Abstract
A stratified random doorknock method was used to interview 2744 respondents in four state capitals in Australia. The interview was in 3 parts with the latter two only administered to regular, once per week or more often gamblers (N=290). The measures completed by this group included the South Oaks Gambling Screen and a range of psychological measures. A conservative interpretation of the results was that “problem gamblers,” defined in terms of a range of personal and interpersonal gambling-related costs, comprised 1.16% (±0.34%) of the Australian population. It was estimated that problem players’ losses may account for about one quarter of all expenditures on gambling.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbot, M.W. & Volberg, R.A. (1992).Frequent gamblers and problem gamblers in New Zealand. Research Series No 14. Wellington: New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Baron, E. (1993).Alcohol intake as a variable of impaired control of gambling. Unpublished Honors Thesis. University of Western Sydney, Macarthur.
Bateman, L. (1993).Gambling behavior and alcohol use in off-course betting agencies: an examination of the relationship between involvement and intoxication. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia.
Beck, A.T. (1972). Measuring depression: The depression inventory. In T.A. Williams, M.M. Katz & J.A. Shield, Jr. (Eds.),Recent advances in the psychobiology of the depressive illness (pp. 299–302). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Beck, A.T., Steer, R.A. & Garbin, M.G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation.Clinical Psychology Review, 8, 77–100.
Browne, B.R. (1989). Going on tilt: Frequent poker players and control.Journal of Gambling Behavior, 5, 3–21.
Caldwell, G., Young, S., Dickerson, M.G. & McMillen, J. (1988).Social impact study-development of a casino. Commonwealth Government of Australia.
Corless, A. & Dickerson, M.G. (1989). Gambler's self-perceptions of determinants of impaired control.British Journal of Addiction, 84, 1527–1537.
Cornish, D.B. (1978).Gambling: A review of the literature and its implications for policy and research. London: HSMO.
Culleton, R.P. (1989). The prevalence rates of pathological gambling: a look at methods.Journal of Gambling Behavior, 5, 22–41.
Dickerson, M.G. (1991). The internal and external determinants of gambling behavior.Journal of Gambling Behavior, 7, 210–224.
Dickerson, M.G. (1993). Alternative approaches to the measurement of the prevalence of pathological gambling.Psicologia Conductual, 1, 3, 339–349.
Dickerson, M.G. & Hinchy, J. (1988). The prevalence of excessive and pathological gambling in Australia.Journal of Gambling Behavior, 4, 135–51.
Goldberg, D.P. (1972).The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire. London: Oxford University Press.
Heather, N., Tebbutt, J.S., Mattick, R.P. & Zamir, R. (1993). Development of a scale for measuring impaired control over alcohol consumption: A preliminary report.Journal of Studies on Alcohol National Drug and Alcohol Research Center, University of New South Wales.
Lesieur, H.R. & Blume, S.B. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A new instrument for the identification of pathological gambling.American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.
Solonsch, M. (1991). The Australian gambling market: an overview of today and a look to the future.The National Association for Gambling Studies Newsletter, 3, 2, 2–16.
Street, L. (1991).Inquiry into the establishment and operation of legal casinos in New South Wales. Report to the Chief Secretary for Administrative Services, NSW Government.
Tarnopolsky, A., Hand, D.J., McLean, E.K., Roberts, H. & Wiggins, R.D. (1979). Validity and uses of a screening questionnaire (GHQ) in the community.British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 508–515.
Volberg, R.A. (1996). Prevalence studies of problem gambling in the United States.Journal of Gambling Studies, 12, 111–128.
Volberg, R.A. & Steadman, H.J. (1988). Refining prevalence estimates of pathological gambling.American Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 502–505.
Zuckerman, M. (1979).Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dickerson, M.G., Baron, E., Hong, S.M. et al. Estimating the extent and degree of Gambling related problems in the Australian population: A national survey. J Gambling Stud 12, 161–178 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01539172
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01539172