Quick Facts on Problem Gambling in Oregon (2010)

Gambling has become part of the Oregon landscape, culture and economy. Oregon has more forms of legalized gambling and offers easier access to gambling than most other states.

Overview

Of the 1,861 gamblers that received publicly funded treatment in Oregon in 2008-2009, the following gambling-related consequences were reported:

Average gambling debt: $32,000.
34 percent had alcohol-related problems.
Approximately 38 percent of clients reported committing illegal acts to obtain gambling money.
Approximately 48 percent had suicidal thoughts and more than 9 percent had attempted suicide within the past 6 months.
Nearly 38 percent of problem gambling clients worked full-time; the average annual household income was $30,776.
Nearly 64 percent of the problem gamblers who enrolled in treatment reported their game of preference was video poker followed by video line games and slot machines at 12 percent each.
Problem gamblers reported that their primary gambling location was Lottery retailers (75.9 percent) followed by Indian gaming centers and casinos (13.8 percent).
Treatment programs that are within 50 miles of a casino are significantly more likely to enroll gamblers who report their primary gambling venue as a casino than other treatment programs.

Financial Impacts

According to economist Earl Grinols, in 2004 the average social-economic cost of problem gamblers was approximately $3,000 each and $11,000 for each pathological gambler – or an estimated social-economic cost in excess of $449 million for Oregonians.
Those entering treatment in Oregon had an estimated combined gambling-related debt of more than $44 million.

Oregon Problem Gambling Prevalence Estimates

More than 74,000 Oregon adults (2.7 percent of adults) are believed to meet the criteria for being current problem or pathological gamblers (Moore, 2006).
About 6,000 Oregonians over 62 years old (1.2 percent) are believed to meet the criteria for problem or pathological gambling (Moore, 2001).
1.3 percent of Oregon youth are problem gamblers; 4.6 percent are at-risk gamblers. That means there are between 1,100 and 6,300 adolescents with severe gambling-related difficulties (Volberg, 2007).