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Veterans Demonstrate High Levels Of Problematic Gambling

Approximately 10% of veterans report having gambling problems. Approximately 8% are "problem gamblers," and approximately 2% are "pathological gamblers." These numbers came from a recent study of 2,185 veterans receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Problem gamblers are defined as those with 1 to 4 problems related to gambling. Those with at least 5 gambling related problems are defined as being pathological.

Researchers did not find any predictive factors for pathological gambling in:

 

·      age;

·      educational level; or

·      ethnicity.

 

Unemployment, however, showed to be a predictive factor. It takes money to gamble, and for pathological gamblers, a significant amount of money. There were two types of unemployed veterans in the study. First, there were part-time and seasonal workers who therefore had some limited access to money. Second, there were "homebodies," who remained unemployed but married to spouses bringing in money.

There were other unexpected findings. Married veterans showed as being more likely to gamble, but this could be because single, divorced, and widowed people were underrepresented in the study.

Further, problem and pathological gambling appeared in similar numbers in male and female veterans. This is not reflective of the general population, and may occur because more women are exposed to gambling in the military.

Overall, veterans demonstrated problem gambling problems at twice the amount as the general population. Looking at future disparities, researchers predict an even greater gap between the two populations.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.