Gamblor’s World

Upcoming Events

12/10/06

At 10 a.m. on December 10, C-SPAN Radio will broadcast The Real Costs: How to Effectively Measure Social and Economic Impacts, a government and industry session presented at the NCRG’s 7th Annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction last month in Las Vegas. Don’t miss your chance to hear Kate Spilde Contreras, William Eadington, Douglas Walker and moderator Alan Feldman address the shortcomings of current research surrounding problem gambling, the complexities of developing a sound economic model and how public policy makers and the gaming industry can benefit from better research and methodology.

The broadcast will be available on XM Satellite radio channel 132 or Sirius Satellite radio channel 139. If you are not an XM or Sirius subscriber, don’t worry! You can still catch the session online and free of charge.

Just click on the green “listen” buttons for an instant Windows Media or Real Player simulcasting of C-SPAN’s air signal on Sunday morning!

To follow along with speaker presentations referenced in the session by downloading the presentations below.

Presentations
Kate Spilde Contreras (PDF, 5.7MB)
William Eadington (PDF, 130K)
Douglas Walker (PDF, 186K)

Author: Nagourney, Eric
Source: New York Times
Published: Dec 05, 06

Full Document:
UNITED STATES – People who gamble are more likely to suffer from a variety of health problems, including heart and liver disease, a new study finds. Health Problems and Medical Utilization Associated With Gambling Disorders: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (Psychosomatic Medicine). The researchers looked at three kinds of gamblers, whom they described as pathological, problem or at-risk, and found that all of them tended to report more medical concerns than the general population.

The pathological gamblers had the highest number of reported problems. But even occasional gamblers raised some red flags.

“Taken together,” the researchers write in Psychosomatic Medicine, “these findings indicate that even a moderate amount of gambling (five or more times a year) is associated with some decreased health functioning.” Benjamin J. Morasco, now with the Portland VA Medical Center in Oregon, led the study when he was at the University of Connecticut in Farmington.

The researchers drew on information gathered in a national health survey of more than 43,000 people. The people surveyed were asked a broad range of questions about their health and behaviors, including how often they gambled.

Gamblers were considered pathological if they were preoccupied with gambling and kept doing it even though it was causing difficulties at home or work. Problem gamblers were those whose troubles were not as severe. People who gambled five or more times a year were described as at-risk.

There were several explanations for why gamblers might suffer more health problems, the researchers said. People who gamble a lot are more likely to smoke and drink heavily. Beyond that, they may have higher stress levels.

By some estimates, the researchers said, the at-risk group makes up about a fourth of the population, so the findings suggest that there may be public health implications.

ED - It would be interesting to see whether the researchers looked at types of gambling/problem gambling that increased health risks.

Author: Trent, John
Source: Nevada News
Published: Dec 01, 06

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NEVADA – A new study by a University of Nevada, Reno researcher indicates that approximately four out of five gamblers in Nevada are non-smokers. The results suggest that the economic implications of smoking bans throughout the United States may not be as great as originally believed.
According to data in the study that included 17,000 gamblers in the state’s primary tourist/casino centers - Las Vegas, Reno/Sparks and Lake Tahoe - similar results were found for all three locales. About 21.5 percent of gamblers in Las Vegas were smokers; 22.6 percent of gamblers in Reno/Sparks were smokers; 17 percent of gamblers in Lake Tahoe were smokers.

“This has been a big issue not only for Nevada but nationally and internationally, wherever gaming is allowed,” said Chris Pritsos, a professor of nutrition at the University who conducted the study. “These issues have recently come to the forefront with the ballot initiatives, Questions 4 and 5, during the last election in Nevada, as well as a recent smoking ban in Colorado, where gaming was exempted at the last minute and with a recent Atlantic City, New Jersey City Council proposed ordinance that would ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos.

“The big question has been: is the number of gamblers who smoke more in line with what the gaming industry has claimed, upward to 70 percent, or is it more in line with what health organizations throughout the country have suggested, that the number of gamblers who smoke is similar to the overall percentage of the U.S. population that smokes?

“This is a critically important distinction to make, as much of the argument against banning smoking in public places has centered around the economic impact such bans would have on industries like gaming.” Pritsos worked with state health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in formulating, funding and executing the study.

