HISTORY OF PROBLEM GAMBLING PREVALENCE RATES

Prior to 1989, Nevada and New Jersey were the only states with commercial casino gambling.  In the past 20 years, however, the number of states with commercial and racetrack casinos has increased ten-fold.  During this same period, the prevalence rate of pathological and problem gambling in the United States has remained steady, with only about 1 percent of the population being classified as pathological gamblers and another 2 percent experience problems gambling.

The chart below compares the growth of commercial casino gaming from 1976 to the present with pathological and problem gambling prevalence rates during that same time.

CHART SOURCES
PATHOLOGICAL AND PROBLEM GAMBLING PREVALENCE RATES
1976: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: .8; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 2.3; Source: Commission on the Review of the National Policy Towards Gambling
1979: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: .7; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 2.33; Source: Kallick, Suits, Dielman & Hybels
1997: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: 1.1; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 2.8; Source: Shaffer, Hall & Vander Bilt
1999: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: 1.5; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 3.9; Source: National Research Council
2001: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: 1.9; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 4.2; Source: Shaffer & Hall
2005: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: .42; Source: Petry, Stinson & Grant
2008: Pathological Gambling Prevalence Rate: .6; Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate: 2.3; Kessler, Hwang, LaBrie, Petukhova, Sampson, Winters & Shaffer

NUMBER OF STATES WITH COMMERCIAL CASINOS OR RACINOS
Source: State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment, 2009