Gambling is an underrecognized problem from both a clinical and a public health point of view. It is not uncommon for an adolescent or adult to participate in one form of gambling or another on a regular basis, be it the lottery, card playing for money, sports wagering, or gambling on electronic gaming devices. Nor is it uncommon for such participation to reach excessive or destructive proportions, with negative effects on the individual s psychological, social, economic, and family life. The results of the National Research Council s 2000 review of empirical studies suggest that 85% of...

Gambling is an underrecognized problem from both a clinical and a public health point of view. It is not uncommon for an adolescent or adult to participate in one form of gambling or another on a regular basis, be it the lottery, card playing for money, sports wagering, or gambling on electronic gaming devices. Nor is it uncommon for such participation to reach excessive or destructive proportions, with negative effects on the individual s psychological, social, economic, and family life. The results of the National Research Council s 2000 review of empirical studies suggest that 85% of...

Sally Gainsbury is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Gambling Education and Research at Southern Cross University, Australia. Dr. Gainsbury is Associate Editor of "International Gambling Studies" and serves on the board of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors and the International Society of Managing & Technical Editors.

Alex Blaszczynski is Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Director of the Gambling Clinic and Research Unit at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is Editor of "International Gambling Studies" and has published widely on many...