Parameters of undergraduate gambling

Abstract

Students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas were surveyed about gambling behavior. Over 92% of the students under 21 years of age had gambled, with over 50% having gambled in a casino, and 22% gambled weekly. As measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), 11.2% of the sample scored in the pathological gambling range. Gambling and pathological gambling behaviors displayed a significant relationship to male gender, non-residency status, being over 21 years-old, and getting drunk often. The DSM-III-R, proposed DSM-IV, and the SOGS criteria measured pathological gambling at 5.1%, 4.2%, and 11.2%, respectively. No relationship was found linking the subjects\u27 college major or underage drinking with pathological gambling for the entire sample. The SOGS scores of the UNLV students were consistently higher than found in previous studies. Particularly critical are the elevated scores of non-resident students. Recommendations for future research and the university\u27s role in educating students, especially non-resident students, about the perils of gambling are discussed

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