Online gambling and sports betting may mostly evoke mental images of young men. But the continuing ease of access to these forms of gambling is also having a major impact on another more unsettling segment of society: seniors.
“They’re an often, overlooked population,” notes Dr. Carolyn Hawley, Director of the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health. “We know gambling’s also highly accessible and increasingly marketed across the lifespan and there are certain factors that place some of our older adults more at risk.”
Hawley says ease of access and payments to gambling outlets is the number one factor for the dramatic increase of problem gambling, “You used to have to go someplace – leave your house to gamble. There were set hours when you could do that and transactions often had to involve cash. And all of those barriers are now gone, especially when we look at our online platforms.”
John Rosengren wrote about the particular susceptibility of older Americans and gambling for AARP Magazine, “Anyone can get in trouble, but the particular vulnerabilities of older Americans - I thought this is a story we need to tell and bring this situation to light.”
Rosengren says the targeting of seniors by the gambling industry is nothing new, “Back in the day, they would send buses on the third of the month to senior residences because that’s when they got their Social Security checks. And then you'd see ads with seniors having fun and being with others socializing. And, if someone’s lonely, they’ve lost a spouse, their several friends have died. They’re looking for ways to amuse themselves. Maybe they’ve got a bad hip. They can’t go out square dancing like they used to. So, they end up going to the casino. And the casinos know this and they are deliberately targeting older people.”
The result is older Americans who thought they had planned for their golden years, finding their savings being siphoned away.
Rosengren recalls one individual he profiled in his story, “Poor Jack, he's sitting there playing Wheel of Fortune in his lounge chair at night while his wife is sleeping and suddenly, he’s thousands of dollars in debt – beyond what he can afford. And he doesn’t want to go up to his wife and say ‘Oh, Honey, guess what I did?’ And so, he’s trying to find ways to cover his losses. And what’s so sad is that this will often lead to people wanting to kill themselves rather than reaching out for help. The estimate is that one in five gambling addicts has either attempted or thought about suicide.”
I then asked Rosengren if he thought those responsible for the rapid legalization and access to gambling could know where this would lead.
“The gambling industry did – absolutely! They knew where it was headed. And they were licking their chops anticipating this,” remarked Rosengren.
I ask Dr. Hawley if the percentage of older problem gamblers matched other age demographics. She responded, “That is something we just don’t know. That’s where we need research like this to help better inform.”
In Virginia, a portion of sports betting and casino revenue goes to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund.
When I asked Hawley if it was enough, her answer was blunt,
“No! Absolutely not. When we look at the amount of individuals that we are servicing for treatment and recovery, it is increasing all the time. Just looking at our past quarter from April and June of this year at the Virginia Partnership, our intakes increase sixty-three percent as compared to the previous year, and yet we’re operating with the same amount of staff – the same budget.”
With the potential for even more forms of legalized gambling in Virginia’s future, the effort to keep pace with help for all ages of problem gamblers will likely continue to be a challenge.
You can link to the Virginia Problem Gambling Council and more information about seeking help here.