“The percentages we found were very similar to the overall percentage of the U.S. population that smokes, which is 20.9 percent,” Pritsos said. “These numbers are far below the 70 percent figure that is often put forward by pro-smoking groups and individuals.”

Pritsos said the study also found that the percentage of gamblers who smoke at rural casinos is about 36.5 percent, and the percentage of gamblers who smoke at local grocery, drug and convenience stores in Nevada is about 42 percent.

“Although these numbers are higher than the numbers we found for casino/tourist destinations, they are still well below the 70 percent figure that you always hear,” Pritsos said. “The percentage of smokers at small rural or non-tourist dependent gaming establishments may better reflect the percentage of smokers in those local/rural communities than that of the overall U.S. population.

Overall, when you take all of these numbers together, the results suggest that the percent of gamblers who smoke at tourist destination casinos are almost identical to the overall percentage of smokers in the U.S.”

Author: Crabtree, Penni
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
Published: Dec 06, 06

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SAN DIEGO – Somaxon Pharmaceuticals rolled snake eyes yesterday when its experimental drug to curb gambling failed to benefit patients in a midstage clinical trial.
The San Diego specialty drug maker said volunteers diagnosed as pathological gamblers who took one of two doses of the drug, nalmefene hydrochloride, did no better in controlling their addiction than those who took a dummy pill.

Secondary goals of the Phase 2/3 study were also not reached. Side effects included insomnia, nausea and dizziness, and some treated patients also had elevated liver enzymes, a condition associated with liver damage.

“It was always a higher risk development program largely because no drug has ever been approved for this impulse control disorder, though we did think it had a reasonable chance for success,” said Jeff Raser, senior vice president and a co-founder of Somaxon. “It’s a disappointment.”

Raser said the company will analyse all of its nalmefene data before it decides what to do with the program. The company has also tested nalmefene in a Phase 2 study as an aid to stop smoking.

While the nalmefene results are a setback, Somaxon and its investors are focused more on the fate of the company’s most advanced drug candidate, an experimental insomnia treatment called Silenor.

The company is awaiting results of a final Silenor Phase 3 study, which is expected this month. If the study is successful, as three other Phase 3 studies have been, Somaxon expects to seek Food and Drug Administration approval for the sleeping pill in the third quarter of next year.

Somaxon is one of a growing number of specialty pharmaceutical companies, which usually license late-stage experimental drugs developed by other firms, or find new uses for already approved drugs.

Silenor is no exception: It is a low-dose form of an already approved drug, doxepin, which is used to treat depression.

If approved as an insomnia treatment, Silenor would face competition in the crowded field of prescription sleeping pills, which include Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata.

Silenor’s closest competitor would probably be Rozerem, a drug that was approved last year and is made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Like Rozerem, Silenor is considered to be free of narcoticlike effects and potential for abuse, and would not be listed as a controlled substance.

In July, Silenor hit a hitch when the FDA requested more preclinical data on the drug, including carcinogenicity studies that will take two years to complete and could delay a regulatory decision on the drug.

Somaxon said the FDA has indicated that it will allow the company to complete the carcinogenicity studies after the drug is approved, if other preclinical data already submitted proves adequate.

Somaxon, which employs 40, was founded in 2003 and went public last December. The company’s shares fell 12 cents yesterday, to close at $14.07.

Author:
Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Published: Dec 02, 06

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KITCHENER-WATERLOO – There are suave-looking cartoon characters smoking cigars or drinking martinis around a green table.
A polite, uniformed dealer tosses out the cards and accepts the bets.

And every move is made with the click of a mouse.

With the sounds and graphics, it can be easy to forget online poker is something more than a harmless video game.

That’s exactly what makes it potentially dangerous, according to the Responsible Gambling Council. John Kelly, the council’s chief executive, said a lot of Internet poker sites can make the betting feel artificial.

“The games may be virtual,” Kelly said. “But the cash is real.”

Internet gambling has become a huge business with a global value estimated at about $13 billion a year.

A recent poll conducted by the Responsible Gambling Council found that 69 per cent of Ontarians believe the popularity of playing poker online is a problem today.

