The Oklahoman

Dear Editor,

Compliments on the articles you recently published on gambling. It is in the public’s interest to know there is a small percentage of individuals who cannot gamble responsibly; however, your reporters have fallen prey to a common misperception and some very bad statistics.

The misperception is that problem gambling is growing dramatically. That simply is not the case, as shown by two accurate statistics your reporters used – that gambling has grown 10-fold since 1975, and that the combined prevalence rate of problem and pathological gambling in the United States is about 3 percent. Despite increased access to gambling, the percentage of problem and pathological gamblers has hardly fluctuated – about 3 percent in 1975 and about 3 percent today.

In the “Gambling Statistics” article, a few accurate facts, e.g. the number of states with lotteries, have the effect of legitimizing a host of bad statistics. By your own attribution, these statistics come not from high-quality research, but from an organization that makes its money by selling treatment services to people with gambling problems.

This letter is not meant to diminish the problem. Our industry spends millions of dollars annually funding research, working with treatment organizations and raising awareness about disordered gambling. Rather, we think your readers deserve a more rigorous and balanced effort when it comes to fact finding and presentation.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
President and CEO
American Gaming Association