Problem Gambling Among Older Adults

With the spread of legalized gambling across the United States has come a major uptick in older Americans gambling, with a recent study estimating that 69 percent of adults 61 and older said they gambled in the past year, reports Next Avenue . Most older adults who gamble do so with no negative consequences, but National Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Keith Whyte says gambling addiction presents specific risks to this age group, and it can be difficult for older adults to see it as a problem. "They have the lowest rates of seeing gambling as a treatable disorder and the highest rates of viewing it as immoral or bad behavior," he notes. Whyte warns that gambling's availability to nearly any adult is a key factor. "There's been a fundamental, massive shift in the availability and accessibility of legalized gambling, right when older adults are entering the prime of their life, where they've got the money and time to be able to spend on leisure pursuits," he notes, explaining that "They can blow their nest egg in a matter of months." Gambling becomes problematic when the gambler is unable to set a limit of money and time spent. The Mayo Clinic cites other symptoms of compulsive gambling, such as a preoccupation with gambling, lying to others to hide your gambling, trying to make up losses by continuing to gamble, jeopardizing relationships because of gambling, gambling to avoid depression or anxiety, and stealing to get gambling money.