The same poll found that one in five people play for money and just as many are worried that a friend or relative is developing a gambling problem.

Kelly said the results confirm what the council suspected when it launched an ambitious awareness campaign last year.

The Friends4Friends campaign was the first of its kind in Canada because it targeted young gamblers who were playing on the Internet. Kelly said it was obvious poker’s popularity has soared in recent years, especially among young men, and the council wanted to warn people about the risks.

The campaign, which was launched again a few weeks ago, asks people to investigate and seek help if they think a friend is developing a gambling problem.

Kelly said last year’s effort brought more than 15,000 people to the website. More than 100 people sent e-mails asking for help, he said.

The council is trying to get the message out that poker is no different from other forms of gambling and it should be played responsibly.

Kelly said only time will tell whether online poker is a passing fad or a lasting hobby.

“We don’t know if it will plateau,” Kelly said. “We don’t know where poker is going.”

Ontario Lottery News 2006 OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming)

Address: 4120 Yonge Street, Suite 420 Toronto, Ontario M2P 2B8 Canada

Internet:

Lottery Results: http://www.olgc.ca

http://www.olgclotteries.ca/index.jsp

More information is available at this website!

The Edmonton Journal, Friday, December 08, 2006

EDMONTON - The union representing striking workers at the Palace Casino wants the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to take action in a dispute that is now three months old.

At a press conference Thursday called by the provincial New Democrats, United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local 401 representatives and party labour critic Ray Martin said the commission is helping the casino avoid negotiating a first contract by failing to crack down on alleged violations of the casino’s operating guidelines.

“By their lack of action, they’re actually prolonging the dispute,” Martin said. “There should not be that perception that a government agency is on one side or the other. But clearly, we believe that it is.”

AGLC spokeswoman Stephanie Francis said the commission has not received any complaints about the casino from the general public. But the union has complained and those complaints are being investigated.

“Certainly anything the union has seen, that would come to us and we would followup and investigate if necessary, as we would any complaint by anyone,” Francis said.

However, the commission has from the beginning stated its intention to remain neutral in the strike, she said.

“The best solution are the ones that the parties arrive at themselves,” Francis said. “That said, the integrity of gaming is our first priority and what the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission is doing is continue to monitor the gaming activities in the casino.”

The casino’s owners issued a news release in response to the press conference.

“The allegation that minors are allowed into the Palace Casino are patently false,” Gateway Casinos vice-president Howard Worrell said. “In line with AGLC policy, we check identities of all people who appear to be younger than 25.”

Referring to a second allegation from the union, Worrell said no one is allowed to take drinks outside the casino.

Union and company officials met last week to negotiate, but the two sides remain split on issues such as wages and sick days.

© The Edmonton Journal 2006

© 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

7 December 2006, CASINO CITY NETWORK

ILLINOIS - As reported by the Illinois Daily Herald: “From a minute past midnight until 4:51 a.m. Friday, an insurance agent from Lombard was on the literal roll of his life.

“The craps table at Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin had never been so kind.

“But when he tried to cash in his $22,800 in chips, casino authorities took it all away, arrested him and charged him with criminal trespass.

“For this guy, even when he beats the odds, the casino still wins.

“According to the arrest report, the gambler enrolled in Illinois’ Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program for Problem Gamblers, which gives compulsive gamblers a financial incentive to stop. The program is a voluntary effort that promises participants anonymity, so the Daily Herald is identifying the man only as Nicholas.

“By enrolling in the program, Nicholas signed a form that states if self-excluded members are ‘found on an Illinois casino gambling, all chips and tokens clearly in their possession will be donated’ to an organization that helps compulsive gamblers.

“If there is a good thing about this, his check certainly will go toward helping to make other gamblers and problem gamblers aware of resources out there to get some help,; says Alex Roseborough, executive director of the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling, which will receive Nicholas’ $22,800 — the largest donation in the program’s four-year history” .

Copyright © 2002-2006 Casino City, Inc. or its affiliates.

