Gambling among Minnesota public school students from 1992 to 2007: declines in youth gambling

The specific aims of this study are twofold. First, measure 2007 rates of gambling and underage gambling among public school students. Second, compare rates of gambling, frequent gambling, and underage gambling from 1992 to 2007. The 2007 sample includes 40,605 male and 42,655 female Minnesota public school students enrolled in the 9th and 12th grades and similar sample sizes from 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2004. Students were administered the Minnesota Student Survey, a 126-item, anonymous, self-administered, paper-and-pencil questionnaire that inquires about multiple health-related content domains, including gambling behavior. In 2007, most students gambled at least once during the past year, however, most did not gamble frequently. Gambling participation has shown a gradual and consistent decline from 1992 to 2007 for both boys and girls. Underage gambling has also shown declines over time. Conversely, rates of frequent gambling (weekly or more often) have remained fairly stable over time. There have been two fluctuations of note, a peak in lottery play in 1998 and a peak in card playing in 2004 with subsequent declines in both.