Increased requests for help by problem gamblers: data from a gambling crisis telephone hotline

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gambling Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• The establishment of new gambling venues can impact problem gambling rates.
• Understanding caller demographics and problem gambling modes is crucial for intervention.
• The opening of New Zealand's second casino provides a unique opportunity to study these impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the rate and profile of calls to a national gambling hotline.
• To compare call data from the six months before and after the opening of Auckland's second casino.
• To identify trends in problem gambling modes and caller demographics.

Main Methods:

• Collated and analyzed hotline data for the year ended July 31, 1996.
• Examined trends, gambler profiles, and reported problem gambling modes.
• Compared data from the periods before and after the casino's opening.

Main Results:

• New caller numbers increased by 62% in the second half of the study year.
• Reported casino gambling problems rose from 7% to 34% after the casino opened.
• Video gambling machines (49%) and track (horse/dog) racing (25%) were the most reported problem modes.

Conclusions:

• Increased gambling availability correlates with higher hotline usage.
• Gambling machines and casinos are significant sources of reported problems.
• Maori individuals, especially females, are disproportionately represented among hotline callers.