ED: It is unclear to me how this person was able to place bets at the craps table when he had voluntarily signed a self-exclusion agreement? Why was he not stopped from entering at the door? If he had lost 5K. would the casino enforce the self-exclusion agreement? Casinos have security cameras throughout the premises and it can’t be that difficult to identify those who self-exclude if they sneak in. Casinos also have the financial resources to improve their security systems ie. facial recognition technology, etc. etc. if they really wanted to enforce their self-exclusion policies indicating that they are “responsible” corporations.

Health problems and medical utilization associated with gambling: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol
and Related Conditions.

* Morasco BJ
* Pietrzak RH
* Blanco C
* Grant BF
* Hasin D
* Petry NM

Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center,
Farmington, Connecticut, USA.

OBJECTIVE: Pathologic gambling is believed to be associated with
adverse health consequences, but no prior studies have rigorously evaluated
these relationships. We sought to examine medical disorders and health
service utilization associated with problem and pathologic gambling.
METHOD: A total of 43,093 adults aged 18 years and older were
evaluated in the 2001 to 2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and
Related Conditions. Self-reported medical diagnoses and past-year medical
services used were assessed.
RESULTS: Pathologic gamblers were more
likely than low-risk individuals to have been diagnosed with
tachycardia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-2.97),
angina (OR = 2.35; 95% CI = 1.33-4.15), cirrhosis (OR = 3.90; 95% CI =
1.11-13.72), and other liver disease (OR = 2.98; 95% CI = 1.07-8.26).
Gambling severity was also associated with higher rates of medical
utilization with pathologic gamblers more likely than low-risk
individuals to have been treated in the emergency room in the year
before the survey (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.27-3.09). Significant effects
of gambling severity remained even after controlling for demographic
characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education,
income, and region of the country) and behavioral risk factors such as
body mass index, alcohol abuse and dependence, nicotine dependence,
and mood and anxiety disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: A lifetime diagnosis of
pathologic gambling is associated with several medical disorders and
increased medical utilization, perhaps leading to a burden on
healthcare costs in the United States.

PMID: 17132843 [PubMed - in process]

Compr Psychiatry. 2006 Nov-Dec;47(6) :515-8. Epub 2006 Apr 21. Links

Sexual orientation of men with pathological gambling: prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity in a treatment-seeking sample.

· Grant JE,

· Potenza MN.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School , Minneapolis , MN 55454 , USA . grant045@umn. edu

Although gay men represent a high-risk group for psychiatric illness and impairment, they are largely an understudied population. The purpose of the present study was to examine the sexual orientation and clinical correlates of men with pathological gambling (PG). Sexual orientation was assessed in 105 men presenting with PG. Gay and bisexual men with PG were compared with heterosexual men in terms of gambling symptoms, impairment, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Of 22 men (21.0%) with PG, 15 were gay (14.3%) and 7 were bisexual (6.7%). Gay and bisexual men vs heterosexual men were more likely to be single (81.8% vs 21.7%; chi(2)(2) = 28.2; P < .001), have a lifetime (81.8% vs 44.6%; chi(2)(1) = 9.7; P = .002) or current (68.2% vs 34.9%; chi(2)(1) = 7.9; P = .005) impulse control disorder, and have a lifetime substance use disorder (59.1% vs 31.3%; chi(2)(1) = 5.7; P < .05). Gay and bisexual men with PG also showed a trend toward greater impairment (P = .04). Psychiatric comorbidity and impairment are high in gay and bisexual men with PG. Research is needed to optimize patient care for gay and bisexual men with PG.

PMID: 17067876 [PubMed - in process]

Related Links

Sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, and pregnancy among American Indian adolescents. [J Adolesc Health. 1998] PMID: 9763160

Psychiatric and substance dependence comorbidities, sexually transmitted diseases, and risk behaviors among methamphetamine- dependent gay and bisexual men seeking outpatient drug abuse treatment. [J Psychoactive Drugs. 2003] PMID: 12825759

The health of people classified as lesbian, gay and bisexual attending family practitioners in London: a controlled study. [BMC Public Health. 2006] PMID: 16681849

Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. [J Clin Psychiatry. 2005] PMID: 15889941

Very young gay and bisexual men are at risk for HIV infection: the San Francisco Bay Area Young Men’s Survey II. [J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000] PMID: 10935693