of the total amount of the survey group, 43.5 % informed that they practiced only one type of betting games and 24.2 % stated that casino was a preferred game. Women showed their preferences for slot-machines and bingo and men for casino, horse-racing and cards. Besides, 12.6 % of the survey group had alcohol problems and 84 % had smoking habits. We also detected high prevalence of affective disorders, suicide thoughts and attempts as well as financial and marital troubles. An important part of our findings coincide with those found in other countries, but with some specific local characteristics related to the gambling preferences and its association to smoking.