Australia's Gambling Industries - Productivity Commission

Age
Delfabbro (1998, pp. 176–180) finds that young people, are more likely to be
problem gamblers. Dickerson et al. (1994, 1995, 1996) has also shown gambling
problems are most common in young people. US studies (eg Volberg 1997) shows
this pattern is not unique to Australia.
Table Q.3
Age of problem gamblers
Study
Average
age
Other aspects of age Nature of group Location and time
period
Jackson et al.
(1997)
Jackson et al.
(1999b)
Abbott and
Volberg (1991)
Problem
Gambling
Committee (1997)
Problem
Gambling
Committee (1998)
Elliot Stanford
and Associates
(1998)
Dickerson, Baron,
Hong and Cottrell
(1996)
38 years Females much more
represented among older
clients; there are far
fewer problem gamblers
aged 60 or more than
would be predicted by
Victoria’s population
structure
Compared with the age
distribution of the general
population, problem
gamblers are overrepresented
in the 30-39
and 40-49 years age
groups
Two thirds of current
‘pathological’ gamblers
were aged 18-29 years.
36 years 32 per cent of problem
gamblers were aged from
15 to 29 years. Only
about 7 per cent of
problem gamblers were
aged over 55 years.
37 years Majority are aged
between 20 and 49 years
Clients of Break
Even services
Clients of Break
Even services
General
population
Clients of problem
gambling
counselling
services
Clients of problem
gambling
counselling
services
40 years Clients of problem
gambling
counselling
services
Majority of problem
gamblers were men aged
19 to 29 years
General
population, but
criterion for
problem gambler
is a gambler
scoring SOGS
10+
Victoria,
1996-97
Victoria,
1997-98
New Zealand,
1991
New Zealand,
1997
New Zealand,
1998
South Australia,
November 1996 to
May 1998
Sydney,
Melbourne,
Adelaide and
Brisbane, Australia
1991
continued
WHO ARE THE
PROBLEM
GAMBLERS?
Q.5