Gambling Among Older Adults: A Mental Health Collaborative Research Exploration of Service Needs

Background and Purpose: Gambling among older adults is becoming more popular as a social engagement activity, while at the same time it is becoming a pervasive behavior that has mental health implications. In the United States, the participation rate in gambling among older people over the preceding year increased from 23% to 50% between 1999 and 2020. According to a systematic review of mental health literature, people over 60 years of age have a life-long prevalence of problem gambling of between 0.01% and 10.6%. However, despite the extensive literature on casino gambling, the perspective of senior social service providers (SSSPs) has been conspicuously absent. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the SSSPs’ perceptions of older adults’ motivations for engaging in casino gambling, their encounters with older adults experiencing gambling-related issues, their understanding and awareness of problem gambling, and their perceived need for training on gambling-related issues.

Methods: To address the gaps in the literature about increased gambling activities among older adults, our study employed a cross-sectional open-ended questionnaire completed by 88 SSSPs in Washington State. A mixed methods approach with both quantitative and qualitative methodology was used to fully explore motivation and social acceptance of casinos as contributing factors. The components of this exploratory study were: (1) secondary data analysis on mental health center database information originally collected from SSSPs in mental health centers across the state and (2) qualitative responses from mental health practitioners in senior social services provider (SSSP) agencies, in Washington State. Because of these different methods and research tools, triangulation was used to increase the study's validity.

Results: The predominant motivations cited by older adults for patronizing casinos were entertainment and the desire to win money. Conversely, factors such as peer pressure, the pursuit of knowledge, and the appeal of a smoking-friendly environment were less commonly reported. A significant portion of respondents (42.0%) indicated that their clients were aware of the risks associated with casino gambling, yet nearly one-third (29.5%) believed their clients were largely uninformed about these risks. Strikingly, the vast majority of respondents (85.2%) reported a lack of training on ways to help clients with problem gambling.

Conclusions and Implications: These findings underscore the urgent need to educate SSSPs about both the potential benefits and adverse consequences of casino gambling. By equipping SSSPs with comprehensive knowledge and resources, we can better address the unique challenges faced by older adults in navigating the complexities of gambling behavior.